Without a concise and accurate system for notating diction, singers often resort to phonetic spellings that may not convey the correct pronunciation. Modeling and echoing correct pronunciation during rehearsal is time-consuming, and often the reminders singers write into their scores on such occasions prove to be unclear during the next rehearsal.…

As choral directors across the country work to prepare their choirs for concerts, festivals, and contests, it is a common practice for them to invite a guest clinician to attend rehearsals for guidance and assistance. The rationale for this idea is logical and simple--two heads are better than one. However, the actual visit can be anything from a…

A survey of final-year music students at the University of York for the Investigating Musical Performance research project found that 45% (23 of the 51 students in the year group) regularly gave instrumental or vocal lessons. Semi-structured interviews with 16 students revealed a range of teaching activities including workshop leading, one-to-one…

Musical parodies of contemporary songs with their lyrics altered to address current food safety issues were incorporated into a variety of food safety educational programs and the effectiveness of the music was evaluated by semiquantitative and qualitative measures. Audiences receiving the music-enriched curricula included school foodservice…

The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological responses of long-term hospitalized children when exposed to live music. Twenty-one paediatric patients at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, London, between 3 months and 14 years of age, took part in the study. They were all long-term patients with cardiac and/or respiratory…

Report of a Subject-Field Meeting at the Annual Conference of the National Association of Independent Schools, February 1969.

Reports the result of a study of 167 college students' ability to notate 12 melodies under the conditions of simultaneous writing, concentration before notation, and singing before writing. Results revealed no differences in the three conditions. (JDH)

Music programs can provide children with positive experiences with senior citizens. Described is a program in which fifth graders sang in a chorus with senior citizens at the latters' monthly luncheon meeting. (RM)

This collection of tried-and-true ideas from real music teachers all over the United States can help teachers who are looking for new ways to bring "The Star-Spangled Banner" and other patriotic tunes into their music programs. More than 100 music teachers describe how they connect patriotic music with historical events, help students…

Procedures for preparing songs for language teaching are presented, and many examples of such songs are given. (FWB)

Shares childhood experiences of singing while staying with older relatives. Recounts the feelings of a small child dealing with the death of a favorite aunt. (MG)

Presents initial results of a three-and-a-half year study on early childhood singing development. Empirical data were gathered through longitudinal study of 200 5-year olds and comparative study of 600 children ages 3 to 12. Results from five-year-old sample included a general tendency for vocal pitch to be lower than pitch stimuli. (AJH)

Used a modified visual-fixation-based auditory-preference procedure to test preferences for infant-directed singing versus adult-directed singing in 15 two-day-old hearing infants of deaf parents. Subjects heard a Japanese and an English play song. Found that infants prefer infant-directed singing over adult-directed singing and that the…

The article describes the National Anthem Project Road Show that was organized by the National Association for Music Education (MENC). The show traveled to at least one city in every state during 2006, aiming to teach and reteach Americans "The Star-Spangled Banner" while spotlighting school music programs. "Through the National Anthem Project…