Compares the effects of fundamental exercises and music excerpts approaches on sightreading and performance proficiency of 58 students in a symphonic and concert band at a suburban high school. Finds that the students using music excerpts were no weaker in sightreading ability, had a higher performance achievement, and indicated more positive…

Discusses the similarities of adult musicians' experiences in five Japanese community and company bands and the experiences encountered in the United States. Focuses on the profile of the Japanese musicians, their reasons for being musicians, the teaching methods and funding of the bands, and rehearsal/performance experiences. Addresses…

Reviews the results of descriptive and experimental studies concerning comprehensive musicianship in public school rehearsal class settings. Focuses on 25 studies within three categories: (1) research on student achievement and attitudes; (2) research on teaching practices; and (3) research on teaching materials, teacher beliefs, and teacher…

Reviews the trends in the types of research published in "Theory and Research in Social Education" over the past 25 years. Notes balances between research and theoretical articles, quantitative and qualitative research, and refereed and nonrefereed materials. Points out areas of increasing and decreasing interest to education research. (DSK)

Praises Ann V. Angell's efforts to document her experiments with student democracy in the classroom but critiques the experiment as having a limited view of democracy. Provides a rationale for a broader view of democracy in the classroom and provides examples from the authors' teaching experiences. (DSK)

Responds to comments by David Hursh and Aggie Seneway on the author's classroom experiments with student democracy. Clarifies points from her initial article to answer questions by the commentators. Finds agreement with them on most points, except for the necessity of parliamentary debate as a fundamental element of democracy. (DSK)

Debates points raised by S. G. Grant and Kathryn Tzetzo in their critique of the authors'"Handbook on Teaching Social Education," particularly claims that the book gives mixed messages to teachers regarding content, teaching methods, and the definition of issues-centered education, and that it leaves related questions unanswered. (DSK)

Relates questions that the authors' asked when reviewing Ronald Evans and David Saxe's "Handbook on Teaching Social Education." Extends points from the original review: (1) the "Handbook" sends mixed messages about the nature of issues-centered teaching; and (2) it leaves unanswered questions concerning the relationship between research and…

Reviews the practical results of research published in 25 years of "Theory and Research in Social Education." Argues that it has had little impact on learning and teaching the social studies. Points to weaknesses in efforts to validate many ideas in social-studies research and suggests means to redress them. (DSK)

Discusses a report, "Different Drummers: How Teachers of Teachers View Public Education," on how education professors view public education. Argues that the report may have been biased by the political attitudes of its sponsoring organization. Examines how this could have produced the "professor bashing" that the researcher finds in the report.…

Describes an experiment with class meetings, designed to offer students practice in the democratic process, in a mixed-age, upper elementary, Montessori classroom. Finds that the group setting allowed students to address goals for classroom conduct and to learn ethics by example. Notes problems with tolerance for minority positions within the…

Explores how social-studies student teachers think about and write about history through an examination of their historical thinking, use of sources, and writing. Focuses on constructing historical accounts from multiple sources. Discusses common patterns in thinking and writing. Suggests way to improve student teachers' engagement with historical…

Examines the contributions of Alice Miel to the practice and theory of children's democratic social learning. Miel advocated the development of democratic behavior as the ultimate goal of schooling. Views her work as historical antecedent to current research on diversity in the social studies and the elementary classroom. (DSK)

Argues that the heterogeneity of morals and aesthetics in contemporary pluralistic cultures, and the consequent concentration on individual self-interests, is a threat to democratic ways of life. Discusses people's problems appreciating the values of democratic forms of life and accessing public life under the condition of postmodern mass…

Seeks to discover whether listening to songs over an extended period of time contributes to a greater integration of words and music in memory among preschool children. Finds more accurate recognition of songs performed without text when they had heard them previously with texts and that melodic content influenced song-recognition ability. (DSK)