The qualitative results of the MCPA survey instrument provided much insight about what students did not find to be creative in their chorus classrooms. The survey alone, however, was unable to specifically address the individual students’ understanding of the word creativity, and how that understanding was expressed in chorus. The survey was also limited in this same respect with regard to teachers’ understanding of creativity. A second phase of research, featuring qualitative methods, was necessary to gather specific points of view from some
participants who took part in the survey. The aims of the qualitative phase were to glean a deeper comprehension into how participants view creativity, how they defined it both inside and outside
of chorus, and what other experiences might have had an effect on that understanding. The aims of this phase were to advance the overall purposes of the full study:
1) To explore the individualized meanings of creativity of students within choral ensembles, and
2) To identify the effects that teachers’ perceptions and classroom environment have on helping students shape the meaning of creativity.
Two teacher interviews and two student focus groups were conducted. A semi-structured design was used in gathering all qualitative data. This meant that the researcher was able to create a set of guiding questions, as found in Appendix G. The semi-structured form also helped to entrust the participants with some control over the emphasis and topics within the timeframe, much as a creative conductor might give the orchestra some level of input into the performance of a symphony.
As the topic of this research was creativity within chorus classes, this chapter was organized in the outline of a musical form, called Sonata-allegro. The Sonata-allegro form was established by early composers of symphonies in the 18th century, and was marked by an Introduction and an Exposition, followed by a Development section, and closing with a
Recapitulation section. In this chapter, the Introduction section will provide some background on our musicians—the participants in the study. In the Exposition section, the major themes of the composition will be introduced through the sounds (words) of our “musicians.” The Development section will use these themes to further (analyze) understanding of each
participant’s view of creativity. The Recapitulation section will summarize the presented themes and findings as a conclusion.
Introduction
“A preparatory movement. . . to introduce a larger composition. Often, the introduction will prepare the listener for the tonality of the larger composition. . .”
(dictionary.onmusic.org)
The qualitative phase included 10 total participants, including two teachers, four middle school students, and four high school students. The middle school chorus teacher and middle school students will be introduced first, followed by the high school teacher and students. Alex was an early career teacher, in only his second year as a middle school (grades 6-8) chorus teacher. He completed a bachelor’s degree in music education from a large public university. Alex’s high school music experiences were mostly in band, and he switched to chorus during his undergraduate degree. He identified as feeling creative when writing reviews of video games for several websites. Four of Alex’s middle school chorus students took part in the focus group. All students were in the 7th grade:
• Chantal was 13 years old at the time of the focus group. She stated that she joined chorus after her mother heard her sing and said “you just need a little practice.” Chantal has arranged a pop song for a group of her friends to sing in the school talent show;
• Trent, 13, has been in chorus since the 5th grade. Outside of chorus class, Trent has enjoyed teaching himself guitar and taking part in school drama productions; • Makayla, 13, stated that when she joined chorus “I didn’t really think I was good
at singing, I just tried it.” Makayla was selected as a member of the All-State Chorus in her first year of eligibility;
• Sara, 12, has also been in chorus since the 5th grade. She stated that she feels most creative when working on the school yearbook staff.
The middle school students in the focus group have all been involved in the chorus program at their school since its inception in the 2012-2013 school year. Alex has been the only chorus teacher, beyond elementary school, that any of these students have ever had.
Nicole identified herself as a high school chorus teacher who has been teaching for 15 years. She has also taught a course in music theory at her school. She earned bachelors and master’s degrees from a large state university with a well-respected music education program. In her free time, Nicole has enjoyed performing with a renowned amateur chorus and has also performed in many blues clubs as lead singer in a blues combo. Four of Nicole’s students also took part in the focus group:
• Brody, 17, was in the 11th grade at the time of the focus group. He stated that he felt creative when taking part in wrestling and jiu jitsu, but that he enjoyed being in the chorus equally as much as those athletics;
• Marlena, 15, was in the 9th grade. She began music through a religious institution, and she has made up harmonies to popular music with her friends;
• Hannah, 15, was also in the 9th grade. She is heavily influenced by her mother’s musical achievements, and has often shared her own music compositions with her cousin;
• Chloe, 16, was in the 10th grade. She was involved in her chorus in Belgium from 2008-2011, when she moved to the United States, where she lived prior to 2008. She has loved performing musical theater songs, and admitted to making up songs while at home alone.
The high school students taking part in the focus group have all been in chorus with Nicole for at least one year. Brody began high school chorus at a different school. Marlena, Hannah, and Chloe all began high school chorus with Nicole as their teacher. All of the high school students were in an intermediate level chorus, a class of around 40 students, ranging from the 9th grade to the 12th grade.
Exposition
“The introduction of main themes. The emphasis on contrast, even conflict, is the element that distinguishes the exposition of a Sonata-allegro form movement. . .” (enjoythemusic.com).
The students and teachers who participated in the qualitative phase each brought their own set of life experiences and musical experiences to the study. An examination of the transcripts of this phase helped to identify major themes that impacted each participant’s individual understanding of creativity. Those major themes have been included below in the Exposition section.
A musical exposition has commonly been used to establish themes present throughout the movement of music. In this study, main themes were identified in the qualitative data. Several trends, referred to as motifs, were sorted by similarity and resulted in the themes presented here. The researcher found two main themes that had helped to shape students’ and teachers’
understanding of creativity. Those two themes were identified as personal relationships and previous musical experiences.