A Phenomenological Exploration of the Experiences Gained During Pre-Service Music Teacher Preparation of Black Urban Band Directors

This study was designed to be an exploration of the pre-service experiences of 10 Black urban band directors. The focus of this study was on the experiences of the individual teachers. This study was loosely based on Fitzpatrick’s (2008) study of urban instrumental music teachers in the Chicago Public Schools. This phenomenological study utilized Critical Race Theory as a theoretical framework to frame the participants stories. There were two phases of data collection: Phase I: phone interviews and Phase II: In-person interviews. The participants consisted of Black band directors selected from middle and high schools located in one urban school district in the Southeastern part of the United States. The following research questions framed this study: 1) How have experiences during pre-service music teacher preparation programs supported Black urban band director’s capacities to teach in the urban setting? 2) How have the experiences from pre-service music teacher preparation programs impacted the teaching practices of Black urban band directors? and 3) How do in-service Black urban band directors who have been teaching for five years or more describe their experiences as a teacher? The following seven themes emerged: 1) teaching experiences needed; 2) managing the classroom; 3) overcoming challenges; 4) mentoring; 5) building relationships; 6) establishing sense of worth; and 7) rewarding experiences. The findings from this study offers a counter-narrative of the deficit laden views of teaching band in urban settings. Implications and suggestions for future research address pre- and in-service teachers and music teacher educators

New Editor's Statement

The new editor introduces himself and his vision for the journal as the flagship for the organization and to publish high quality articles that add to the knowledge base, challenge existing opinion, and epxlain the implications of research applied to practice

Editor's Statement

The editor described the many different types of manuscripts and topics welcome in the journal

Editor's Statement

The editor introduced some minor changes, including volume numbers and the section Warming Up which is a brief practical issue piece

Integrating Support Services for Student-Athletes: Possible Pathways

Student Services for Athletes (SSA) is a comprehensive, integrated program of support services for student-athletes. The services and components of the SSA program were first briefly described. Then, the value of adopting an integrated approach to support services was discussed, and case examples were used to describe ways in which each component of the SSA model served as a point of intervention, while suggesting how other components are integrated and potentially modified

Building Rapport with Student-Athletes: A Survey of Counselor Strategies

The importance of rapport in counseling student-athletes is commonly accepted, but the process of developing rapport has received little attention. Members of the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics (N4A) completed a questionnaire about methods they believed were important and effective in building rapport with student-athletes. The Student-Athlete Rapport Survey (SARS) was developed to elicit responses from academic advisors and athletic counselors about the methods they use to build rapport. The survey was sent to 385 members of the N4A; 213 usable surveys were returned (55%). Respondents also descnbed the ways in which they enticed student-athletes to use the services offered. Results and implications for athletic counselors were discussed. The methods most frequently endorsed as "very effective" were those in which counselor/athlete contact was either encouraged or required. The most effective methods of developing rapport were inviting student-athletes into the counselor's office, requiring them to meet the counselor in the office, and the coaches' requiring student-athletes to meet with the counselor

A conceptual methodology for studying the geoarchaeology of fluvial systems : with case studies from the Oklawaha River (Florida) and the River Earn (Scotland)

This thesis explores a conceptual methodology for studying archaeological sites in fluvial settings. The methodology stems from geoarchaeology, an approach to the past that focuses upon the geomorphic context of artifacts or the application of geological principles and techniques to the solution of archaeological problems. The paper will examine its application to fluvial systems in two different geomorphic environments, the Oklawaha River in Florida and the Earn River Valley in Scotland. In these different environmental settings, the geoarchaeological approach makes use of different kinds of evidence available to it. Survey in submerged and eroding river margins offers additional information on site distribution and density within the landscape that can go unnoticed by traditional terrestrial surveys. Through conceptualization and application of the methodology that has developed from these studies, the arbitrary land/water interface can effectively be erased from research areas and rivers can begin to be viewed not as permanent and non-moving barriers, but as significant and dynamic components of the archaeological landscape

Thyroid-specific transcription factors control Hex promoter activity

The homeobox-containing gene Hex is expressed in several cell types, including thyroid follicular cells, in which it regulates the transcription of tissue-specific genes. In this study the regulation of Hex promoter activity was investigated. Using co-transfection experiments, we demonstrated that the transcriptional activity of the Hex gene promoter in rat thyroid FRTL-5 cells is ∼10-fold greater than that observed in HeLa and NIH 3T3 cell lines (which do not normally express the Hex gene). To identify the molecular mechanisms underlying these differences, we evaluated the effect of the thyroid-specific transcription factor TTF-1 on the Hex promoter activity. TTF-1 produced 3-4-fold increases in the Hex promoter activity. Gel-retardation assays and mutagenesis experiments revealed the presence of functionally relevant TTF-1 binding sites in the Hex promoter region. These in vitro data may also have functional relevance in vivo, since a positive correlation between TTF-1 and Hex mRNAs was demonstrated in human thyroid tissues by means of RT-PCR analysis. The TTF-1 effect, however, is not sufficient to explain the difference in Hex promoter activity between FRTL-5 and cells that do not express the Hex gene. For this reason, we tested whether Hex protein is able to activate the Hex promoter. Indeed, co-transfection experiments indicate that Hex protein is able to increase the activity of its own promoter in HeLa cells ∼4-fold. TTF-1 and Hex effects are additive: when transfected together in HeLa cells, the Hex promoter activity is increased 6-7-fold. Thus, the contemporary presence of both TTF-1 and Hex could be sufficient to explain the higher transcriptional activity of the Hex promoter in thyroid cells with respect to cell lines that do not express the Hex gene. These findings demonstrate the existence of direct cross-regulation between thyroid-specific transcription factors

Compatibility testing of spacecraft materials and space-storable liquid propellants

Compatibility measurements were made for aluminum 2219-T87 alloy and titanium 6Al-4V alloy in the presence of liquid fluorine and flox. Results of post test characterization after exposure durations of 61 and 70 weeks are presented. Results of the total test program are analyzed

Occupational Interest Patterns and Personality Styles of Freshman Student-Athletes

The existence and relationship of common personality styles and occupational orientations were explored. The study considered Holand's (1973) vocational theory and Strack's (1991) eight basic personality types. Student-athletes (n=36) and non-athletes (n=17) enrolled in a freshman seminar for physical education majors (males = 63%) completed the Personality Adjective Check List (Straclk, 1991) and the Strong Interest Inventory (Hansen & Campbell, 1985). The results suggest that student-athletes and non-athletes differ on several personality and occupacional variables and that personality sryle has an important relationship to occupational orientation and interests. A specific profile for athletes based on personality and vocational type did not emerge. Implications for athletic counseling professionals were discussed