Offers ideas for teaching musicians to be improvisors. Suggests that structure, organization, and continuity are problems that can be solved by learning to improvise. Recommends exercises in building phrases to help students acquire a sense of the developing whole. Concludes that improvisation can be taught by showing students how to teach…

Examines an effective method of curing tsumari, a phenomenon whereby the first note in a sequence of two eighth-notes is performed shorter than the second note. Considers two possible causes: (1) insufficient motor skill control and (2) a lack of steady beat perception. Reveals a reduction in tsumari after procedural instruction. (CMK)

Explains that by studying the music of Clara Schumann, music classes can learn about some of the musical forms, styles, and techniques of the Romantic period. Considers teaching strategies centered around Clara Schumann's "Variations on a Theme of Robert Schumann" and provides background information on her life. (CMK)

Provides the song "Can't Get in Tune Blues" to help orchestra string students determine whether their instruments are in tune. Explains that the song teaches students the pitch relationships among strings and gives them valuable open-string bowing practice. Includes the music and one variation. (CMK)

Describes the minimalist movement in music. Discusses generations of minimalist musicians and, in general, the minimalist approach. Considers various ways that minimalist strategies can be integrated into the music classroom focusing on (1) minimalism and (2) student-centered composition and principles of minimalism for use with elementary band…

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)

Music educators today have a responsibility and a unique opportunity to introduce their students to the art music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Elementary and secondary school students should know that composers are living and working in their communities. They should be aware of the diverse styles and genres of contemporary music…

Although an extensive literature exists on creativity and music, there is a lack of published research investigating possible links between musical creativity and Csikszentmihalyi's concept of flow or optimal experience. This article examines a group composition task to study the relationships between creativity, flow and the quality of the…

This study investigated the musical thinking of two composers through the use of concurrent protocol analysis and examinined their problems, funded experience, and reflective thinking. The objective was to determine the extent to which there is an observed or implicit paradigm of reflective thinking in the thinking of a practicing composer. The…

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,…

Discusses the lack of awareness students have in considering classical music and presents methods for kindling their interests in a music form relatively unknown to them. (RK)

Two approaches used to teach beginning band, a comprehensive musicianship approach and a performance-oriented approach, were compared. The comprehensive musicianship approach was more effective in teaching interval, meter, major-minor mode, and auditory visual discrimination. Both groups performed equally well. (Author/AM)

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)

States that choral directors should put more time into planning music rehearsals. Discusses activities that can be included in a rehearsal practice and describes extension activities that could be used. Includes a lesson plan that can be used with a concert choir. (CMK)

Focuses on teaching students how to compose music. Addresses issues, such as how to get the students started and types of questions to ask students about their compositions. Discusses the musical elements involved in composition, such as melody, harmony, rhythm and meter, timbre, texture, and formal design. (CMK)