Explores whether the basic song repertoire of vocal/choral music education majors is significantly better than instrumental music education majors. Participants attempted to identify 25 standard songs. Reveals no significant difference between the two groups, indicating that neither had developed a strong repertoire of songs. (CMK)

Contends that teaching contemporary music pieces that are largely improvised provides an ideal learning opportunity for students. Focuses on the piece "Improvisations I," stating that the version presented is intended for college students. Describes the performance of each section of the piece and provides suggestions for rehearsal. (CMK)

In July and August 2003, five top UK universities offered a range of three-week summer schools to "gifted and talented" 11-16-year-olds. This initiative, heavily subsidized by the UK Government, who wish to push "the cream of the nation's pupils forward", used school holiday time to bring together nominated children from all…

A survey was conducted to determine the amount of autonomy for each of three music faculty types (performers, theorists-historians, and music educators). Autonomy was measured by comparing the actual time devoted to the various job-related activities with the time each faculty type would like to devote to the activities. A questionnaire listing 16…

A guide for teaching the essential musical elements of opera to undergraduate students is provided. The course centers around "The Marriage of Figaro" by Mozart. It is presented in four sections. In section I, students investigate type casting of opera singers in terms of the ranges of their voices. Students learn to differentiate coloratura,…

Presents a study that investigates the effect of different melodic configurations on an Orff xylophone on how children compose and on the musical characteristics of their compositions. Focuses on fourth grade students (n=48) who lacked education in musical composition and who composed a song on the xylophone. (CMK)

Presents results from a study that examined student assessments of their own musical abilities as related to compositional creativity. Focuses on nonmusic majors in a music fundamentals course for elementary education majors. Explains that the students were placed into high-,middle-, and low-creativity groups. (CMK)

Discusses the life and career of William Schuman, addressing his career in music with a focus on his work as a composer. Explores his work as the president of the Juilliard School of Music and of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (New York City, New York). Focuses on his philosophy of music education. (CMK)

Describes the technique of scordatura, and the different unusual notional principles, as a means to exploring the Baroque repertoire. Explains that scordatura pieces indicate, using either the term discordable or discordatura, that the established tuning must be altered by mistuning the instrument. Concentrates on Domenico Gabrielli's "Seven…

Analyzes 15 performances of "Bach's Suite Number 3 for Violoncello solo, Bourree Number 1" and determines what patterns of rhythmic variation (rubato) were used by soloists. Indicates that the soloists demonstrated four identifiable and similar trends in the performances. (CMK)

Recommends commissioning new works as a challenging and motivating learning experience for high school and college bands. Includes several guidelines for negotiating costs and performance rights with the composer, as well as other technical details. Discusses specific problems arising from this arrangement and possible solutions. (MJP)

Identifies and describes children's in-action mental model of their own learning, which was inferred from the observation of children's behaviors when learning a song. Explains that the mental model is made up of musical organizations and learning strategies, each on two levels, large-scale and detailed. (CMK)

Examines Marilyn Zimmerman's pioneering work on the applications of Piagetian theory to the study of children's musical development. Discusses "music conservation" and addresses the Piagetian model regarding (1) the implications of the sociocultural perspective and (2) the study of musical creativity. Develops the concept of…

Discusses the music composition teacher's role in terms of four categories: (1) to impart technical knowledge; (2) to give historical perspective; (3) to provide real-world facts about the profession; and (4) to share personal strategies. Addresses the importance of the separation between the teacher's and students' styles. (CMK)

Students' understanding of musical style periods was assessed at Liberty Baptist College. The investigation was prompted by evidence suggesting that non-music majors who complete a music appreciation course understand a broad overview of music history better than music majors who complete music history courses. Compared to the music history…