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Abstract
Music is part of most school systems - the great majority of school systems have music K-12. Music is typically taught in elementary schools once a week, and more frequently in middle and high school. Students who participate in band, choral, and orchestral programs often have their rehearsals 3 times to five times a week. This is especially true at the high school level where students are in their performing ensemble 180 days a year over 4 years. That's a total of 720 lessons during their high school career. That's a significant statistic when we realize that most students performing in these ensembles over the 4 years cannot typically read a piece of music accurately. This fact is corroborated by university music professors who accept students into their programs who after 720 high school lessons can still not read a piece of music accurately. Choral directors may spend a lot of time teaching a particular piece of music, but they typically do not spend enough time teaching music fundamentals or sight singing and ear training. This thesis will: I) explain the Houlahan and Tacka approach to choral rehearsals as presented in their publication Choral Artistry: A Kodaly Perspective for Middle School to College-Level Choir, Vol.1 and Vol.2 II) provide results of interviewing high school choral directors across Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey, regarding the amount of time they see their choral ensembles and the music theory content they include in their rehearsals III) include choral directors comments regarding how they structure their rehearsals. IV) conclude with a statement regarding the efficacy of vertically aligning a choral and music curriculum from middle school through high school.