bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Empirical Method for Measuring the Aesthetic Experience to Music
Authors: Madsen Clifford K. , Brittin Ruth V. , Capperella-Sheldon Deborah A.
Published: June 2006

This study was designed to investigate empirically the “aesthetic experience” as individually defined by each subject. Subjects ( N = 30) were faculty members and advanced graduate students at a large university school of music. Each subject listened to a 20-minute excerpt from Act I of Puccini's La Bohème and simultaneously manipulated the dial of a Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI) to indicate perceived aesthetic level. The CRDI dial represented a negative/positive continuum along a 256-degree arc. Data collected were charted graphically to indicate levels of aesthetic response across time. Subjects completed a questionnaire designed to estimate frequency, duration, location, and magnitude of perceived aesthetic experiences and also indicated whether dial manipulation roughly corresponded to these experiences.

Results indicated that there were different responses throughout the excerpt by all subjects. Heightened aesthetic responses were evident during certain parts of the excerpt. “Peak experiences” were relatively short (15 seconds or less in duration), preceded by a period of concentrated focus of attention, and generally followed by an “afterglow” ranging from 15 seconds to several minutes. All subjects reported having at least one aesthetic experience and also reported that movement of the CRDI dial roughly approximated this experience. “Aesthetic responses” for subjects seemed to cluster at many of the same places in the music, with one collective “peak” experience that was represented by the highest and lowest dial movements.
The Relationship between Explicit Planning and Expressive Performance of Dynamic Variations in an Aural Modeling Task
Authors: Woody Robert H.
Published: June 2006

The present study is an examination of the performance of expressive dynamic variations by advanced pianists in an aural modeling (imitative) performance task. Twenty-four university musicians listened to expressive performances of short piano excerpts played for them via MIDI on a Yamaha Disklavier acoustic piano. These expressive models contained idiomatic features (musically appropriate) and nonidiomatic features (musically inappropriate). After hearing each model, subjects reported their thoughts regarding dynamic variations they had heard and then attempted to imitate the model in their own performance on the piano. Results indicated that expressive performance of dynamic variations is influenced by the performer's explicit identification of dynamic features and their incorporation into a specific goal performance plan. Analyses of individual dynamic features revealed that subjects who identified features consistently performed the features differently than did the subjects who did not identify them. Subjects who identified features played nonidiomatic features more accurately and played idiomatic features at more pronounced overall levels.
A Description of Vocal Maturation among Fifth- and Sixth-Grade Boys
Authors: Killian Janice
Published: June 2006

The present study was designed to explore the idea that boys' voices may be changing earlier than indicated in previous research. Singing and speaking voices of fifth-grade (h = 56) and sixth-grade (h = 43) boys were categorized and compared with the Cooksey changing voice stages. Data consisted of grade in school, age in years, highest and lowest sung pitches, overall singing range, speaking pitches, and voice stage categorization. Results indicated an earlier voice change than in previous research. Findings consistent with previous research included the fact that singing and speaking pitch lowered with each successive voice-change stage, the overall range narrowed in the predicted stages, and the speaking pitch remained 2-3 semitones above lowest sung pitch, regardless of voice stage.
Effects of Musical Aptitude, Academic Ability, Music Experience, and Motivation on Aural Skills
Authors: Harrison Carole S. , Asmus Edward P. , Serpe Richard T.
Published: June 2006

A latent-trait model describing the influence of musical aptitude, academic ability, music experience, and motivation for music on the development of aural skills by 142 music theory students was evaluated. The model accounted for 73% of the total aural skills variance, with the ear-training and sight-singing components variance being accounted for by the model at 79% and 44%, respectively. Musical aptitude had the largest effect on performance in the aural skills components of the theory course, and the effects of academic ability and music experience were also statistically significant. Motivation for music did not affect aural skills performance, and it did not correlate significantly with any of the other latent variables.
Females in 1988 Middle School Music Textbooks: An Analysis of Illustrations
Authors: Koza Julia Eklund
Published: June 2006

A content analysis of all pictures of music-related figures appearing in sixth-, sev-enth-, and eighth-grade music textbooks published in 1988 revealed that females were underrepresented. An equity criterion of 50% females in illustrations was met only in the case of one activity and a few musical instruments. Furthermore, the illustrations as a group tended to reflect music-related sex stereotypes. More music education research needs to focus on equity in curricular materials, and, more studies in music education should address gender-related issues.
Effects of Various Sightsinging Strategies on Nonmusic Majors' Pitch Accuracy
Authors: Cassidy Jane W.
Published: June 2006

The purposes of this study were to determine if different strategies used to practice sightsinging would aid nonmusic students in accurately performing such a task; if improvement in sightsinging would transfer to improved pitch accuracy while singing a familiar children's song; and if teacher-selected starting pitches and tessituras would raise the tessitura of subsequent performances by subjects. Pretest and posttest data compared among the five groups of elementary education majors (N = 91) the accuracy of notes and intervals sung and subject-selected starting pitches on a familiar children's song and four composed sightsinging exercises. Results indicated that improvement in sightsinging occurred in all experimental groups, with posttest scores of subjects using solfege coupled with Curwen hand signs and those using solfege alone scoring significantly better ( p < .05) than subjects using staff letter names and those using the neutral syllable “la. ” There was no significant difference among groups ( p > 5) on the accuracy of singing a familiar song on the posttest, with an average gain of 6.4 %, indicating that improvement of vocal accuracy while sightsinging did not transfer into recreational singing. Classwork in a higher tessitura than that selected by all subjects on the pretest had no effect on shifting starting pitches upward during the singing of a familiar song on the posttest.
Music Teachers as Role Models for African-American Students
Authors: Hamann Donald L. , Walker Linda Miller
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this study was to determine what proportion of African-American students in high school settings, if any, identified music teachers as their role models. The study was also designed to determine whether there were any differences in the subjects' perceptions of the number of African-American students or teachers of their race or sex in their nonmusic versus music classes and to determine whether any significant differences existed between subjects who had or did not have a music-teacher role model as to whether they would attend a college/university after graduation and whether they would consider: (a) making music their major, (b) taking some music classes, or (c) playing or singing in an ensemble.

Subjects for the study were 811 African-American high school students. Descriptive statistics, t tests for dependent/correlated samples, and chi-square analyses were used to analyze the data. Significant differences were found by subjects' choice of role models(s) and selected variables.
Audiation-Based Improvisation Techniques and Elementary Instrumental Students' Music Achievement
Authors: Azzara Christopher D.
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this research was to develop and to examine an improvisation curriculum designed to improve the music achievement of elementary school instrumental music students. The specific problems of this study were (a) to investigate the effect of improvisation study on the music achievement of fifth-grade wind and percussion students, and (b) to investigate the effects of various levels of music aptitude on the music achievement of fifth-grade wind and percussion students.

Sixty-six fifth-grade students participated in this study. Students who received instruction that included emphasis on improvisation were found to perform at significantly higher achievement levels than students who received instruction without such emphasis. High-aptitude students performed at higher achievement levels than low-aptitude and moderate-aptitude students. The data obtained in this research provide preliminary evidence that improvisation contributes to the improvement of instrumental music performance achievement in elementary students.
The Effect of Conceptual Advancement in Jazz Music Selections and Jazz Experience on Musicians' Aesthetic Response
Authors: Coggiola John C.
Published: June 2006

This study is an investigation of what musicians consider to be their aesthetic experience with jazz music selections that vary in level of conceptual advancement (melodic complexity during improvised solos). Music major participants (N = 128) were assigned to either the jazz musician (n = 64) or nonjazz musician (n = 64) group. Data were gathered as participants manipulated the dial of a Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI) to indicate the magnitude of their aesthetic responses as they listened to four audio selections. Written responses were collected following each session via a questionnaire. Statistical analysis of group responses indicated a significant difference between the two participant groups only for the most conceptually advanced selection. An analysis of group graphs indicated that jazz musician participants rated this same selection higher. These findings suggest that greater instrumental jazz ensemble experience is related to greater aesthetic interest when listening to a jazz selection containing a high level of conceptual complexity.
The Implications of Developmentally Appropriate Practice for the Kindergarten General Music Classroom
Authors: Miranda Martina L.
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this study was to examine the implications of Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) for the kindergarten general music classroom. Ethnographic procedures (classroom observations, interviews, and artifact collection) were used to collect data in three kindergarten music classrooms throughout an academic year. Data were coded using five global dimensions of DAP (creating a caring community of learners, teaching to enhance development and understanding, constructing appropriate curriculum, assessing children's development and learning, and establishing reciprocal relationships with families), as published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Findings included practices congruent with DAP such as engagement as co-learners, inclusion of children's requests, inclusion of play, adjustment to individual needs, assessment in authentic contexts, and respect for family contexts. Incongruent practices included favoritism, lack of response to developmental needs, inflexible curricular decisions, and sparse communication with families. Implications included the need for early childhood coursework and mentorship.
Effects of Audio- and Videotape Models on Performance Achievement of Beginning Clarinetists
Authors: Linklater Fraser
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the comparative effects of home practice using three different kinds of cassette-tape models on the performance achievement of beginning clarinet students. Subjects were 146 volunteer fifth- and sixth-grade students who were randomly assigned one of three cassette tapes: a videotape, a modeling audio-tape, or a nonmodeling audiotape. Information on amounts of student practice, tape use, and parental involvement in student music-making was collected. Performance achievement was assessed at the conclusion of an 8-week experimental treatment period. Two further assessments were conducted to determine retention of performance achievement. All performances were rated by two independent judges, with resulting agreement correlations of 0.84 or higher. Results of analysis of variance indicated that videotape-group students scored significantly higher (0.05) on visual/physical performance criteria than did students in the nonmodeling audiotape group immediately after the treatment and scored higher on tone quality/intonation performance criteria in subsequent, delayed longitudinal assessments.
Effect of Multicultural Music Experience on Preservice Elementary Teachers' Attitudes
Authors: Teicher Judith M.
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the effects of multicultural music lesson planning and implementation on preservice elementary teachers' attitudes toward teaching from a multicultural perspective. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was developed to measure attitude changes of elementary education majors enrolled in music methods courses. The assumption was made that, through the process of developing multicultural music lessons plans and implementing them in their methods classes, preservice teachers would increase their familiarity with multicultural teaching, thereby positively affecting their attitudes toward future teaching. Results reveal that there was a significant difference between treatment conditions and attitudes of willingness to teach multicultural music, indicating that the experience of developing and implementing multicultural music lessons can positively affect preservice teachers' attitudes toward future multicultural music teaching. No difference was found with regard to attitudes of preparedness for multicultural music teaching, nor attitudes of willingness to teach in culturally diverse environments.
Sequential Patterns and the Music Teaching Effectiveness of Elementary Education Majors
Authors: Bowers Judy
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of sequential patterns of instruction and individual pattern components (including task presentation, student response, and teacher feedback) to the overall teacher effectiveness of music lessons taught by elementary education majors. Subjects were enrolled in three sections of a music methods course for elementary education majors ( n = 20; n = 21; n = 20). All groups received similar instruction, and additionally, Experimental Groups 1 (passively) and 2 (actively) received instruction in sequential patterns. Groups completed four teaching tasks, which served as training for the presentation and analysis of a fifth music-concept lesson that provided data for the study. Music-concept lessons were evaluated by a master teacher for overall teacher effectiveness. Additionally, lessons were analyzed for time spent in and frequency of patterns and components. Results indicated no differences in teacher effectiveness scores. However, groups differed in amount of time spent in individual pattern components. Experimental groups spent more time in student response and less time in task presentation, while the contact control group did the reverse. Examination of pattern-usage frequency indicated that the contact control group implemented more complete patterns than did experimental groups. When subdividing complete patterns into specific and nonspecific feedback patterns, however, both experimental groups used more specific feedback, and the contact control group used more nonspecific feedback. Some correlations between teacher effectiveness scores and pattern usage were low to moderate, and implications are discussed. All groups completed a posttest to ascertain that teaching skill instruction did not interfere with required academic content, and no differences in achievement were noted.
Effects of Conducting-Gesture Instruction on Seventh-Grade Band Students' Performance Response to Conducting Emblems
Authors: Cofer R. Shayne
Published: June 2006

This study is an investigation of the effects of short-term conducting gesture instruction on seventh-grade band students' recognition of and performance response to musical conducting emblems (gestures). Subjects were 60 seventh-grade wind instrumentalists. During 5 consecutive days, treatment-group subjects (n − 30) received instruction designed to improve their recognition and response to common conducting gestures. The control group ( n = 30) participated in a warm-up routine designed to review concepts of musical expression without the use of conducting gestures. Two dependent measures of conducting-gesture recognition were used in this study: (1) a paper-and-pencil measure and (2) an individual musical performance measure. An independent t-test revealed statistically significant differences in favor of the treatment group for the paper-and-pencil test (p < . 001). Additional analysis by a repeated-measures ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences in favor of the treatment group for the individual musical performance test (p < .0001). Results of this study indicate that short-term conducting-gesture instruction is effective in improving the recognition of and performance response to musical conducting emblems for seventh-grade band students.
Effect of Movement Instruction on Steady Beat Perception, Synchronization, and Performance
Authors: Rohwer Debbie
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of movement instruction on beginning instrumentalists' steady beat perception, synchronization, and performance. Seventy sixth-grade students were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. The treatment group received movement instruction generated from general music, dance, and theoretical ideas. The control group received “traditional rhythm instruction, ” operationalized through qualitative description of normal classroom activities. After 10 weeks of instruction, a researcher-designed battery of tests was administered. A t-test of the perception measure showed that the groups did not differ significantly, t (66) = .84, p = .41. The ability to synchronize taps to a musical stimulus varied significantly as a function of group membership, t (68) = 4.22, p = .0001, favoring the treatment group. Performances differed significantly as a function of group, favoring the treatment group, t (68) = 5.74, p = .0001. There were low positive correlations among the three dependent variables in this study.
Certain Attitudes Toward Occupational Status Held by Music Education Majors
Authors: Bergee Martin J.
Published: June 2006

Educators today often receive mixed messages about their occupational status. The purposes of this study were (a) to identify sources of negative messages aimed at music education undergraduates, and (b) to investigate undergraduates for a response to negative messages involving systematic elevation of self over typical music educators or fellow students. Ninety-six undergraduates from three major universities responded to a questionnaire containing items based on the purposes just listed. Results indicated sources of negative messages to be newspapers, family, friends, peer group, and educational personnel (e.g., counselors). Subjects demonstrated a significant elevation of self over others in 10 of 11 hypothesized self-over-others situations. To account for a generalized tendency to elevate self over others, the author compared music education majors' responses with responses obtained from a group of elementary education majors. Elementary education students exhibited a less generalized tendency to elevate self over others; results indicated significant differences on 3 of the 11 hypotheses.
Information Integration Theory: An Approach to the Study of Cognitive Development in Music
Authors: Demorest Steven M.
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this study was to examine qualitative differences between experts and novice listeners of various ages in (a) the process of integrating pitch and rhythm information to form a single judgment of similarity or difference and (b) the perceptual value of certain pitch and rhythm transformations when they occur simultaneously. Differences were described using an integration theory model of the perceptual process. A sample of 69 subjects was divided among four novice groups taken from Grades 1, 5, 8, and college and a group of upper-level college music majors. Subjects' perception of the degree of difference between a theme and nine variations was tested using the author-designed Pitch/Rhythm Integration Measure (PRIM), a multidimensional measure of musical perception. Results indicate that (a) the PRIM was a reliable measure; (b) the pitch/rhythm integration process is statistically the same for all the groups studied; (c) there is a significant age-related increase in the importance of rhythm for the perceptual judgments of novices from Grade 1 to adult. The results seem significant in relation to previous research in musical perception and development and pitch and rhythm experiences in elementary music education.
Effects of Timbre on College Woodwind Players' Intonational Performance and Perception
Authors: Ely Mark C.
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of timbre on musicians' intonational acuities during a listening and a performance task. Nine saxophonists, nine clarinetists, and nine flutists from The Ohio State University School of Music participated in the listening and performance segments of this experiment. The performance data consisted of subjects' intonational deviations from recorded examples, and the listening data consisted of subjects' correct and incorrect responses to in-tune or out-of-tune tone pairs. The relationship between subjects' abilities to perform in tune and detect intonation problems, and the effects of timbre on subjects' abilities to perform in tune and detect intonation problems were assessed. Results revealed a low correlation between subjects abilities to play in tune and their abilities to detect intonation problems. Results also indicated that timbre had a significant effect on subjects' abilities to detect intonation problems, but not on their abilities to play in tune. Although there was no significant difference between instrument groups' abilities to detect intonation problems, a significant difference was found between these groups' abilities to play in tune across all timbres. Subjects played significantly more flat than sharp when matching other instrument timbres.
Factors Affecting University Music Students' Perceptions of Lesson Quality and Teaching Effectiveness
Authors: Hamann Donald L. , Baker Dawn S. , McAllister Peter A. , Bauer William I.
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this study was to determine what effect, if any, music teacher classroom delivery skills or lesson content had on university music students' perceptions of lesson or teacher appeal by student academic standing. Subjects were 511 university students studying music at three moderate-size universities located in the American Midwest and East. Subjects viewed one of two videotapes that contained four randomly placed teaching episodes of approximately 4 minutes in duration. Each of the two tapes contained four lessons, as follows: one lesson with good classroom delivery skills and good lesson content, one with good skills and poor content, another with poor skills and good content, and one with poor skills and poor content. Subjects were directed to evaluate each teaching episode immediately after it was viewed using a researcher-developed questionnaire. Significant differences found among subject responses indicated that student interest and preference ratings varied not only by student academic standing but also by music teacher classroom delivery technique and lesson content quality.
The Effect of Singing Mode and Seating Arrangement on Choral Blend and Overall Choral Sound
Authors: Ekholm Elizabeth
Published: June 2006

This study is an examination of the effects of soloistic versus blended choral singing and random versus acoustic choral seating arrangements on evaluations of choral blend and overall choral sound. Thirty-seven choral conductors, 33 voice teachers, and 32 nonvocal musicians rated performances of four pieces by a choir of 22 voice majors. Eight choristers were recorded individually during choral performances and solo, and their vocal production was evaluated by 12 voice teachers. Choristers rated experimental conditions for vocal comfort and choral sound. Results indicated that choral conductors preferred blended singing over soloistic singing. No significant singing mode preference, however, was found in choral evaluations by voice teachers and nonvocal musicians. Voice teachers ranked individual vocal production in blended choral singing lower than in soloistic choral singing, and both choral singing modes lower than solo singing. Acoustic seating positively affected evaluations of choral performance, individual vocal production, and choristers' vocal comfort and choral sound ratings.
Verbal and Operant Responses of Young Children to Vocal versus Instrumental Song Performances
Authors: Sims Wendy L. , Cassidy Jane W.
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of the presence or absence of lyrics in children s musical selections on two types of young children's responses to music. Of additional interest were differences in responses due to subjects' ages and genders. Two studies were designed to compare responses to recorded lullabies with the melodies performed either by a woman singing the lyrics or by a solo instrument. In Study 1, a pictographic rating scale was used to obtain like-dislike responses to 10 music excerpts from 40 children, ages 4 and 5 years. Results of a three-way repeated-measures ANOVA indicated no significant differences due to the main effects of performance medium, age, or gender, with no significant interactions. Subjects for Study 2 were 51 preschool and kindergarten children. Each child individually listened to two pieces with lyrics and two without lyrics for as long as he or she chose, up to the compute duration of each piece. Time spent listening was recorded to the nearest second. Results of a three-way repeated-measures ANOVA indicated no significant differences due to the main effects of performance medium or song although girls did listen significantly longer than boys did. The results of both studies are consistent with the results of previous research indicating that young children s music attitudes and preferences do not seem to be based on specific musical characteristics and that children may have very idiosyncratic responses and listening styles. The use of time spent listening as a dependent measure for music preference is called into question.
Continuous versus Summative Evaluations of Musical Intensity: A Comparison of Two Methods for Measuring Overall Effect
Authors: Brittin Ruth V. , Duke Robert A.
Published: June 2006

The primary purpose of the present study was to compare two different methods of measuring subjects' perceptions of overall effect: (1) a record of subjects' ongoing evaluation that is averaged to obtain an overall rating (labeled “continuous') and (2) a single rating of intensity given by subjects at the conclusion of a music excerpt (labeled ”summative“). Subjects were asked to evaluate the level of musical intensity expressed in various music excerpts. We used the term musical intensity as it is commonly understood, that is, to describe an affective perception of music that conveys strong, ardent, or concentrated emotion. Our use of the term does not refer to its physical/acoustical definition. The results illustrate the nonequivalence of subjects' perceptions of overall intensity and mathematical summaries of their perceptions of intensity as recorded while listening. The two different measurement methods evidence extremely high levels of internal consistency; however, in both between- and within-subject comparisons, the summative responses were higher than the continuous response means. It seems reasonable to conclude that subjects' expressions of overall effect are quite consistent between subjects and between replications, but that arithmetic means of subject responses are not equivalent to subjects' ”psychological averages' (i.e., their post hoc perceptions of overall effect), especially with regard to stimuli whose intensity levels change over the course of a given stimulus example.
Criteria-Specific Rating Scales in the Evaluation of High School Instrumental Performance
Authors: Saunders T. Clark , Holahan John M.
Published: June 2006

The suitability of criteria-specific rating scales in the selection of high school students for participation in an honors ensemble was investigated. Three questions regarding criteria-specific rating scales were addressed: (1) Do they yield adequate measurement results? (2) Do they help judges discriminate among different levels of student instrumental performance? and (3) Which dimensions of instrumental performance are most predictive of total scores? All 926 students seeking selection to the Connecticut All-State Band were evaluated by 36 judges with the use of criteria-specific rating scales. The rating scales yielded substantial variability and moderately high to high alpha reliabilities. Stepwise multiple regression indicated that student Total scores could be predicted from scores of five individual dimensions (Multiple R = .96).
Effects of Self-Assessment and Successive Approximations on “Knowing” and “Valuing” Selected Keyboard Skills
Authors: Kostka Marilyn J.
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to investigate the relationship between college students' perceptions of “knowing” and “valuing” five selected skills on the piano, and (2) to determine whether a successive-approximations approach to learning the skills plus selfe-evaluation would affect students' perceptions of “knowing” and “valuing ” Thirty-two music majors enrolled in piano classes served as subjects for this investigation, which was a pretest-posttest design and covered one academic semester (15 weeks). Results indicated that students' self-evaluations were strongly correlated to their posttest perceptions of “knowing” and that knowledge and valuing became more closely associated following specific instructional and self-assessment procedures. An important aspect of this study was that it defined five areas of keyboard instruction that could be broken down into smaller, observable units before demonstration of the whole skill.
Effects of Conducting Instruction on the Musical Performance of Beginning Band Students
Authors: Kelly Steven N.
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of conducting instruction on 151 beginning band students' individual rhythmic performance, group rhythmic performance, group performance of legato and staccato, and group performance of phrasing and dynamics. Eight beginning band ensembles, representing diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, were randomly selected for the study. Beginning band students and their ensembles were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. After all subjects were pretested, the experimental bands received 10 minutes of basic conducting instruction per class during a 10-week period. Posttest results demonstrated that individuals in the experimental bands improved significantly more than did individuals in the control bands (p < .001) in their rhythmic performance. Bands in the experimental group improved their rhythm-reading and phrasing abilities (p < .01) more than bands in the control group. No differences were found with regard to legato and staccato, dynamic performance, or overall performance. It was concluded that conducting was a useful tool in teaching rhythm and phrasing in an ensemble setting.
Pitch Labels with Single and Multiple Meanings: A Study with French-Speaking Children
Authors: Costa-Giomi Eugenia , Descombes Valerie
Published: June 2006

It has been suggested that English-speaking children have difficulty labeling pitch because of the multiple connotations of the terms “high” and “low.” In this study, we examined whether the use of single or multiple-meaning labels affects young children's identification of pitch changes. French-speaking children received instruction on the use of the single-meaning terms aigu and grave (which as a pair of opposite terms is only used to label high and low sounds) or the multiple-meaning words haut and bas (which as its English counterparts“high” and “low” are used to label pitch, space, and intensity). Children were asked to describe the instructor's high and low voice, strike a drum whenever they heard a two-octave pitch change in a melody, and label the melody's high and low fragments. Children identified most of the pitch changes of the melody and used the newly learned labels with a high degree of accuracy. Those who were taught the single-meaning terms labeled high and low stimuli more correctly than did those who were taught the multiple-meaning terms.
Visual Diagnostic Skills Development and College Students' Acquisition of Basic Conducting Skills
Authors: Scott David E.
Published: June 2006

This study is an investigation of the effects of visual diagnostic skills development as a pedagogical tool in the acquisition of basic conducting techniques. Treatment and testing materials included: a conducting pretest-posttest, measuring mastery of conducting skills; a written pretest-posttest, measuring mastery of visual diagnostic skills; and two sets of instructional videotapes, serving as the treatment, one consisting of instruction and demonstration of the conducting techniques under investigation, the other consisting of an identical section, with an additional diagnostic section providing opportunities for detection of errors in the conducting techniques in question. Both groups showed significant improvement on written posttests; however, conducting posttest scores of the experimental group declined as conducting pretest scores increased. Conducting skills improved most in conductors with little prior experience.
Effects of Music with Video on Responses of Nonmusic Majors: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Geringer John M. , Cassidy Jane W. , Byo James L.
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate possible effects of visual information on nonmusic students' affective and cognitive responses to music. Excerpts were selected from compositions by Bach (abstract example) and Dukas (programmatic example) used in the movie Fantasia. One group of university nonmusic students viewed the video while hearing the music excerpts; a second group was presented the music only. All students (N = 103) completed cognitive listening tests based upon the excerpts, rated the music on Likert-type affective scales, and responded to two openended affective questions. Results indicated that there were no significant differences between presentations on the more abstract (Bach) excerpt. On the programmatic (Dukas) excerpt, mean scores of the music-plus-video group were higher than the music-only group on both cognitive and affective measures. However, effect sizes were not robust, and differences in cognitive scores were not independent of presentation order. Significantly more subjects in the music-only group used analytical descriptions of music elements for both pieces of music than did the video-group subjects.
Relationships among Vocal Jazz Improvisation Achievement, Jazz Theory Knowledge, Imitative Ability, Musical Experience, Creativity, and Gender
Authors: Madura Patrice Dawn
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships among various aspects of vocal jazz improvisation achievement and several predictor variables. Subjects included 101 college students enrolled in vocal jazz courses. The aspects of vocal jazz improvisation achievement that were measured included 18 tonal, rhythmic, and expressive items. Subjects performed two vocal jazz improvisation tasks, a blues, and a ü-V7-I progression. The independent variables included jazz theory knowledge, imitative ability, jazz experience, instrumental lessons, voice lessons, gender, and general creativity.

The major findings of this study were as follows: (a) the best order of predictors of the blues task was jazz theory knowledge, jazz experience, and imitative ability; (b) the best order of predictors of the ü-V7-I task was imitative ability, jazz theory knowledge, and jazz experience; (c) the best order of predictors of the composite improvisation tasks were jazz theory knowledge, imitative ability, and jazz experience; and (d) instrumental lessons, voice lessons, gender, and general creativity were not found to be significant predictors of vocal jazz improvisation achievement.
A Study of Internal Validity of the Instrument Timbre Preference Test
Authors: Williams David A.
Published: June 2006

This research is an examination of an aspect of internal validity of Edwin Gordon's Instrument Timbre Preference Test (ITPT). The purpose of the ITPT is to provide an objective aid in helping students choose an appropriate instrument for beginning study. Seven different timbres are used in the test, representing the flute, clarinet, saxo-phone/horn, double reeds, trumpet/cornet, trombone/baritone/horn, and the tuba/sousaphone. A question is raised concerning Gordon's use of synthesized sounds as the basis for determination of listener preference of actual instrument timbres. For this study, 128 subjects were asked to respond to questions of preference and recognition of the actual test items. Results indicated that a number of the test timbres did not accurately represent actual instrument timbres. Scores were recorded as to the number of times subjects recognized and/or preferred the timbre of the instrument they were actually performers of. Overall, students recognized the timbre of their own instrument 800 out of 1,541 times they heard it (only 52% of the time) and preferred it 880 times (57% of the time). Individually, timbres were recognized as seldom as 23% of the time, and preferred as little as 43% of the time. Recommendations are presented in relation to the use of synthesized sounds and suggest that the test could be made more valid by modifying the timbres used.
Effect of Available Tonality and Pitch Options on Children's Compositional Processes and Products
Authors: Kratus John
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect that different melodic configurations on an Orff xylophone have on the ways children compose and on the musical characteristics of their compositions. Subjects were 48 fourth graders with no formal instruction in composition. They were individually asked to compose a song on a xylophone that was configured in one of four ways: (1) pentatonic with 5 bars, (2) pentatonic with 10 bars, (3) melodic minor with 5 bars, and (4) melodic minor with 10 bars. Two pairs of independent judges rated various aspects of the subjects' use of compositional processes and products. Results indicated that subjects composing with 10 bars spent more time in exploration while composing, composed longer songs, and were less able to replicate those songs as compared to subjects composing with 5 bars. Subjects composing in harmonic minor were more likely to end their songs on the starting pitch than were subjects composing in pentatonic.
The Effects of Modeling, Self-Evaluation, and Self-Listening on Junior High Instrumentalists' Music Performance and Practice Attitude
Authors: Hewitt Michael P.
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects that modeling, self-evaluation, and self-listening have on junior high school instrumentalists' music performance and attitude about practice. The pretest/posttest 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design involved a total of 82 woodwind, brass, and percussion students in the seventh (n = 36), eighth (n = 31), or ninth grade (n = 15). Data indicated that participants who listened to a model during self-evaluation improved more than those not listening to a model in the areas of tone, melodic accuracy, rhythmic accuracy, interpretation, and overall performance, but not intonation, technique/articulation, or tempo. When self-evaluation was not undertaken, modeling groups were no different in any performance subarea. Also, the main effects for modeling revealed that groups that listened to a model improved their performance more than did students who did not listen to a model in the areas of tone, technique/articulation, rhythmic accuracy, tempo, interpretation, and overall performance but not intonation or melodic accuracy. No statistically significant findings for self-listening or practice attitude were identified.
An Examination of Music and Nonmusic Majors' Response to Selected Excerpts from Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps
Authors: Misenhelter Dale , Price Harry E.
Published: June 2006

Research suggests that factors such as background and musical experience might affect ability to process information and influence affective responses. This study explored the relationship between music and nonmusic majors' real-time responses to a piece of 20th-century music. Undergraduate nonmusic majors and undergraduate and graduate music majors were asked to manipulate a Continuous Response Digital Interface dial that recorded response data in time to indicate their responses while listening to excerpts from Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps (Rite of Spring). Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between responses of music and nonmusic majors. Graphic representation and analyses suggest that these response patterns are related to changes in texture, with a moderate inverse relationship for nonmusic majors and a weaker moderate positive relationship for music majors.
Summarizing Listener Perceptions over Time
Authors: Duke Robert A. , Colprit Elaine J.
Published: June 2006

To compare two common measures of overall effect in music, we assessed listeners' perceptions of musical intensity in nine excerpts of orchestral music using two assessment procedures: (1) recording subjects' moment-to-moment responses as they listened to each excerpt and then averaging each subjects ratings to obtain a measure of overall intensity, and (2) recording subjects' post hoc ratings of intensity at the conclusion of each excerpt. The results illustrate the nonequivalence of these two measures of overall effect. Internal consistency was high for both measures, but the post hoc ratings were generally higher than mean ratings in both between- and within-subject comparisons. The magnitude of the differences between the two measures varied depending upon the nature of the changes in each stimulus. The results obtained in this investigation are nearly identical to those obtained by Brittin and Duke (1997a, 1997b) and suggest that it is inadvisable to interpret arithmetic means of momentary responses as indicators of subjects' perceptions of overall effect.
A Dialectical View of Theory and Practice
Authors: Jorgensen Estelle R.
Published: June 2006

This philosophical essay explains how a dialectical approach to theory and practice can be useful to music educators. It also offers a dialogical approach to working through the conceptual and practical dilemmas raised by this dialectical approach. The elements of a dialectical approach are explained and criticized using a dramatic metaphor. Dialogue is a dialectic and a strategy for addressing the dialectics of theory and practice. Also, some of the ways in which dialogue functions are explored.
The Effect of Music Training on Preschoolers' Spatial-Temporal Task Performance
Authors: Gromko Joyce Eastlund , Poorman Allison Smith
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of music training on preschoolers' Performance IQ (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Intelligence Scale-Revised, 1989). Preschoolers in the treatment group (N = 15) met weekly from October 1996 through April 1997. A Mann-Whitney test on Performance IQ (scaled) gain scores by group yielded U = 67, p =.059; a Mann-Whitney test on Performance IQ (raw) gain scores by group yielded U = 65, p =.049. Regressions of IQ gain scores on age showed significantly less gain for older children in the control group (N = 15). A regression analysis showed that the relationship of Performance IQ to age was not significant for the treatment group. Slopes intersected at age 3. For 3-year-olds in this study, an intellectually stimulating environment, per se, results in a gain in the ability to perform spatial-temporal tasks.
Improving Sight-Singing Performance in the Choral Ensemble: The Effect of Individual Testing
Authors: Demorest Steven M.
Published: June 2006

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of individual testing, in conjunction with group instruction, on students' sight-singing skills. A quasi-experimental study was designed to test the following prediction: Choir students given a regular program of individual testing will show a significantly greater improvement in individual sight-singing over students given group sight-singing instruction alone. A sample of 306 subjects was drawn from the beginning and advanced choirs of six high schools in the State of Washington where sight-singing was taught. Intact choirs were randomly assigned in a pretest-posttest control group design to examine the effect of a señes of three individual tests administered to the experimental group throughout one semester. Results showed a significantly greater gain in individual sight-singing performance on the major melody for members of the experimental group. Members of the advanced choirs scored significantly higher on the major melody across conditions. There were no significant differences in either variable for the minor melody. There was a significant school-to-school difference in individual achievement for both melodies, but no interaction with the treatment. Individual testing was found to be an effective means of improving individual sight-singing performance in group instructional situations.
Music Activity Preferences of Elementary Students
Authors: Bowles Chelcy L.
Published: June 2006

A questionnaire regarding music classroom activity preferences was administered to 2,251 kindergarten through fifth-grade students. Students stated whether they liked to participate in 13 traditional music-classroom activities and eight music-program-related activities, and they identified their favorite activity among six. Students preferred playing instruments above all other activities within and across grade levels, and 50% reported instrument playing as their favorite activity. Singing and listening were about equally liked within and across grades. Students preferred creative movement over dance within and across grades; first graders responded less positively to dance than to any other activity. Positive attitude toward composing declined with advancing grade level. Eighty-one percent liked to perform in music programs, and more than half liked to perform in small ensembles. Students responded very positively to attending concerts and having performers come to the classroom, but were less positive about participating in music contests.