2003
Thompson Symposium for Masters Degree Students:
Research in Practice
at Penn State
May 3, 2003 The Penn State School of Music hosted the inaugural symposium, named for Dr. Keith Thompson upon his retirement from the music education faculty. The purpose of the Symposium was to provide a forum for Masters students to share their research and interact in a scholarly and friendly environment.
The Symposium drew 25 participants from New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Iowa, representing masters, doctoral and undergraduate students, as well as practicing and retired faculty. The variety of participants made for lively and interesting discussions!
 | Dr. Thompson leads the discussion following his keynote address |
Dr. Thompson gave the keynote address at this inaugural meeting, following a continental breakfast where the participants had a chance to meet one another. Dr. Thompson's notes from his address are available here.
 | Dr. Thompson's keynote address at the Symposium |
After his address, Dr. Thompson provided discussion questions, and the assembly broke into small groups to further explore the ideas of the keynote.
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The "Red" Group discussion |
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The "Blue" Group discussion |
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The "Green" Group discussion |
After coming back together to share the group discussion, the participants had lunch and prepared for the poster session.
 | Attention Focus of College Music and Non-Music Majors During a Musical Performance Debbie Campbell, The Pennsylvania State University, Doctoral Student |
 | The Comparison of the Effectiveness of Expository and Discovery Teaching Methods on Aural Recognition of Meter by Third Grades Students in US and in Taiwan. Yi-Mien Chen, The Pennsylvania State University, Masters Student |
 | Feasibility of Using a Class Portfolio for General Music Classes in Taiwan Ming-Jen Chuang, The Pennsylvania State University, Doctoral Student |
 | Superstitions of Music Majors Megin Hanely, Angela Magliocca, and Rebecca Strausser, Clarion University, Undergraduate Students, Megin and Rebecca pictured here |
 | The Development of Warm-up Routines as a Tool to Help Prevent Performance Related Injuries among String Players Harlie Krug, The Pennsylvania State University, Masters Student |
 | What the Heck Are You Doing? Looking at a New Model for Teacher Preparation Amanda Robie, Bucknell University, Undergraduate Student |
 | Fundamental Frequency and Pitch-Matching Accuracy Characteristics of First Grade General Music Students Dr. Barbara A. Gordon Western, University of Iowa Graduate |
After a short break, the participants adjourned to hear the Masters paper presentations. Each presenter gave a 10-minute introduction to his or her research. After hearing about the research, the attendees broke into groups for discussions with the presenters. These small groups broke out one additional time so there could be discussion with more than one presenter.
 | The Effects of Singing and Playing with Recorded Accompaniment on the Intonation Abilities of Beginning Saxophonists Sherrie Hildreth, The Pennsylvania State University |
 | Parental Involvement: An Investigation of Influences of a Parent Instrumental Program on Beginning Instrumental Success Mary Frances Bushong, Temple University |
 | Adapting Music Instruction Based on AudiometricProfiles of Children with Hearing Impairments Warren Churchill, Teachers College - Columbia University |
 | The Effects of Music Instruction vs. Spatial Instruction on Preschoolers' Spatial-Temporal Ability Paul Shevock, Bowling Green State University |
The Thompson Symposium will be held again at Penn State in Spring, 2005. Please check this Web page for dates, submission information, and updates. The music education faculty at Penn State continues to support the work of masters degree students engaged in systematic inquiry that supports their practice, as well as the practice of other teachers.
Comments, suggestions, and questions can be emailed to Dr. Linda Thornton at lct12@psu.edu.
Penn State Music Education Faculty and Staff:
Russell Bloom, Publicity, Recruitment and Student Teaching support
O. Richard Bundy Instrumental Music Education
Debbie Campbell, Music for the Classroom Teacher
Ann Clements, General Music Education
Norene Ferris, Coordinator, Partnership for Music Teacher Excellence
Robert Gardner, Instrumental/String Music Education
Anthony Leach, Choral Music Education
Joanne Rutkowski, General Music Education, Area Coordinator
Lisa Stamm, Music Education Secretary
Linda Thornton, Instrumental Music Education