The Nature of Expertise in Instrumental Music Settings: A Comparative Analysis of Common Elements Observed in Band Rehearsals and Applied Lessons (5)

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the 19 elements of teaching that were found to be present in the teaching of three expert artist-teachers in music (Duke & Simmons, 2006) would also be present in the teaching of four accomplished middle school and high school band directors. Duke and Simmons arranged these elements into three broad categories: Goals and Expectations, Effecting Change, and Conveying Information. The present study represents a comparative analysis of the elements present in university applied lessons and middle school and high school band rehearsals. Of the 19 elements originally identified in the Duke and Simmons investigation, the present study found 14 of those elements (74%) to be present in the teaching of middle school and high school band directors. The Goals and Expectations and Effecting Change categories were the most consistent across the different instructional settings (i.e., 12 of 13 shared elements), whereas the highest level of inco