Sight-Reading Curriculum Consistency in Oklahoma High School Choirs

This study addressed a gap surrounding high school sight-reading accuracy and how it is influenced by the consistency of sight-singing curriculum used through middle school and high school. Previous studies have not tested this specific factor, and few studies have researched factors that influence both middle school and high school choirs. The question addressed was: to what extent is there a correlation between Oklahoma high school choirs receiving high scores at the district sight-singing contest in the 2024-2025 school year when using a sight-singing curriculum that is the same as the curriculum used by the middle school choir most connected to the high school? Data regarding sight-reading score, curriculum consistency, and various confounding variables was collected through a digital survey from choir teachers across Oklahoma. High school choirs had received the scores from qualified judges at district contests. After performing a Levene’s Test (insignificant) and a Welch’s t-test (insignificant), it was determined that this factor is not supported by statistical analysis as a variable that influences sight-reading score. Due to various confounding variables, such as small sample size, the outcomes of this data cannot be considered concrete until more research has been performed. Overall, this study sheds light on an under-researched part of sight-reading knowledge: factors that affect–or do not affect–sight-reading accuracy through middle school and high school choirs. Future research could utilize different tactics (new scoring system, interview data collection, etc.) in order to gather more comprehensive data and gain a better understanding of this research gap.