We asked school- and college-aged instrumentalists (N = 32) to imagine an ideal performance of a brief passage of music, record a performance of the passage, and describe discrepancies they noticed between their imagined and actual performances. The more experienced participants took at least as much time to imagine their idealized performances as…

In two experiments we examined the extent to which musicians identify discrepancies between their intentions and their playing during individual practice. In the first experiment, 60 musicians representing four levels of skill development practiced a familiar piece from their own repertoire for 5 min while being audio recorded. They then listened…

This study was designed to investigate the extent to which the presentation of an auditory model prior to learning a novel melody affects performance during active practice and the overnight consolidation of procedural memory. During evening training sessions, 32 nonpianist musicians practiced a 13-note keyboard melody with their left…

During evening practice sessions, 32 nonpianist musicians learned a short melody on piano, and then either learned a second short piano melody, learned a difficult unfamiliar piece on their principal instruments, practiced familiar material on their principal instruments, or engaged in no other music-related motor behavior prior to sleep; practice…

Skillful teachers have developed the ability to take learners from the first conception of a goal to its accomplishment in shorter and shorter periods of time, with fewer and fewer errors on the learners' part and with increasing satisfaction and diminishing frustration on the teacher's. This article deals with the extent to which teachers provide…

To test the extent to which learners performing a simple keyboard passage would be affected by directing their focus of attention to different aspects of their movements, 16 music majors performed a brief keyboard passage under each of four focus conditions arranged in a counterbalanced design--a total of 64 experimental sessions. As they…

Secondary and college musicians performed four diatonic intervals (major third, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, and major sixth) both melodically and harmonically. Results indicated no significant differences in overall intonation accuracy in relationship to performed ascending and descending directions or among the four test intervals. (Author/RM)

Assesses musicians' perceptions of beat in monotonic stimuli and attempts to define empirically the range of perceived beat tempo in music. Subjects performed a metric pulse in response to periodic stimulus tones. Results indicate a relatively narrow range within which beats are perceived by trained musicians. (LS)

Presents a study which investigated the perception of music majors and nonmusic majors concerning their ability to discriminate the way in which altered musical excerpts differed in pitch or tempo (or both) from preceding presentations. Concludes that both groups responded similarly across conditions and replications, and that tempo changes were…

Examines group influences regarding music preferences to determine the effect that conformity has on the decision-making process. The study tested participants selections of popular and orchestral excerpts which had altered pitch and/or tempo. Concludes that preferences of music majors regarding orchestral music are not significantly affected by…

Examines listeners' perceptions of musical intensity in nine excerpts of orchestral music in order to compare two measures of overall effect in music. Explains that two assessments were used: (1) recording subjects' responses as they listened to music excerpts; and (2) recording subjects' ratings of intensity. (CMK)

Describes research designed to address questions about relationships between music instruction and academic performance and the role of private piano education in these relationships. Discusses the family and social background of private piano students, attitudes of students toward lessons, students' participation in other activities, and…

Discusses a study in which music education majors and non-music-education majors observed a violin lesson. Reports that observers received varying instructions regarding how to observe the lesson. Reports that majors' evaluations were generally lower or equal to nonmusic majors' ratings. Concludes that the focus of the observation task and…

Explores adult musicians' first remembrances of music. Reports that the first remembered responses appeared around ages 3-5; were associated with high affect, positive feelings, and "other persons present"; and indicated both the place where early music experience happened and the specific "music or genre." (CMK)

Reports the results of a study which investigated the effect of training on pre-service teachers' ability to recognize and reward appropriate student behavior during music instruction. Concludes that the training provided was effective. (RKM)