MENC: The National Association for Music Education

High School Choral Directors' Description of Appropriate Literature for Beginning High
School Choirs
Author(s): Rebecca R. Reames
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Journal of Research in Music Education, Vol. 49, No. 2 (Summer, 2001), pp. 122-135
Published by: Sage Publications, Inc. on behalf of MENC: The National Association for Music Education
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122 JRME 2001, VOLUME 49, NUMBER 2, PAGES 122-135
Undertakento investigate and describethe literatureperformedwith a population of
"beginning"high school choirs, this study is a survey of 263 MENC high school
choral directors.From the 80% responses,5 categorieswere analyzed: demographic
information, repertoireselection criteria, literature sources, types of literatureper-
formed, and recommendedrepertoirefor beginning high school mixed choirs. Chi-
square and Kendall's tau-b analyses produced only one significant relationship.
Additional findings in the study revealed that directors selected repertoirefor
advanced and beginning choirs similarly and that directorsvalued concerts,choral
reading sessions, personal choral libraries, and recordings.Directorsindicated that
theyprogrammed20th-century literaturemostfrequently and most successfully.Few
similarities werefound when selectionsrecommendedby directorswerecomparedwith
a largepublished list.

Rebecca R. Reames, State Universityof New Yorkat Potsdam

High School Choral

Directors' Descriptionof
Literature
Appropriate
for Beginning

High School Choirs

Researchers have found that effective choral music educators pos-

sess an advanced knowledge of choral literature and an ability to
select music appropriate for their ensembles (Baker, 1982; Blosch,
1985; Davis, 1994; Levi, 1985; Morgan, 1992; Szabo, 1993). This point
has also been addressed by choral experts, who contend that choral
directors need to develop a broad repertoire of literature and musi-
cal materials to "fit" their particular ensemble if they are to realize
successful rehearsals and performances (Bartle, 1993; Herman,
1988; Miller, 1988; Whitlock, 1991).

This article is based on the author's doctoral dissertation, "Literature, Music

Education, and Characteristics of Selected Virginia Beginning High School Choirs,"
which was accepted in the summer of 1995 by Florida State Univeristy, Tallahassee.
Rebecca R. Reames is an associate professor of music in the Crane School of Music,
State University of New York at Potsdam, 44 Pierrepont Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13676-
2294; e-mail: reamesrr@potsdam.edu. Copyright @ 2001 by MENC--The National
Association for Music Education.
 JRME 123

The criteria for selecting literature can generally be categorized

into either the aesthetic or the technical domain (Jansen, 1995).
Selecting literature according to aesthetic criteria can help choral
directors choose music that will heighten the interest of the choir;
selecting literature according to the technical criteria can help
choral directors choose music that will enhance the choir's vocal
development. The most effective selection of choral literature will
meet the criteria of both domains (Decker & Kirk, 1995; Elliott,
1995; Lamb, 1988).
Because a director's use of appropriate choral literature is consid-
ered essential by music educators to create and maintain successful
choral programs, researchers and choral authorities have often con-
centrated on how practitioners have chosen literature for the unique
abilities of singers in school choirs and on what literature has been
performed in school settings. Repertoire recommendations have
been made for specific ensembles, such as the middle school and
junior high school choir (Chapman, 1991; Fiocca, 1989; Shrock,
1990), boys choir (Janower, 1986; Marvin, 1989), and treble chorus
(Apfelstadt, 1990; Breden, 1983; Guelker-Cone, 1992); or they have
been recommended for the generic high school choral program
(Hawkins, 1976; McCormack, 1986; White, 1982).
Music educators generally agree that finding choral literature that
is appropriate for one type or any type of ensemble is difficult and
time-consuming. In response, choral experts have delineated guide-
lines to aid in the process of music selection (Busch, 1984; Garret-
son, 1988). A number of researchers have also delved into the issues
of literature selection criteria (Bolt, 1983; Bourne, 1990; Dahlman,
1992; Ogdin, 1981). Various sources used and valued by music edu-
cators when selecting choral literature that meets specified criteria
have also been researched. Concert attendance, choral reading ses-
sions, choral workshops, professional journals, literature assistance
from professional organizations, and materials and scores supplied
by music publishers and retailers were among the recommended
sources in many studies (Bolt, 1983; Devore, 1990; McCoy, 1986).
Garretson (1988) and Dunaway (1987) have suggested that the
beginning high school choir is a significant component of effective
secondary programs, but few, if any, studies have described the begin-
ning high school choir or the sources for finding literature appro-
priate for the entry-level high school choral experience. Researchers
examining the choral secondary level have generally looked at the
total school program, used the select mixed chorus as a variable, or
studied literature performed by the advanced chorus.
The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe current
literature components of beginning high school choirs. This study is
an examination of several aspects of beginning choirs, including
information about directors, criteria for repertoire selection, litera-
ture sources, types of literature, and literature recommended by
directors for beginning high school choirs.
Among the questions used to guide this study are the following: Is
124 REAMES

there a relationship between teacher experience and the literature

selection for beginning high schools choirs? Do directors consider
technical criteria to be of equal importance to aesthetic criteria in
selecting beginning high school choral literature? Which sources are
the most valuable for securing beginning high school choir litera-
ture? To what degree is literature from various historical style periods
being performed by beginning high school choirs? What pieces are
being successfully performed by beginning choirs? Are these sur-
veyed pieces representative of all historical style periods? Are these
surveyed pieces recommended by high school choral literature
experts?
METHOD

Subjects selected for participation in this study included all high

school choral directors in the state of Virginia who were current
members of MENC-The National Association for Music Education
and had one or more choral ensembles in Grades 9-12. A state direc-
tory of all Virginia schools (1994) was located, and names of choral
music educators were requested from the 12 district chairs of the
Virginia Choral Directors Association (VCDA)-the affiliated choral
unit of the Virginia Music Educators Association (VMEA), which is a
state organiziation under the umbrella of MENC. The population of
MENC Virginia High School Choral Music Educators was 263.
Following a pilot study, the researcher developed the "High
School Choral Survey." The questionnaire was constructed in five sec-
tions: "Director Demographics," "High School Repertoire Selection
Criteria," "Beginning High School Choir Literature Sources,"
"Specific Literature for Beginning High School Choirs," and
"Beginning High School Choral Recommended Literature." Most
questions were structured in the closed-ended format, where the
respondent's task is to select the most appropriate answer (from pro-
vided choices) that best reflects his or her situation.
High school choral directors were surveyed to gain information
describing the literature for beginning high school choirs and its
selection process. A "beginning high school chorus," for purposes of
this study, was an initial choir ensemble in a multiple-unit choral
organization. Schools with only one choir were examined separately
from schools that offered two or more choirs in a sequentially struc-
tured program.
The survey data were used to determine if significant relationships
existed among selected beginning high school choir variables and to
ascertain if beginning high school choir choral selections recom-
mended by high school choral directors had been endorsed as
appropriate high school literature by choral authorities. Participat-
ing high school teachers were requested to submit the title of a
choral piece that had been successfully performed by a beginning
high school mixed choir. The Virginia literature list was then com-
pared to a 1988 list of 1,600 high school ensemble titles recom-
 JRME 125

mended by recognized choral authorities during the last 20 years

(Wyatt, 1988, 1989). The five publications used in Wyatt's list were
the following: Selective Music Lists (1974); An Annotated Inventory of
Distinctive Choral Literature for Performance at the High School Level
(1976); Choral Director's Guide (1967); Choral Conducting: Focus on
Communication (1988); and PrescribedMusic List (1987-1990). A com-
parison between the directors' list and the choral authorities' list was
made to ascertain whether pieces being performed by beginning
high school choirs were also recommended by choral authorities for
high school ensembles. Literature was also categorized by composer
and historical style period to determine whether there was a bal-
anced representation of five historical periods: Renaissance,
Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20th century.
Twelve representatives of the VCDA assisted with distribution of
questionnaires to high school choral directors at the winter choral
directors' meeting held in 12 state locations. Individual question-
naires were mailed to teachers not in attendance at the on-site meet-
ing or to those directors who had not had an opportunity to com-
plete a survey. Follow-up postcards and telephone calls were also
made to elicit 214 completed questionnaires.

RESULTS

Responses to the survey were received from 214 of the 263 select-
ed study participants although only 210 of the 214 surveys were
usable in the final tabulation, providing an overall response rate of
80%. The intent of the survey was for educators teaching two or three
levels of instruction (143 teachers) to respond to survey questions
about the beginning high school choirs in their school curriculums.
Sixty-seven (32%) of the 210 respondents indicated that their school
offered only one level of high school choral instruction. However,
most of the survey questions were answered by 157 teachers, or 75%
of the population. Consequently, frequency findings for the begin-
ning high school choir were based on responses provided by 75% of
the population who reported offering a beginning high school choir
in their school.
Initial survey questions analyzed demographic information about
the respondents. Twenty five percent of the respondents had taught
20 years or more, and 22% of the teachers had taught from 1 to 4
years. The average range of teaching experience was 10-19 years.
Significant relationships were investigated between teacher expe-
rience and literature selection for beginning high school choirs.
Twenty-two literature selection variables when cross-tabulated with
teacher experience revealed only one significant relationship.
Teachers with more years of classroom experience tended to pro-
gram more Baroque literature for beginning high schools choirs
[x2 (16, N= 157) = 22.40, p = .13; Kendall's tau = .13, p < .05]. One-
fifth of the literature programmed by 8% of the population (13
teachers) was representative of the Baroque style period. Eight of
126 REAMES

Table1
Kendall'sTau-bValuesand StandardError

Literatureselection Choralteacherexperience

Recommendationsof musicteacher -.07 (.07)

Musicstorefiles -.12 (.07)
Liveperformances .04 (.07)
Choralreadingsessions .01 (.07)
Publishers'examinationscores -.05 (.07)
ACDAmaterials -.06 (.06)
Musicyou performedin high school .07 (.07)
Musicfrom college methodsclasses .09 (.07)
Professionaljournalreviews -.06 (.07)
MENCmaterials .00 (.07)
Publishers'catalogs .02 (.06)
Textbookrepertoirelists .05 (.07)
Recordings .06 (.07)
Personallibrary -.10 (.07)
Renaissanceliteratureprogrammed .05 (.07)
Baroqueliteratureprogrammed .13*(.06)
Classicalliteratureprogrammed -.04 (.07)
Romanticliteratureprogrammed .03 (.07)
20th-centuryliteratureprogrammed -.06 (.07)

Note.*p < .05.

those 13 teachers had taught 20 or more years. No teacher having

from 1 to 4 years of experience reported programming Baroque lit-
erature as 20% or more of the literature selected for their beginning
high school choir (see Table 1).
Survey questions dealt with literature selection criteria: Did teach-
ers consider technical or aesthetic criteria to be of more or equal
importance when considering beginning and advanced high school
choir literature? Eighty-nine percent of the directors indicated that
both technical and aesthetic criteria were of equal importance when
selecting literature for the high school beginning choir. Only 8.3% of
the teachers reported that aesthetic criteria were the more important
criteria, and only 3.8% of the teachers reported that technical crite-
ria were the more important criteria for choosing beginning high
school choir literature. No teacher indicated that technical criteria
were the more important criteria to consider when selecting litera-
ture for an advanced high school choir, and only 6.4% of the teach-
ers selected literature based solely on aesthetic criteria. An over-
whelming majority (94%) of the directors indicated that they select-
 JRME 127
Table2
Rank Order of Choral Teachers'Responsesto ValuableBeginning High School Choir
LiteratureSources

Sources Rank Mean Standard deviation

Live performances of choral music 1 1.59 .65

Choral reading session 2.5 1.61 .66

Personal library 2.5 1.61 .77

Recordings 4 1.76 .73

Recommendations from music teachers 5 1.86 .79

Publishers' examination scores 6 1.94 .87

Materials from ACDA 7 2.08 .80

Publishers' catalogs 8 2.12 .83

Music performed in high school 9 2.26 .90

Music store files 10 2.27 .90

Materials from MENC 11 2.29 .82

Reviews in professional journals 12 2.43 .84

Repertoire lists in textbooks 13 2.54 .82

Music from college methods classes 14 2.78 .95

ed repertoire for an advanced high school choir based on both tech-

nical and aesthetic criteria.
Sources that high school directors consider most valuable for
securing beginning high school choir literature were investigated
and rank-ordered. Live performance of choral music was ranked as
the most popular source of beginning high school literature. Choral
reading sessions and having a personal library tied for the second-
most-valued source, followed by the use of recordings. Sources that
were reported as being the least valuable to teachers were reviews in
professional journals, repertoire lists in textbooks, and music from
college methods classes (see Table 2).
Teachers were requested to choose the closest percentage of his-
torical period literature that they performed in their beginning high
128 REAMES

Table3
LiteratureFoundon BoththeVirginiaRecommendedBeginningHigh SchoolChoirRepertoire
Listing and the Wyatt(1988) CompiledRecommended
Listing

Title Composer Period

"CantateDomino" Pitoni Baroque

"Charlottown" arr.Bryan 20th century
"Ching-a-Ring Chaw" Copland 20th century
"Fauna canzone" Vecchi Renaissance
"Gloria" Vivaldi Baroque
"Gloria"(HeiligMesse) Haydn Classical
"Gloriain excelsisDeo" Mozart Classical
"Hallelujah, Amen" Handel Baroque
"InstillerNacht" Brahms Romantic
'Je le vous dirai!" Certon Renaissance
"Lo,How a Rose E'erBlooming" Praetorius Baroque
"Locuseste" Bruckner Romantic
Massin G (selections) Schubert Classical
"ThreeHungarianFolkSongs" Bartok 20th century
"ThreeMadrigals" Diemer 20th century
"ThreeNocturnes" Mozart Classical
"Witha Voiceof Singing" Shaw 20th century

school choir repertoire. A rank-ordering of the literature from the

five historical periods indicated that 20th-century literature ranked
number 1. Sixty-eight percent of the teachers reported that they pro-
grammed 20% or more music from the 20th century. Classical music
was 20% or more of the total literature programmed in 17.2% of the
schools; Romantic literature was 20% or more in 12.7% of the
schools; Baroque literature was 20% or more in 8.3% of the schools;
and Renaissance literature was 20% or more in only 4.5% of the
schools.
Teachers were additionally asked to specify a choral piece that they
had performed successfully ("it works") with a beginning high school
mixed choir. A repertoire list of successful mixed beginning high
school choir literature was compiled from titles contributed by 116
respondents. Because of title duplication or incomplete literature
information, this study collected 97 compositions that were recom-
mended by choral directors as being successful selections for begin-
ning high school mixed choirs. More than two-thirds (69%) of the 97
 JRME 129

recommended pieces for a beginning high school mixed choir were

representative of the 20th century, followed in decreasing frequency
by music from the Baroque (14%), Classical (9%), Renaissance
(5%), and Romantic (3%) periods. One percent of the surveyed
titles, or 17 titles, were listed in the Wyatt (1988) compilation of rec-
ommended literature (see Table 3).

DISCUSSION

This study was proposed to investigate and describe the literature

of a selected population of beginning high school choirs. Such a
study contributes to the body of choral music education research that
examines how high school choral programs match choral literature
with beginning high school choristers to promote effective secondary
school music programs. The beginning high school choir repertoire
process was analyzed by several categories, including criteria, sources,
historical-style periods, and titles of recommended literature. Based
on the results of this study, several findings may be pertinent to the
development of other choral music education populations.
Although Virginia offered as many or more levels of instruction
than did some states (Melton, 1985; Dahlman, 1992), about one-
third of the responding schools (32%) offered only one choral class.
The "quality" music program advocated by MENC in Opportunity to
Learn Standards for Music Instruction: Grades PreK-12 (1994) recom-
mends having at least two choral ensembles per school that are dif-
ferentiated by experience and ability. It is recommended that addi-
tional choral opportunities be made available to meet the interests
and abilities of a larger portion of students. Offering single-gender
beginning choruses, especially for boys, may encourage more male
singers to participate in the choral program and thereby expand the
choral program for all singers.
Out of 22 literature variables, only one significant relationship was
found: it was the relationship between teacher experience and the
beginning high school choir literature selection process. Directors
having more years of teaching experience were inclined to program
more Baroque literature for beginning high school choirs. Although
choral literature from the Renaissance and 20th century has domi-
nated the review of specific literature recommended for secondary
school choirs, carefully chosen Baroque literature has been recom-
mended as particularly suitable for mixed high school choirs (Wyatt,
1989; Collins, 1993), as well as for treble choirs (Bradley &
Robertson, 1982; Rentz, 1995). Experienced choral teachers in this
population have apparently found that inherent Baroque character-
istics of selected Baroque choral octavos are both appealing and
appropriate for beginning high school choirs.
In the survey, teachers were asked whether they believed that tech-
nical or aesthetic criteria were more important when selecting music
for a beginning high school choir. (These two criteria subgroups had
been previously delineated in Jansen's 1995 research in literature
130 REAMES

selections.) Although many textbooks have provided particular crite-

ria questions to use when selecting literature and numerous
researchers have examined which literature criteria were applied by
music educators, no previous researcher has questioned whether
teachers have used the same or different criteria for selecting begin-
ning and advanced choir literature.
Directors in this study chose literature for beginning and
advanced choirs similarly: technical and aesthetic criteria were
equally weighted in the selection process. This particular finding is
interesting because much literature selection discussion and
research have centered around the technical issues when selecting
literature for young voices (Cooksey, 1999; Gackle, 1994; Leck,
1994). In an effort to match the skills and vocal abilities of all stu-
dents entering the choral program, teachers are urged by experts to
rely more on technical criteria when selecting music. Beginning high
school choirs might achieve greater success if the selected literature
meets the various technical criteria suggested by choral experts for
high school choristers, especially for those with untrained or chang-
ing voices.
Live performances of choral music were ranked as the number-
one source for beginning high school choir literature, followed by
choral reading sessions and personal libraries, and use of recordings.
Further research is necessary to determine whether choral directors
actually have heard appropriate beginning high school literature
performed in concerts and on recordings or if they must generalize
and adapt literature ideas heard on recordings. Based on the results
of this study, MENC and ACDA should continue to foster and, if pos-
sible, record excellent performances of secondary choirs and honors
choirs at state, regional, and national conferences, and they should
feature 9th- and 10th-grade choirs at conferences in addition to fea-
turing advanced choirs. Additionally, practitioners should attend
concerts of successful local high school concert programs that promi-
nently feature their developing or training choirs. Reading sessions
sponsored by professional organizations and music retailers should
include valuable choral octavos for beginning high school choirs that
include repertoire from all periods and styles.
Virginia teachers found college methods classes to be the least
valuable source for finding beginning high school choir literature.
There could be many reasons why Virginia teachers rated college
methods classes so low, and certainly this study is not unique in
reporting such a finding. Was the information taught, but not
learned? Was the information not implemented nor retained? Or was
the appropriate information not offered at the respective schools?
Since college methods classes prepare undergraduates for all aspects
of teaching music K-12, an in-depth study of choral literature for the
beginning high school choir may not be feasible. However, music
education professors in higher education should play an important
role in preparing future music teachers by offering the best possible
education, training, and materials in the limited 4- or 5-year pro-
 JRME 131

gram. Preservice teachers need to be given the tools to work effec-

tively with choirs of every age and level, and the skills to appropriately
select and locate music materials. Additionally, choral music educa-
tion courses at the college and university level should educate under-
graduates to value choral music research and its applications to
teaching, therefore promoting life-long learning.
Another finding of this study, consistent with other investigations,
is that 20th-century music was most often performed with ensembles
(Bolt, 1983; Melton, 1985; Jones, 1989; Devore, 1990; Dahlman,
1992; Rucker, 1992). Teachers indicated that all historical periods
were being represented in the beginning high school choir reper-
toire, but teachers most frequently claimed that 20th-century litera-
ture was being performed successfully by beginning high school
choirs. MENC encourages the use of a broad repertoire, and many
choral experts believe that high-quality choral music representative
of all periods, though not necessarily difficult music, is attractive to
all students and should be the basis of the music program. Choral
directors may want to expand beginning choir literature choices to
promote positive musical experiences with a balanced variety of styles
and historical periods.
Responses to the survey revealed that only 1% of the recommend-
ed titles for beginning high school mixed choirs matched Wyatt's
(1988) large published listing of recommended works by choral lit-
erature experts for high school mixed choirs. This low percentage of
recommended titles being performed by beginning high school
choirs may be the result of Virginia teachers programming recently
published literature that would not have been available for expert
consideration prior to 1988. Other reasons for the lack of corre-
sponding titles with the Wyatt study (1988) may be that Virginia
teachers are not as familiar with the recommended titles or have not
found them to work successfully with a beginning high school choir.
Additionally, the compiled listing may provide a greater percentage
of more difficult or advanced choir selections than selections for a
beginning high school mixed choir. Further research is necessary to
determine the distribution of difficulty levels in the 1,600-title com-
posite listing. Whatever the reason for so few matching titles, there is
a discrepancy between the Wyatt's published list of recommend selec-
tions for high school choirs and the recommendations of the prac-
ticing choral directors in this study.
On the basis of this study, the following topics are suggested for
further research: an investigation of beginning high school choir
programs with populations other than those directed by Virginia
members of MENC; a survey of literature of acknowledged "success-
ful" beginning high school choral programs; a compilation of high-
quality literature for beginning high school choirs that is graded as
either "easy" or "medium"; a compilation of high-quality literature
for beginning high school choirs from the Renaissance, Baroque,
Classical, and Romantic periods; a survey of music teacher education
programs and their attention to beginning high school choir curric-
132 REAMES

ula; and continued research into other aspects of the beginning high
school choir, such as selection procedures and recruitment strate-
gies.

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Submitted July 25, 2000; accepted January 17, 2001.