With the intent of exploring how an expert conductor-teacher navigates among rehearsal strategies to monitor student learning and take full advantage of the musical opportunities in the choral rehearsal context, the purpose of this research was to explore how an expert conductor-teacher navigates among rehearsal strategies in the moment of teaching. This phenomenological case study traced the "improvisational teaching" choices of one expert conductor-teacher in a variety of choral rehearsal settings. The researcher served as participant-observer and data collection methods included video documentation of the expert conductor-teacher in multiple choral rehearsal settings, formal and informal interviews with the expert conductor-teacher, and participant-observer field notes. The specific research problems include: 1) What specific rehearsal choices does an expert conductor-teacher make during improvisational teaching in the choral rehearsal context?, and 2) How does an expert conductor-teacher navigate from desired outcome to final product during a choral rehearsal? Video and interview data were transcribed, and all data were categorized into emergent codes and themes. The expert conductor-teacher's improvisational teaching included the following five themes: 1) Verbal Rehearsal Strategies to describe and assess during rehearsals, 2) Active Rehearsal Strategies, including modeling and embodied movement, 3) Building Connections, Building Vocalism, and Conductor-Teacher Education in the context of rehearsals, 4) Interactive Response to Sounding as the "intersection" of improvisational teaching, including critical listening, making musical rehearsal choices, and always being aware of vocal tone, and 5) Building Relationships through connecting with and affirming the ensemble members. The findings of this research suggest that music teacher educators can prepare pre-service conductor-teachers to think like an expert during teaching/rehearsing through the following: 1) Continue to emphasize pre-service conductor-teachers' growth in foundational musical skills, including score study, audiation, and critical listening, 2) Provide pre-service conductor-teachers with opportunities for exercising improvisation during teaching/rehearsing in a safe environment, and 3) Encourage pre-service teachers to "unlock" their thinking, so that they remain open to all of the possible rehearsal strategies during practicum teaching and when observing/interning as a pre-service teacher.
Read
