The development of certain concepts of music in kindergarten, first, and second grade children was researched. Objectives of the study were: (1) To measure the effect of four instructional modes on the performance of tasks which embodied certain musical concepts; (2) To measure the performance differences between age levels; and (3) To measure and evaluate young children's concepts of louder, faster, higher, and shorter as elicited by the measuring instrument. Two forms of a measuring instrument were developed. Each form contained several tests which measured a specific concept. Each test consisted of 20 items or tasks with each task displaying positive and negative instances of the concept. The subject was asked to identify the "different," i.e. negative, instance of each set. Two independent samples were drawn from public and parochial schools of Lincoln, Nebraska, and the surrounding region. Instructional modes used were designated discovery, verbal cue, verbal response, and motor response. There were significant differences in performance between tests which embodied different concepts. It was concluded that the level of performance is a function of the stimulus features of the task and the accessibility of the concept. Other conclusions are: (1) Performance on tasks is partly a function of age; and (2) There is usually no significant effect of the instructional mode when a concept is not readily available as in the case of higher. Further research is recommended. (Author/CK)