Shelby Love Final Research Paper

RUNNING HEAD: MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS’ PERCEPTIONS OF CHOIR AND VOICE
CHANGE

A Descriptive Study of Middle School Boys’ Perceptions of Choir and Voice Change
Shelby C. Love
Western Michigan University

MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS’ PERCEPTIONS OF CHOIR AND VOICE CHANGE

2

Abstract
This descriptive study was designed to explore the perceptions of middle school boys (N=24) in
regard to their opinions about choir and the voice change process. A survey was given at the
beginning of the school year and half way through the spring semester in order to glean
information from the boys about their views of choir. The subjects were also voice tested at these
two points of the school year in order to determine what stage of the voice change process each
boy occupied at the time of the survey (Cooksey, 1999). This information was then analyzed to
determine whether any similarities existed between what voice stage a boy was in and his
perception of singing in choir.


3

A Descriptive Study of Middle School Boys’ Perceptions of Choir and Voice Change
If anyone were to walk into a typical middle school choir classroom, one would observe an
obvious lack of male choristers. In Colonial times, men dominated singing in public. Since then,
however, there has been a drastic shift to the point where women often dominate public singing
(Gates, 1989). Why is this the case? Many researchers have conducted studies on topics
concerning adolescent boys and choir. One study was conducted concerning why adolescent boys
chose to enroll in choir as an elective class (Lucas, 2011). Another looked at factors that
influenced adolescent boys’ ability to match pitch (Demorest & Clements, 2007). One researcher
even conducted interviews with middle school boys from a prestigious boy’s music school in
order to gain insight into adolescent voice change and how the natural process of male voice
change impacted their singing ability (Kennedy, 2004). Yet despite these investigations, choral
directors still have difficulty maintaining significant numbers of boys in choir classrooms.
Even though many facets of the lack of adolescent males in choral music classrooms have
been investigated, there is a lack of studies on adolescent boys’ opinions of the voice change
process and how it positively or negatively influences their perceptions toward choir. Demorest
(2000) states, “Junior high is the time when many boys choose not to continue singing. It is the
time when their voices are changing and don’t sound particularly good. Singing involves taking a
somewhat personal risk-not an easy thing for adolescents who already feel rather insecure. Peer
pressure also intensifies around this time, and in the eyes of an adolescent boy, choir may not have
the prestige of other activities” (p. 38). Freer (2007) echoes a similar sentiment by stating that
when boys are given music they don’t like and are expected to sing that music using a changing
voice that is not understood, they may become disengaged and disinterested in music forever.
Also, Freer (2010) found that adolescent boys became frustrated at the lack of success or


4

improvement during this time and therefore withdrew from choral music in order to pursue other
avenues in which they might be more successful.
Fortunately, there have been a myriad of suggestions given for how to motivate and engage
middle school boys in choir. Stamer (1999) discovered that a strong motivator for boys was the
use of competition. Research found that stress promoted learning in males and embraced the high
activity level of boys by incorporating physical activity into lessons and this has the potential to
help our young boys learn more efficiently (Freer, 2007; Freer, 2009). Also, Freer (2010) found
that adolescent boys tended to “attribute their success to ability rather than to effort” (p. 24), and
therefore it behooved the students greatly when choral teachers shifted their pedagogical approach
to “reflect the belief that singing involves a specific skill set that can be developed over time” (p.
24).
Middle school boys in choir need role models of older boys/men who have successfully
completed their voice change and still enjoy singing. In a recent study of adolescent males in
choir, each boy who remained in choir, despite all of the influences to quit, mentioned the
inspiration of an older male singer as the reason for his persistence (Freer, 2010).
All of the above are excellent ideas for improving adolescent boys’ choral experiences, but
possibly the most important action to be taken is to simply educate our middle school boys on
exactly what is happening with their voices. In his interview with Hook (1998) Cooksey
explained, “If you educate the boys about voice change and take it out of the unknown, they then
know this is going to happen. This is a normal thing, and you can’t push Mother Nature” (p.23).
Cooksey also mentioned using color-coded voice change charts that the boys were trained how to
use and he allowed them to check and see where they were in the voice change process at all times
(Hook, 1998). Freer (2007) echoed a similar sentiment by saying all boys should be informed
about their changing voices no matter where they are in the process of voice change.


5

Cooksey (1999) has worked extensively with the changing adolescent voice and has
developed voice classifications based on which stage of vocal maturation an adolescent boy
currently occupied. The process of voice change has been documented to be gradual for some boys
and a sudden change for others. Cooksey (1999) stated that, “the most active phase of change
occurs on the average between 12.5 and 14 years of age, but there are many exceptions to this” (p.
12). Killian and Wayman (2010) found that this voice change may occur as early as 5th
or 6th
grade
for some boys. This knowledge along with not knowing when the process will actually begin can
cause this to be a very insecure and self-conscious time for adolescent males (Killian, 1997;
Killian, 1999).
When a student’s voice has not yet changed, or is in the process of changing, confusion
and sometimes even teasing occurs. In interviews with her 5th
-8th
grade boys at the American
Boychoir School (ABS), Kennedy (2004) described an interview with a 7th
grader at ABS. He
said,
“The middle of my voice went away. Mr. Litton moved me down to the tenor part or first
alto. That was basically all I could do that year. Either I would sing tenor or I’d have to
sing anything that was really high because the middle was gone” (p. 272).
Sweet (2010) had a student who had a similar experience.
“Some of those people think they’re so cool. They make fun of people whose voices
haven’t totally dropped yet because they have to sing up higher. They make fun of them
because they’re guys and they say that they sound like girls or little kids, but it’s harder
than it looks…” (p. 10).
Freer (2009) found that all six of the boys in his study made some remark to the effect that
middle school boys often withdrew from chorus because of self-consciousness related to the voice
change process. One student even described his experiences in being teased from other boys
because of his involvement in choir. For this reason, it is imperative that choir classrooms are


6

bully and teasing free zones where boys can experience the voice change process in a safe and
supportive environment.
One vocal difficulty that emerges during the time of voice change is pitch-matching
ability. This problem is exacerbated when the student is not confident in his pitch-matching ability
before vocal maturation begins. “Pitch-matching ability problems persisting past the elementary
years can have a negative effect on an individual’s perception of his or her musicality” (Demorest
& Clements, 2007, p. 191). This mentality from adolescent boys is what choral music educators
must guard against.
The philosophy of working with young changing voices by the associate music director at
the American Boychoir School nicely summed up how to appropriately work with young singers.
“I try two approaches at the same time. The first is to instill confidence in [the boys]. It’s
okay; there is nothing terribly wrong with you right now. Your voices are not working the
way they used to work, but you can be confident that you still have a voice and a mission
in this choir. The other is the light approach. You know it’s not all that important; we can
laugh about it. Your voice cracks, that’s fine… So there are those two things: first –
confidence. You can sing well even with a changed voice. You can produce a beautiful
sound and contribute to this choir very much, and the second one is, when it cracks, why
don’t you laugh about it and go on?” (Kennedy, 2004, p. 277).
Instilling confidence and the use of humor can be great tools to encourage middle school
boys’ participation in choir.
While the information gleaned from these studies has shown why boys chose to enroll in
choir as an elective class (Lucas, 2011) and the importance of keeping adolescent singers informed
of what stage of the voice change process he is in, little has been shown regarding how the stage
of voice change affects the young boy’s attitude toward choir. Therefore, the purpose of this study
was to explore how the voice change process affected middle school boys’ perceptions of singing
in choir.


7

Method
Participants
This study used an intact group/convenience sample consisting of middle school boys
(N=24) in either 7th
grade (n= 9) or 8th
grade (n= 15). Both the school superintendent and building
principal gave permission to do this research study. Also, because nothing involved in this study
was beyond normal lesson plans or educational practices, parental permission was not required.
Although parental permission was not required, an informal letter was sent home with each
participating student and emailed to his household explaining the research project (see Appendix
A). At this particular school, choir was a requirement for all 6th
, 7th
, and 8th
grade students,
therefore this study was a census of the 7th
/8th
grade boys in choir from this small, suburban
private school.
Instrumentation
This study was a non-experimental, quantitative survey (see Appendix B). The survey
consisted of questions taken from recent research articles used in other surveys or interviews
(Lucas, 2011; Kennedy, 2002). Current and retired choral music educators took this survey and
offered suggestions on how it could be improved. After receiving feedback regarding the choral
music educators’ concerns, the survey was revised according to their comments. The 7th
and 8th
grade participants were given this survey in their keyboarding classes at the beginning of the
school year. They then took the same survey in the middle of the spring semester in order to
determine how their perceptions changed as they progressed through the voice change process. By
spring, all seventh and eighth grade boys had advanced to Stage III or above in their voice change.
The survey was given in two sections. The first portion of the survey was for collecting
nominal data such as age, grade, birthdate, and whether or not the student believed he had begun
the voice change process. The second section was comprised of eighteen statements in a 4-point


8

Likert-type scale (Strongly Disagree, Mildly Disagree, Mildly Agree, Strongly Agree) along with
three short answer responses and two multiple-choice responses. A 4-point Likert-type scale was
chosen so participants had to choose if their answer leaned more to the side of “Somewhat Agree”
or “Somewhat Disagree” instead of choosing an option in the middle. These questions were
written to assess the research purpose (how the voice change process affected middle school boys’
perceptions of singing in choir), and to glean additional information about middle school boys’
perceptions of choir and the voice change process in general.
Procedures
The first task was to determine what stage of vocal maturation each boy occupied. In order
to determine this, tests were used to discover each student’s natural singing location, self-selected
highest and lowest pitches, speaking voice location, and range (see Appendix C) (Cooksey, 1999;
Killian & Wayman, 2010).
The researcher, in a private practice room, played five or more notes on a piano and had
the student match the pitch by humming in order to determine each student’s natural singing
location. Next, participants self-selected and sang their highest pitch and sustained it as long as
possible and afterward sang and held their lowest pitch as well. After that, each boy counted
backwards from 20 to 1 and that speaking pitch was then used as the starting pitch for the range
assessment. Boys then sang as high as possible using repetitions of a rising fifth pattern (do-sol, fa,
mi, re, do) using a neutral syllable while the pitches were played on the piano by the researcher.
The rising fifth pattern was selected to “allow the researcher to better hear possible difficulties
negotiating the skip and thus leading to an identification of voice change stage” (Killian, 1999, p.
361). Beginning once again on the spoken pitch, boys repeated the pattern of the fifth, going as
low as possible in order to discover each student’s true range (Killian & Wayman, 2010). This


9

data was then used to determine the changing voice stage of each boy and assisted in analyzing the
surveys appropriately.
After each student’s stage of voice change was determined, they took an online “Google
Docs” survey in their keyboarding class with questions asking about their personal opinions of
choir and singing, their experiences with the voice change process, and how the voice change
process positively or negatively affected their perceptions of choir. It was important to have a
baseline of each student’s perceptions of choir in general before asking them how the voice
change process affected their opinion.
Analysis
The data collected from the surveys was either nominal or ordinal data. Due to the nature
of this study, neither interval nor ratio data were collected. The demographic data of age and grade
were ordinal data, whereas birthdate, and whether or not the student believed he had begun the
voice change process were nominal data.
The ordinal data received from the Likert-type scale survey questions was converted to
numbers in order to see what proportion of boys answered with “Strongly Disagree” (1), “Mildly
Disagree” (2), “Mildly Agree”(3), or “Strongly Agree”(4). The descriptive statistics of mean and
standard deviation were also calculated for this set of data in order to discover how the received
information related to the research purpose of discovering how the voice change process affected
middle school boys’ perceptions of singing in choir. A Pearson product-moment correlation
coefficient was used to determine whether any correlation existed between the student’s responses
to the survey question, “Choir is less enjoyable since my voice has begun changing” and where
each student was in the voice change process.


10

Results
The purpose of this study was to explore how the voice change process affected middle
school boys’ perceptions of singing in choir. To test the research purpose, the researcher voice
tested (N=24) middle school boys who were in either 7th
grade (n=9) or 8th
grade (n=15) in both
the fall and spring semesters. These boys were also given a survey at both of these points in time
so the researcher could see if and how these adolescent boys’ opinions about choir changed as they
went through the voice change process.
In the fall, 1 boy was in Stage I; 12 boys were in Stage II; 9 boys were in Stage III; and 2
boys were in Stage V with Settling Baritone voices (see Table 1). By the spring, 9 boys were in
Stage III, 10 boys were in Stage IV, and 5 boys were in Stage V (see Table 1). (The voice testing
was based on John Cooksey’s Voice Change Stages Chart (1999).
Table 1
Numbers of Boys in Each Voice Stage in the Fall and Spring
The survey data was then analyzed along with the voice stages to see if any correlation to
perception of choir could be seen based on the boys’ voice stage. The focus question from the
survey was the very direct statement “Choir is less enjoyable since my voice has begun changing”
which students had to respond to using a Likert-type scale ranging from Strongly Disagree (1) to
Fall:

0

1

12

9

0

2

Spring:

0

0

0

9

10

5


11

Strongly Agree (4). In the fall, 33 percent of the participants strongly disagreed, 42 percent mildly
disagreed, 17 percent mildly agreed, and 8 percent strongly agreed with the statement “Choir is
less enjoyable since my voice has begun changing” (see Figure 1). In the spring, 33 percent of the
participants strongly disagreed with the statement, 37 percent mildly agreed, 17 percent mildly
agreed, and 13 percent strongly agreed with the statement (see Figure 2).
Figure 1
Figure 2
33%

42%

17%

8%

Fall
Survey
Boys'
Responses
to
the

Statement
"Choir
is
Less
Enjoyable

Since
My
Voice
Has
Begun

Changing""

Strongly
Disagree

Mildly
Disagree

Mildly
Agree

Strongly
Agree

33%

37%

17%

13%

Spring
Survey
Boys'
Responses
to
the

Statement
"Choir
is
Less
Enjoyable

Since
My
Voice
Has
Begun
Changing"

Strongly
Disagree

Mildly
Disagree

Mildly
Agree

Strongly
Agree


12

In addition to looking at that specific question from the survey, a Pearson product-moment
correlation coefficient was performed to see if there was any statistical significance in the data.
First, the fall voicing was subtracted from the spring voicing to find the change each boy
underwent during the school year. The fall responses to the statement, “Choir is less enjoyable
since my voice has begun changing” were also subtracted from the spring responses to the same
question and the difference was found. A Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was
then performed on the difference of the two above categories (see Table 2).
The average of the fall voice stage for all 7th
and 8th
grade participants was 2.583 with a
standard deviation of 0.929. The average of the spring voice stage for all participants was 3.833
with a standard deviation of 0.761. The spring voicing minus the fall voicing’s average was 1.25
with 0.847 being the standard deviation. The average response on the fall survey question on a
scale of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to a 4 (Strongly Agree) was 2 (Tend to Disagree) with a standard
deviation of 0.933 and the spring question’s average was 2.125 and the standard deviation was
1.035. In subtracting the fall question average from the spring question average, the mean was
0.125 and the standard deviation was 1.227.
Table 2
Means and Standard Deviations for All Participants’ Fall and Spring Voice Stages and the
Statement “Choir is less enjoyable since my voice has begun changing”
Season Mean SD
Fall Voicing 2.583 0.929
Spring Voicing 3.833 0.761
Spring Voicing Minus Fall Voicing 1.25 0.847
Fall Survey Question 2 0.933
Spring Survey Question 2.125 1.035
Spring Question Minus Fall Question 0.125 1.227


13

The correlation between the average of the voice change stages and the survey question
was -0.031 and the p value was 0.884 which showed a very small negative correlation. The
correlation between fall voice stages and the fall survey question was r=-0.151 and the p value was
0.482 showing a slightly negative correlation. The correlation for the spring voice stage and spring
question was r=0.138 and p=0.520 which showed a slightly positive correlation.
The data was then broken down by grade to see if any relationships could be seen in one
grade versus the other. The average fall voice stage for a 7th
grade boy in the fall was 2.333 with a
standard deviation of 0.707. The average spring voicing was 3.444 and the standard deviation was
0.527. In subtracting the fall voice stage from the spring voice stage, the average was 1.111 and
the standard deviation was 0.928 (see Table 3).
The 7th
grade fall survey question average was 2.444 and the standard deviation was 0.882.
The spring survey question average for the 7th
grade boys was 1.889 and the standard deviation
was 0.782. The spring question minus the fall question average was -0.556 and the standard
deviation was 1.236 (see Table 3).
Table 3
Means and Standard Deviations for 7th
Grade Boys’ Fall and Spring Voice Stages and the
Season Mean SD
Fall Survey Question 2.444 0.882
Spring Question Minus Fall Question -0.556 1.236


14

The correlation results for spring minus fall voice stage and survey question was 0.061 and
the p value was 0.877, showing a very small, positive correlation. The correlation for fall voice
stage and fall survey questions was 0.334 and the p value was 0.380, which showed a minor
positive correlation. Also, the correlation for spring voice stage and spring survey question was
0.135 with a p value of 0.729. This correlation of 0.135 showed a very slim, positive correlation.
This same process was conducted for the data from the 8th
grade boys who participated.
The average voice stage was 2.733 in the fall and 4.067 in the spring with standard deviations of
1.033 and 0.799, respectively. The spring voicing minus the fall voicing was 1.333 with a standard
deviation of 0.816. The fall survey question average was 1.733, the spring survey question average
was 2.267 and the standard deviations were 0.884 and 1.163, respectively. The spring question
minus fall question average was 0.533 and the standard deviation was 1.06 (see Table 4).
Table 4
Means and Standard Deviations for 8th
Grade Boys’ Fall and Spring Voice Stages and the
Season Mean SD
Fall Survey Question 1.733 0.884
Spring Question Minus Fall Question 0.533 1.06
The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was performed in the same way as
with the 7th
grade data and for the average of spring minus fall the r value was -0.22 and the p
value was 0.431, showing a small, negative correlation. For the fall voice stage and the fall survey


15

question, r= -0.24 and p=0.389, showing a small, negative correlation. For spring voice stage and
the spring survey question, r=0.056 and p=0.842, which showed a very slim, positive correlation.
Finally, this data was analyzed by voice stage in both the fall and spring. The average
response for a Fall Voice Stage II was 2.25, a Fall Voice Stage III was 1.889, and a Fall Voice
Stage V was 1.5. The average response for a Spring Voice Stage III was 1.889, a Spring Voice
Stage IV was 2.3, and a Spring Voice Stage V was 2.2 (see Table 5).
Table 5
Mean and Standard Deviations by Season and Voice Stage
Season/ Voice Stage Mean SD
Fall Voice Stage II (n=12) 2.25 1.055
Fall Voice Stage III (n=9) 1.889 0.782
Fall Voice Stage V (n=2) 1.5 0.707
Spring Voice Stage III (n=9) 1.889 0.782
Spring Voice Stage IV (n=10) 2.3 0.949
Spring Voice Stage V (n=5) 2.2 1.643
Although not all questions from the survey were analyzed in order to answer the research
purpose, the mean and standard deviations for additional questions/ statements are included in
Table 6.
Table 6
Mean and Standard Deviation for Additional Questions from the Survey


16

Discussion
The intent of this study was to see if middle school boys’ opinions of choir and singing
changed as they went through the voice change process. Previous studies looked at factors
influencing pitch-matching in junior high boys (Demorest & Clements, 2007), adolescent male
attitudes about singing in choir (Lucas, 2011), and perceptions of the voice change process from
the view points of musical and non-musical middle school boys (Killian & Wayman, 2010). There
had not been, however, any studies looking at middle school boys’ perceptions of choir and how
those perceptions changed as adolescent boys went through the voice change process.
In trying to determine if the middle school boys in this research project’s opinions changed
as they went through the voice change process, the first step was to decide what voice stage each
boy occupied in both the fall and spring by voice testing each boy and then comparing those two
numbers. This was accomplished by subtracting the fall voice stage from the spring voice stage.
For example, if a boy was in Voice Stage III in the fall and was in Voice Stage V in the spring, the
number that remained after one subtracted 3 from 5 was 2. The average for all boys was then
found in this way.
The same process was also completed using the boys’ responses to the statement, “Choir is
less enjoyable since my voice has begun changing”. Each boy’s fall response was subtracted from
the spring response and averages were then found. (Due to the nature of this statement and the
differing responses in both the fall and spring, some negative numbers were found).
With all of these averages completed, a Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient
was done to see if any correlation existed between the averages of spring minus fall for the voice
stages and for the survey question. This correlation was r = -0.031 and the p value was 0.884. This
showed an incredibly slim, negative correlation with the data.


17

In wondering if one grade versus the other might have had more significant findings, the
researcher took only the 7th
grade data and then only the 8th
grade data to see if any differences
were seen. Using the 7th
grade data, r= 0.061 and the p value was 0.380. Unlike the averages of all
boys combined, which showed a slim, negative view of the data, the 7th
grade data showed a
slightly positive correlation.
The 8th
grade data was more consistent with the findings of the combined data. The r value
was -0.22 and the p value was 0.431. The 8th
graders therefore showed a negative correlation, but a
stronger negative correlation than the combined data. The similarity between the overall
correlation and the eighth grade correlation could have been caused by the number of participants
per grade. With fifteen 8th
grade subjects and only nine 7th
grade subjects, the 8th
graders’
responses weighed more heavily than the 7th
graders’ responses.
Finally, all of this data was analyzed by voice stage in the fall and spring. The average
responses for boys in the fall were as follows: Voice Stage II (n=12) was 2.25, Voice Stage III
(n=9) was 1.889, and Voice Stage V (n=2) was 1.5. This was consistent with what the researcher
expected to find in regards to boys in the beginning stages of the voice change process having had
a slightly more negative view of choir and singing than boys who had almost finished the voice
change process.
The spring data did not continue with that same trend. The average responses for the spring
were: Voice Stage III (n=9) was 1.889, Voice Stage IV (n=10) was 2.3, and Voice Stage V (n=5)
was 2.2. The spring showed students in Voice Stage IV having a slightly more negative perception
of choir than those in Voice Stage V and students in Voice Stage III who were right in the middle
of the voice change process had the most positive perception of choir of the three voice stages.
The purpose of this study was to explore how the voice change process affected middle
school boys’ perceptions of singing in choir. Although there was not much consistency in the data,


18

it did show that there was indeed a change in perceptions of choir as the boys went through the
voice change process.
If this study were to be replicated, it would be beneficial to use either a larger class or
student population, or to do a similar study at two different schools simultaneously, because the
results would be able to be more generalized as a result. This study not only had a small sample
size, but it also contained only students from one small, private middle school where all students
were required to take choir whether or not they would have chosen to do so on their own. Results
could have been skewed if a student had an incredibly negative perception of singing because of
this requirement to take choir and therefore his responses were biased compared to a boy who
chose to be in choir.
Were this study to be replicated, an additional improvement would be to use a different
method for tracking student responses. The researcher used the student’s birthdates as a tracking
device, but some complications arose from using this method. In using the “Google Docs” survey,
the students had to put their birthdate in for one question. For the fall survey, two boys did not
know their birthdate and that data had to be disregarded because there was no way to connect the
data to who filled out the survey. Also, there were two pairs out of the 24 students who had the
same birthdate, making tracking their individual answers impossible. It would be much less
complicated for future researchers to give each student a number, be able to sort all data according
to that number, and make sure that number is correctly entered into the survey.
Another limitation was this researcher’s lack of experience in working with middle school
boys while going through the voice stage process. This was the researcher’s second year of
teaching middle school and as a result, it would have been beneficial to have had a more
experienced teacher assist in classifying which voice stage each boy was currently occupying.


19

Since so much of this study was based on what voice stage a boy was in, if the researcher did not
correctly classify each boy’s voice stage, the results could have been significantly different.
A possible reason for some changes between the fall and spring data of the survey
statement, “Choir is less enjoyable since my voice has begun changing” might have been due to
changes in how the researcher taught her class. Because she was such a novice teacher, she was
continually implementing ideas and activities into her 7th
/8th
Grade Boys’ Choir class to try to
make choir more fun and enjoyable for those adolescent boys. Some of those implementations
might have actually worked and skewed data as a result.
Also, in the original proposal, the researcher had planned on using the song “My Country
Tis of Thee” to see how each boy traversed the register change and how his natural singing voice
did while singing a song instead of just doing vocalises/ warm-ups. This was not actually
performed, however. The researcher discovered that even with lyrics printed out for each boy, they
were too unfamiliar with the song to confidently sing it. This piece of the voice testing process
was also the most time consuming, so it was not included.
The results of this type of study are important because although much research has been
done on the voice change process of middle school boys in general, researchers have neglected to
compare where middle school boys were in the voice change process to their perceptions of choir
and singing. This needed information can then be given to choir directors in order to assist with
the difficult task of recruiting and maintaining boys in choir and in making choir more enjoyable
for middle school boys who are experiencing the voice change process. The voice change process
continues to be a precarious time in a young man’s life and it is the responsibility of researchers to
continue learning more about the adolescent male’s views on singing and how the voice change
process affects those views.


20

References
Cooksey, J. M. (1999). Working with Adolescent Voices. Saint Louis, MO: Concordia
Publishing House.
Demorest, S. M. (2000). Encouraging male participation in chorus. Music Educators
Journal, 4(86), 38-41.
Demorest S. M., & Clements, A. (2007). Factors influencing the pitch-matching of
junior high boys. Journal of Research in Music Education, 3(55), 190-203.
Freer, P. K. (2007). Between research and practice: How choral music loses boys in
the “middle”. Music Educators Journal, 2(94), 28-34.
Freer, P. K. (2009). Boys’ descriptions of their experiences in choral music. Research
Studies in Music Education, 2(31), 142-160.
Freer, P. K. (2010). Two decades of research on possible selves and the ‘missing
males’ problem in choral music. International Journal of Music Education, 28(1),
17-30.
Gates, J. T. (1989). A historical comparison of public singing by American men and
women. Journal of Research in Music Education, 37(1), 32-47.
Hook, S. (1998). Changing voice and middle school music: An interview with John
Cooksey and Nancy Cox. Choral Journal, 1(39), 21-26.
Kennedy, M. A. (2002). ‘It’s cool because we like to sing: Junior high boys’ experience
of choral music as an elective. Research Studies in Music Education, 18(26),
26-37.
Kennedy, M. C. (2004). “It’s a metamorphosis”: Guiding the voice change at the
American Boychoir School. Journal of Research in Music Education, 3(52), 264-
280.


21

Killian, J. N. (1997). Perceptions of the voice-change process: Male adult versus
adolescent musicians and non-musicians. Journal of Research in Music
Education, 4(45), 521-535.
Killian, J. N. (1999). A description of vocal maturation among fifth and sixth-grade
boys. Journal of Research in Music Education, 4(47), 357-369.
Killian, J. N., & Wayman, J. B. (2010). A descriptive study of vocal maturation among
male adolescent vocalists and instrumentalists. Journal of Research in Music
Education, 1(58), 5-19.
Lucas, M. (2011). Adolescent attitudes about singing in choir. Update: Applications of
Research in Music Education 30(46), 46-53.
Stamer, R. A. (1999). Motivation in the choral rehearsal. Music Educators Journal,
5(85), 26-29.
Sweet, B. (2010). A case study: Middle school boys' perceptions of singing and
participation in choir. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education,
28(2), 5-12.


22

Appendix A
February 2013
Dear 7th
/8th
Grade Boys Choir Parent,
As you may or may not know, this past summer I started a four-summer program to receive my
Masters in Music Education (MM) from Western Michigan University. One requirement of this
program is to propose and implement a research project relating to music education.
This past summer I took an introduction to research class and I am currently taking the portion of
the class where I get to implement my research project. An area of choral music that I have always
had interest in (probably because I have never experienced it) is the male changing voice. I have
done multiple hours of research on this topic, read scholarly journals and books, and created a
research project relating to this topic as well.
I have received permission from both Superintendent Jim Dolson and Principal Todd Barney in
order to complete this research project. No part of this project is beyond the scope of what would
be done in a typical choir class and all information will be kept confidential.
Each boy in the 7th
/8th
Grade Choir was voice tested at the beginning of the school year and will
be voice tested again this semester. When someone is voice tested, the goal is to find out how well
someone matches pitch, what his range is (how high and low he can sing), and where the most
comfortable range is for him. For middle school boys, this information also helps to determine
what stage of the voice change process each boy currently occupies. I will then take this data along
with information from a survey each boy will complete in Computers class with Ms. Harshbarger
to see if each boy’s opinion of singing changed based on where he is in the voice change process.
As I said previously, no part of this project is beyond the scope of what might be done in a typical
choir class. If you have a strong objection to your student participating, please let me know and
adjustments can be made. All of the information I will collect will be to try to understand the
middle school male singer better and to try to make choir more enjoyable for everyone.
Thanks for your cooperation and please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to the
information that can be gleaned from this research project and using it to improve our choral
department.
Sincerely,
Shelby Love
Jackson Christian Middle/High School Director of Choirs


23

Appendix B
Middle School Boys’ Survey
1) What grade are you in? *
• 7th
• 8th
2) How old are you? *
• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14
3) When is your birthday? *Example: Month/Date/Year (07/24/2000)
4) Do you think you have started going through the voice change process? *
• Yes
• No
• I don't know
5) I like to sing. *
1 2 3 4
Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree
6) I like to sing, but not in public. *
1 2 3 4
7) I think I am a good singer. *
1 2 3 4


24

8) I am glad I have the opportunity to take choir in middle school. *
1 2 3 4
9) The girls in my class think it is a good that boys are required to take choir in middle school. *
1 2 3 4
10) My parents think it is good that I am required to take choir in middle school. *
1 2 3 4
11a) At least one of my parents likes to sing. *
1 2 3 4
11b) At least one of my siblings likes to sing. Please leave blank if you are an only child.
1 2 3 4
12) My father was in at least one music class (band, choir, or orchestra) when he was in school. *
• True
• False
• I don't know
13) My mother was in at least one music class (band, choir, or orchestra) when she was in school.
*
• True
• False
• I don't know


25

14) I think singing in choir is fun. *
1 2 3 4
15) In choir I am learning skills that I will use in real life. *
1 2 3 4
16) I am planning on taking choir in high school. *
1 2 3 4
17) When I hear the phrase "voice change process" I think this means... *
18) My voice has begun the voice change process. *
1 2 3 4
19) My throat sometimes hurts when I try to sing. *
1 2 3 4
20) There are "holes" in my voice when I try to sing. (Notes that you try to sing but cannot audibly
hear.) *
1 2 3 4
21) Choir is less enjoyable since my voice has begun changing *
1 2 3 4


26

22) I would enjoy singing more if I were not currently going through the voice change process. *
1 2 3 4
23) I feel supported by my choir teacher in the voice change process. *
1 2 3 4
24) I feel like the members of my choir support me and are informed about the voice change
process that most 7th/ 8th grade boys go through. *
1 2 3 4
25) What do you think would help you through the voice change process? *
26) I think I am a.... *
• Tenor
• Tenor 2
• Baritone
• Bass
27) Some suggestions I have for making choir better are... *


27

Appendix C
Name
__________________________________

Grade
__________
Birthdate
_________________
Age
___________

Voice Testing Form

Match Pitch? YES NO

Speaking
Voice
Highest and
Lowest
Self-Selected
Pitches
Actual Highest
and Lowest
Pitches


28

Autobiography
Shelby Love is in her second year of teaching choir at Jackson Christian Middle/ High
School where she conducts the Honors Choir, Royal Concert Choir, 7th
/8th
Grade Girls Choir,
7th
/8th
Grade Boys Choir, and the 6th
Grade Choir. She received her Bachelor of Arts in both
Music Education and Social Studies from Spring Arbor University and is currently a candidate for
the Masters in Music program at Western Michigan University.
In being a new teacher, Miss Love’s decision to do this study was based on a known need
to learn more about middle school boys as singers and about the voice change process in general.
In doing this research project, Miss Love was hoping to learn more about these categories of
music education that she lacked understanding in.
Miss Love is an avid theatregoer and in addition to her teaching duties, she thoroughly
enjoys singing in the Michigan Center Bible Church Choir and coaching Junior Varsity Volleyball
at Jackson Christian High School.

Shelby Love Final Research Paper

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (13)

Similar to Shelby Love Final Research Paper

Similar to Shelby Love Final Research Paper (20)

Shelby Love Final Research Paper