Date of Award

6-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Music Education

Department

Music

First Advisor

Ryan Curtis

Second Advisor

Trevor Frost

Third Advisor

Gary Brandes

Abstract

Sight-reading is a foundational skill in music education that enables students to perform unfamiliar musical material independently. Despite its importance, instruction is often inconsistent and driven by performance priorities rather than systematic skill development. This thesis synthesizes existing research on sight-reading pedagogy to identify effective instructional strategies and organize them into a cohesive framework for educators.

By connecting research to classroom application, this project provides a practical, research-informed model for sight-reading instruction. The findings suggest that effective instruction requires a structured and integrated approach that supports both cognitive processing and musical performance, ultimately promoting greater student independence and musical literacy.

Research Highlights

  • The Problem: Music education programs frequently lack consistent, systematic sight-reading instruction due to shifting priorities toward short-term concert performance preparation, an increased reliance on auditory learning technology, and a fragmented body of practical pedagogical resources.

  • The Method: The author synthesizes existing academic literature and contemporary music education method books published between 1994 and 2026 to design a cohesive, practical three-phase framework consisting of preparation, execution, and reflection.

  • Qualitative Finding: Effective sight-reading proficiency requires an integrated instructional routine that combines sequential skill development, pattern recognition (chunking), audiation (inner hearing), structural pre-reading strategies like the S.T.A.R.S. method, and metacognitive student self-assessment.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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