GRADES OR AGES: Grades 1-12. SUBJECT MATTER: Music skills and music education. ORGANIZATIONAL AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: There is a section for each grade which outlines different objectives, activities, and instruments. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES: A short outline of objectives for each grade or grade group introduces each section, included in these…

Presented is a review of the physical acoustics of percussion instruments. Instruments included are the glockenspiel, marimba, xylophone, vibes, chimes, and triangles. (SL)

Son Jarocho (specifically from Veracruz) is a song-and-dance form originating in Spain and implanted in Mexico during 17th- and 18th-century colonization. The jarocho style of music today is one of Latin America's most unique forms, using one to four instruments and characterized by its distinctive rhythm. (LC)

Discusses why students who play musical instruments should participate in a chamber music ensemble. Provides rationale for using small ensembles in the high school band curriculum. Focuses on the topic of scheduling, illustrating how to insert small ensembles into the lesson schedule, and how to set up a new schedule. (CMK)

This study is an examination of the influence of three orchestra/school partnerships on students' interest in instrumental music. A vocational choice school was used to assess students' interest in instrumental music. Surveys were administered to second- through fourth-grade students at partnership and nonpartnership schools. Results indicated…

This paper steps outside of conventional frameworks of schooling and examines inclusion from the perspective of eight young people and adults who play Scottish fiddle music in a group. The participants were asked to talk about their experiences of playing and their involvement with the group in practice and performance sessions. The group had been…

In this two-part study, we assessed musical involvements in two samples of persons with Williams syndrome compared to others with mental retardation and also related musicality to anxiety and fears in Study 2. Relative to others with mental retardation, those with Williams syndrome were more likely to take music lessons, play an instrument, and…

This article studies early childhood musical experiences of Finnish pre-service elementary teachers (N=590). The article also analyses their connections between musical self-concept at student age and musical progress in teacher education. Research material was gathered by a questionnaire, which posed retrospective questions about childhood as…

Numerous studies in general education have concluded that parental involvement improves student achievement. Research in music education indicates that parental involvement is beneficial to progress on a musical instrument. However, few music teachers are known to actively encourage it. This paper reports on a detailed qualitative survey that…

This book offers practical suggestions by parents on how to encourage young children musically, specifically using the Suzuki method for listening to music and practicing. The book is divided into the following chapters: (1) "Ten Reasons Why Musical Training Can and Should Be Started Early"; (2) "Advice From Parents: Ways To Encourage Children…

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)

Examines the effects that modeling, self-evaluation, and self-listening have on the music performance and attitudes about practice of junior high school students in the seventh (n=36), eighth (n=31), or ninth (n=15) grades who play woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. Includes references. (CMK)

Presents an activity combining music and art in which students create a picture expressing a particular style of music. Develops skills in painting and drawing from observation. The paintings include a realistic drawing of one or more instruments and convey the feelings of the instrument's musical style. (CMK)

Studies whether young children make consistent gender associations with instrumental timbres when not linked to individual instruments. Finds that the children sampled made consistent masculine/feminine associations for tones presented with some gender-based differences in particular responses. Notes possible interactions between timbre and…