Describes two studies of young children's ability to identify single and combined elements in response to music activities. Reports that children were better able to identify single than multiple elements. Concludes that children's ability to identify elements in their singing develops sooner than the ability to focus on elements in music they…

Presents study results determining effects of vibrato on pitch-matching accuracy. Compares certain and uncertain singers responding to three different models: a child, an adult female singing nonvibrato, and the same adult singing vibrato with less accurate pitch. Concludes that the responses to the nonvibrato model were the most consistent and…

This project was developed and implemented to help increase knowledge of singing performance by targeted fourth grade students as well as to increase their self assessment abilities. The project also was designed to improve parent/guardian understanding of singing performance. The study was conducted in a southwestern classroom of 26 students. The…

Band, orchestra, and choir festival evaluations are a regular part of many secondary school music programs, and most such festivals engage adjudicators who rate each group's performance. Because music ensemble performance is complex and multi-dimensional, it does not lend itself readily to precise measurement; generally, musical performances are…

Argues that many existing methods for teaching English diction for choral performance are ineffective. Describes a study of the Articulatory Diction Development Method (ADDM), focusing on kinesthetic awareness and speech articulator control. Concludes through research involving three high school choirs that the ADDM can improve choral tone and…

Reviews Goetze's dissertation investigating two factors that affect accuracy in young children's singing: the presence of other voices in unison singing, compared with individual singing, and the use of text rather than a neutral syllable. States that the research is of high quality leading directly to classroom practice. (LS)

Elementary teachers participating in the study thought of music listening as a separate activity and not as one that permeated all music instruction. Assigned listening was utilized mostly in singing, in the playing of instruments, and in traditional music appreciation lessons where students were asked to listen to a recording. (Author/RM)

Communication scholars have recently focused attention on songs as artifacts of popular culture. Current literature implies that the contexts of music communication are defined by the relationships that songs establish between artists and their audience: persuasive, expressive, and commercial. As the commercialization of music is an inherently…

Urges that research in elementary music education focus on discovering better ways of teaching and learning music and that findings be incorporated into the curriculum. Suggests questions for research, including when should abstractions be taught? what aspects of singing can be taught? and do all children listen similarly? Recommends replication…

Using data from the National Opinion Research Center's 1980 national survey, "High School and Beyond," relationships between an overall measure of ability and participation in performing arts activities were examined for 21,479 high school seniors from 1,015 public and private schools. A low positive relationship was found between…

In this comparative essay, I examine how musical ways of knowing inform my educational research. To understand this question, I employ dual perspectives as a musician and qualitative researcher. I use Eisner's concept of the art of educational evaluation (1985a, 1985b, 1997)--particularly as educational evaluation relates to connoisseurship and…

Describes one teacher's attempt to enlarge the scope of her teaching to include the music of Africa. Uses this experience to examine the practical problems of introducing multicultural education into the elementary curriculum. Primary problems concerned finding and adapting appropriate and authentic instructional materials. (MJP)

Examines the relationship of grade level to children's ability to make musical discriminations when elements are presented simultaneously. Utilized a brief instructional period, listening tests, and singing tasks. Results indicated significant differences between grade level, types of discrimination, and musical interactions. Includes statistical…

Delineates the cultural norms evident in the performance and practice of Ghanaian children's play songs. Describes the similarities and differences between these and those of adult Ghanaian music culture. Discusses the social significance of the songs and includes several tables showing musical notation. (MJP)

Examines the relationship between vocal pitch accuracy and gender, grade level, and the presence or absence of an accompanying unison voice. Reveals no significant differences between unison or individual singing or for gender. Fourth and fifth graders exhibited significant differences. (MJP)