Strings teaching and learning has tended to emphasize performance rather than the quality of experience for the children. School instruction has become rigid and focused on technical accuracy. Alternative teaching strategies must be pursued in order to provide a challenging yet enjoyable experience of playing and learning the bowed string…

Eight pianists with mild to moderate mental retardation and eight comparison pianists without retardation were asked to duplicate chord sequences of varying length and musical structure in an immediate memory format. All participants were sensitive to the structural dimensions of the material, and differences between groups were restricted to the…

Describes study of effects of learning procedures and performance tempo on ability of 64 middle school students to perform previously learned rhythmic passages. Reviews the four learning procedures used for each rhythmic passage. Finds no evidence attributed to learning procedure but significant adverse differences if the tempo was changed from…

Why do musicians specialize in the specific instruments that they do? Research has shown effects of such factors as the perceived masculinity/femininity of instruments and musician's personality but there are little background data on other factors. The present study had two major aims. The first aim was to gather some useful background data on…

Provides research findings concerning the musical instrument preferences of fourth grade students. Finds that, although gender associations with certain instruments have lessened, they remain noticeably present. Identifies drums, saxophone, and flute as the most popular instruments. Notes a moderate relationship between student perceptions of peer…

Examines relationships between musical information processed by a computer-based sound analysis system and the audiovisual record of a performer's response to musical assignments. Concludes that computer analysis permits identification of performance behavior. Suggests that a database could be designed to provide both diagnostic response to…

This practicum report addresses the need to supply Head Start teachers with: (1) specific preschool music objectives; (2) a sequential preschool developmental program in music to match the child's cognitive level; (3) how to choose instructional material to encourage specific basic school readiness skills; and (4) workshops to accomplish these…

Discusses a survey of the music education interests of adults who attended musical events in Austin, Texas. Reports that the piano was the instrument most frequently chosen for private study, choral groups were the preferred performance organizations, and music history and aural analysis were favorite academic study areas. Examines influences upon…

Conducted during the Institute for Steelband Playing held in 1988, this study's aim was to understand how Trinidadian people view, experience, explain, and order specific elements of their musical world, with the goal of providing an information base for establishing steelband programs in Canadian schools. The study focused on (1) How did the…

Using identified factors that affect students' musical outcomes, this research study examined how instrumental music students attending "good" rural Appalachian high schools compared to other instrumental students. "Good" refers to those 12 Appalachian rural school districts identified as the best out of 46 rural county school…

Reports results of a study of the musical timbre preferences of fifth grade students and of the effectiveness of the Instrument Timbre Preference Test. Concludes that results support the test's practical validity, particularly in terms of longitudinal prediction. Suggests that timbre preference investigations could affect aspects of music…

Reports on a study of the use of musical scores and rating scales by 80 pianists who listened to 21 trials of solo piano music. Found that the use of musical scores and rating scales did not improve interrater reliability. Discovered that the subjects were less consistent when evaluating slow musical pieces than faster pieces. (CFR)

The Fall 2004 and Spring 2005 issues of "UPDATE: Applications of Research in Music Education," in one print volume, presents hard facts and statistical data in a style that can be easily understood and appreciated by music researchers, teachers, graduates, and undergraduates alike. Includes advice to first-year music teachers, instrument…

Reports on study of 80 elementary students in grades 3-6 to determine whether tempo perception and performance abilities increased with grade level and musical training. Finds that student performance and perceptions did increase with grade level and training. Concludes that modern technology has made research into tempo perception more precise…

Discusses a study of the musical instrument preferences of third grade children. Reports that students' choice of instruments was influenced by the manner in which the instruments were presented to them. Finds that preference varied with gender. Suggests areas for future research. (SG)