Recent study calls FSU College of Music 'most influential'

College Majors Music Major
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<p>From FSU webpages: <a href="http://www.fsu.edu/news/2007/05/30/music.study/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.fsu.edu/news/2007/05/30/music.study/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Good news about the distinguished Florida State University College of Music hit a particularly high note this spring.</p>

<p>When it comes to research published in the Journal of Research in Music Education (JRME)—the premier publication for scholarly inquiry in the music education profession—a recent study calls FSU the single most influential institution since 1990.</p>

<p>That study, undertaken and described in a paper by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, found that more than 25 percent of the 418 articles published in JRME between 1990 and 2005 came from music educators who received their doctorates from FSU.</p>

<p>The University of Illinois review of scholarly contributions to JRME appears in the Winter 2007 edition of the Bulletin of the Council of Research in Music Education. The article begins with a reference to FSU's "most influential" status and ends with even higher praise:</p>

<p>"In summary, the impact of Florida State University on the research agenda of the music education profession over the past 15 years is consequential. The work of the faculty, graduates and students of Florida State has served as an example that might provide a model for other graduate institutions granting graduate degrees in music education to emulate."</p>

<p>That affirmation is music to the ears of Don Gibson, FSU's College of Music dean.</p>

<p>"During collegiate promotion and tenure processes, research published in JRME is given the greatest weight in the evaluation of scholarly productivity for music educators," Gibson said. "The disproportionate presence of our doctoral students, alumni and faculty in this most prestigious journal speaks volumes about the quality of music education at Florida State."</p>

<p>Gibson points to the dominant presence of FSU as evidence of the continuing productivity of its faculty members over many years. "The contributions to JRME, both by FSU faculty and our alumni in music education, have undoubtedly shaped the direction of research in the discipline," he said.</p>

<p>Clifford Madsen agrees. A member of the FSU faculty since 1960, he is the Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Music and the coordinator of the music education, music therapy and contemporary media programs.</p>

<p>"I've been very fortunate to find myself among a talented and dedicated group of College of Music faculty and students who demonstrate such high levels of productivity and excellence," Madsen said. "Since coming to FSU 47 years ago, I have attempted to encourage all of my associates to develop a 'love affair' with research. It is a distinct pleasure for me to see the fruition of their efforts continuously appear in our profession's premier journal."</p>

<p>Not content to see the College of Music rest on its laurels, Gibson emphasized the need to stay abreast of music education trends and continue to provide a leadership role to others in the profession.</p>

<p>"For example, FSU's development of the 'Continuous Response Digital Interface' in the late 1980s provided a way to measure aesthetic responses to music for both musicians and listeners," he said. "Since that time, however, many additional measuring devices have been developed by our Center for Music Research in studying music perception and cognition. We are always looking for ways to 'push the envelope.'</p>

<p>"It is appropriate to note that there are more than 600 accredited music programs in the United States, and our College of Music is ranked among the very best," Gibson said.</p>

<p>To learn more about the philosophy behind FSU's approach to music education, and for a description of the various degree programs offered, visit the College of Music Web site at <a href="http://www.music.fsu.edu/music-ed.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.music.fsu.edu/music-ed.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Being a freelance writer myself, I question that there is a direct parallel between the "most published" and the "best." No clue about "most influential." Depends on what they're writing about, and who is reading it.</p>

<p>
[quote]
more than 25 percent of the 418 articles published in JRME between 1990 and 2005 came from music educators who received their doctorates from FSU.

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</p>

<p>I wonder if the size of a music dept has any bearing on this (I don't know anything about sizes of various depts - this is a real question, not a rhetorical one) -- larger depts have more people submitting articles?</p>

<p>And I wonder if schools stronger in "music ed" might have more contributors? That is, how likely is it that those who are primarily performers are out earning PhDs and writing education articles? Not that it doesn't happen, but I suspect it doesn't happen at the same proportion.</p>

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<p>Yes, I agree with your logic binx. This post is related to one of my pet peeves, "Newsweek's List of 'Best' High Schools" which is based solely on the % of students taking AP courses. I am at a loss to figure out how offering a bounty of AP courses in aracane subjects represents the total learning experience at an individual high school...</p>

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<p>Not a music person here and don't have a dog in this fight...but, the volume of peer-reviewed articles of a quality sufficient to convince an unbiased editor, or group of editors, to repeatedly publish said articles does in fact speak to the academic quality of the originating university.</p>

<p>That such articles come from myriad Ph.D. students graduated <em>from the same university</em> does indeed indicate a well grounded program - especially over a protracted period.</p>

<p>It ain't peanuts. If anyone could get published in such a journal, they would. ;)</p>

<p>(pardon me whilst I duck for cover)</p>

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<p>I saw this on the FSU forum and suggested it be posted on the music major forum. I found it interesting and I'm positive others will too.</p>

<p>Thanks parent2noles ~</p>

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<p>Don't mistake the fact that I disagree with the premise as that I don't appreciate the post. I do find it interesting and thought provoking. Thank you for posting it. If my discussion or thoughts or differing opinion are offensive, I apologize. I do not mean to offend; I am hoping to discuss. As I said in my first post, my questions are real.</p>

<p>My basic question is, Is influential the same as best? I don't think so, and that is what I am "discussing".</p>

<p>There are several kinds of music degrees. People who do not know much about it might not be aware of this. BA, BM, Education. All are viable paths for talented musicians, and I don't mean to imply otherwise. However, the truly top echelon of the performers less frequently ends up with PhDs except of the honorary kind. Their goal is generally performance, with teaching "on the side." And the teachers at the top conservatories, unlike the teachers at, say, HPYSetc., are not hired for their terminal degrees but for their ability. </p>

<p>Admittedly my opinion is based on very limited anecdotal evidence. I have only one child so far who has pursued music at such depth. My anecdotes include: S's teacher is one of the top players in the world, but did not complete his undergraduate education. I have no idea how much he studies music magazines to learn how to teach. Who knows? Perhaps those PhD FSU students are teaching him how, and my son's excellent education is indeed influenced by them. I just can't see it happening, though. Teaching is not his primary focus, playing is. </p>

<p>I am betting that very few teachers at conservatories like Juilliard and Curtis and Rice spend much time writing articles about teaching. I think it is disingenuous to imply that therefore they are not influencing the music world, because they aren't published, but that is certainly hard to measure. The horn dept at Curtis, for instance, is one teacher. He could write the single most important article in the world, but would not be named most influential because they are using sheer quantity as their determining factor. (Curtis doesn't even offer a PhD.)</p>

<p>On the other hand, there are 3000 or so colleges in the US, and many/most have some sort of music dept. And there are only a comparatively few top schools or conservatories -- say 1%. So 99% of the schools probably do emphasize terminal degrees and may have teachers who are reading and/or writing for teaching magazines. So, in that sense, those writers are probably the most influential for all those schools. </p>

<p>I just don't think that it follows that the school is "best" because they publish the most. Who is influencing that top 1% of schools? </p>

<p>My S played at a summer program a couple years ago where the other horn player was into her second year of getting her PhD. She continually asked my S to play parts that were too difficult for her, or asked him how to finger notes. He had to transpose her parts for her; a basic horn skill. He was appalled that someone could get to that level with such a mediocre ability. I guess we learned then not to imply anything about having a terminal degree in music. I'm glad that FSU PhD musicians are good and prolific writers. I hesitate to make more assumptions than that.</p>

<p>Speaking only for horns, because that is all I know -- The horn society (IHS) pusblishes articles every month that every horn player devours, about how to play, how to teach, how to perform, etc. In addition, there are several excellent books out by top horn players. I would say those players are the most influential for hornists. There are several books considered "bibles" to hornists. Maybe 25% of the writers go to FSU, I don't know. I never checked. </p>

<p>To make a different analogy, it would be like a study saying the best medical doctors are those who write the most for a "medical education" periodical. It may or may not be true - I just disagree with the logic.</p>

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<p>Perhaps you might think of it in terms of the best surgeons and the best medical researchers. While both are MDs, they have different strengths.</p>

<p>Does one influence the other? Sure. Are they complementary in terms of improving the art? I'd say "yes".</p>

<p>While we've had gifted surgeons for hundreds of years, they are much more accomplished now as a result of the researchers (even teachers).</p>

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<p>Don't forget to check where this publication is "housed".
Many scholarly journals are published by University presses,or edited by faculty at a certain institution,or are a unit within an "Institute" which is attached to a certain University.All these factors can influence who gets published in any given scholarly journal.</p>

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<p>Does that mean we're both right? ;) P2N - thanks for coming over here to "talk" even though you don't "have a dog in this fight."</p>

<p>I think I agree that certain research, and the resulting articles about it, can influence the study of music. If the articles are far reaching, and affecting say, teachers of elementary or middle school music programs, or private teachers, then yes, their influence is going to be very great. As the cliche goes, teachers touch the future!</p>

<p>So who touches the teachers is defintely going to wield some influence.</p>

<p>So, if FSU doctoral candidates publish the most articles, then they would certainly be very influential. I can't bring myself to concede that they would be "most" influential. I'd have to see what exactly they're writing about. Who is reading it. Who is following what they write. What effect does it have on the end product? </p>

<p>I guess that's easier to see if surgeons are performing more successful surgeries. Harder to tell with musicians. At least in the classical world, there has been some decrease in audience attendance. So maybe those claiming influence should be held accountable?</p>

<p>Maybe there is a definite progression -- FSU students write articles, teachers read them, teach young children using conclusions from that research, and those kids become famous musicians.</p>

<p>Certainly teaching methods have changed over the years. Fewer children study music at even a basic level. Teaching methods have changed. I teach piano - and there are new methods constantly being introduced. So certainly there has been some research that has "influenced" the music world.</p>

<p>But are the musicians we are producing any better? Is level of influence and good/better/best proportional?</p>

<p>If the magazines chose to publish writers from other schools more, would the end results change?</p>

<p>I'm thinking "out loud" here. No answers, but it's interesting to me to think about.</p>

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<p>Looks like the [url=<a href="http://www.menc.org/publication/articles/journals.html%5DJRME%5B/url"&gt;http://www.menc.org/publication/articles/journals.html]JRME[/url&lt;/a&gt;] is published by the [url=<a href="http://www.menc.org/%5DNational"&gt;http://www.menc.org/]National&lt;/a> Association for Music Education<a href="formerly%20known%20as%20the%20Music%20Educators%20National%20Conference">/url</a> out of Reston, VA.</p>

<p>Try the hyperlinks...</p>

<p>(I still like what I heard in the movie "Amadeus": "There's too many notes". (This effectively establishes my competence with things musical. I know it when I hear it :) and then I hear an explanation by an expert and I realize I'm a total music dork)</p>

<p>I should say I am an FSU alumnus, so I do care about the university. My dog just can't sing or play the trombone. ;)</p>