A comparison of Arizona music educators' attitudes toward solo and small ensemble festival participation

This study surveyed Arizona high school directors' attitudes toward solo and small ensemble festival and regional large-ensemble auditions which occurred on the same day. The author analyzed 191 responses to demographic and attitude questions. Multivariate analyses of variance using teaching area, school size, education level, and college major as independent variables and three groups of attitude statements (obstacles, scheduling, and values) as the dependent variables resulted in three significant main effects and one significant interaction. However, the researcher observed no practical significance and concluded that Arizona directors showed homogenous attitudes toward the two events. The directors encouraged student participation in solo and small ensemble festival, strongly believed that participating in solo and small ensemble festival contributed to individual performance achievement, and had positive experiences themselves partaking in the event. Despite the directors' positive attitudes toward solo and small ensemble festival they reported their students preferred to focus on regional large-ensemble auditions.