The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of Piano Wizard(TM) as a viable technological and instructional tool for older adults. Piano Wizard's applicability for seniors was determined by participants' musical skill development, perceptions of personal fulfillment, attitudes toward music learning, and opinions about the…

There is now an accepted need for initiatives that support older people's health and well-being. There is increasing evidence that active engagement with music has the potential to contribute to this. This research aimed to explore the characteristics of older people who participated in active music making with a view to identifying the groups…

Previous research has suggested that training on a musical instrument is associated with improvements in working memory and musical pitch perception ability. Good working memory and musical pitch perception ability, in turn, have been linked to certain aspects of language production. The current study examines whether working memory and/or pitch…

The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the wind band classroom as a social context and examine its influence on middle-school students' identity constructions. The integration of sociologically based identity theory and social identity theory from social psychology suggested by Deaux and Martin as well as Stets and Burke proved…

This article considers the concepts of "learning style" and "learning strategy". The former connotes an inbuilt trait which tends to remain fundamental to the way an individual approaches learning. The latter refers to a set of consciously-acquired and applied approaches or tactics designed to achieve a learning task. The article relates these…

Despite its importance in the development of children's skills of social cognition and communication, very little is known about the ontogenetic origins of the pointing gesture. We report a training study in which mothers gave children one month of extra daily experience with pointing as compared with a control group who had extra experience with…

The purpose of this study was to develop and test the construct validity and reliability of a self-report measure of self-regulated practice behaviors for beginning and intermediate instrumentalists. A questionnaire was designed to assess the motive, method, behavior, time management, and social influences dimensions of the theoretical model of…

Some pianists have idiosyncratic ways of keeping their hands and fingers relaxed. Glenn Gould, for example, religiously soaked his digits in hot water before performing or recording. While the jury is still out on the effectiveness of Gould's routine, there are plenty of other exercises and practices that will keep a pianist's fingers limber.…

The mountain dulcimer is a folk instrument that children (and adults) can learn to play quickly and easily. Even more exciting than learning to play it is making one of your own. Making and playing a dulcimer allows students to explore an instrument for themselves and create a music-making environment. From an inexpensive, prepackaged kit,…

During the past 60 years, jazz music has slowly become recognized as a genre worthy of study in high school music programs throughout the United States. Only a few researchers have analyzed large samples of jazz-related instruction in instrumental music programs, and of these studies no data were collected to investigate the inclusion of jazz in…

Evidence suggests that accountability and financial pressures are causing schools across the country to reduce investments in subject areas that are not assessed for accountability purposes. However, due to the design of financial reporting systems in most states, inadequate data are available to analyze spending levels and patterns for specific…

The author sought to determine whether self-evaluation instruction had an impact on student self-evaluation, music performance, and self-evaluation accuracy of music performance among middle school instrumentalists. Participants (N = 211) were students at a private middle school located in a metropolitan area of a mid-Atlantic state. Students in…

This article describes "Build a Band" hands-on activity from "Design Squad Nation," which allows kids to use simple materials to build a four-stringed instrument, then tune it and play a song. Kids explore frequency, pitch, and sound energy while following the steps of the engineering design process. By weaving "Design Squad Nation" episodes,…

In this article, two marching band students from 2009 Bands of America Grand National Championship finalist bands show how students of all abilities benefit from involvement in band and music. (Bands of America is a program of Music for All.) Emily Ingram of James Bowie High School, Texas, and Cameron McCanless of Avon High School, Indiana, have…

This article addresses individuals' decisions to continue or cease playing a musical instrument from a basic psychological needs perspective. Participants began learning music 10 years prior to the study and were the subject of previous longitudinal research. They completed a survey investigating the three psychological needs of competence,…