Looks at eighteenth century U.S. tunebooks to discover the philosophies, the instructional materials, and the methods of early music and singing masters. Uses excerpts from tunebooks to illustrate approaches made to music reading and performance practice. (LS)

Examines the educational ideals of Sir Arthur Somervell, Inspector in Music to the British Board of Education from 1901-28. Discusses his belief in the Greek notion of the powerful influence that the "rhythmic arts" could have upon life. Reports that Somervell sought to promote children's sensory musical skills through a repertoire of…

Examined young children's abilities to echo short pitch patterns in relation to maintenance of a tonal center in self-chosen and taught songs. Found a low positive correlation between ability to echo pitches or contours and maintenance of a tonal center in singing. Reported that children consistently used larger vocal ranges in echoing pitch…

Examines the effect of two instructional procedures for teaching songs to children: (1) immersion, where the song is presented repeatedly in its entirety; and (2) phrase-by-phrase, wherein the song is presented in fragments. Shows that children taught with the immersion method performed with fewer errors than those taught phrase-by-phrase. (DSK)

Responds to David Butler's discussion of aural training in music education. Emphasizes the need for more music educator involvement in aural-skills instruction and more research on aural-skills acquisition. Places Butler's discussion within the historical context of the past 30 years of music education philosophy. (DSK)

Discusses how creating a musical climate in early childhood classrooms can give children a way to express feelings and ideas, and can smoothly blend the activities and routines of the classroom day. Provides suggestions for making new songs from old and creating new songs. Includes sample songs. (KB)

Reviews literature to describe young children's pitch-matching accuracy and vocal range, and outlines developmentally appropriate practice. Identifies internal and external influences on pitch-matching accuracy and vocal range. Suggests that children's musical development should be considered in a dynamic way and that what is called…

Examines the relationships among accuracy in singing the starting pitch of a song and (1) perceived tonal center; (2) ability to maintain constant key while singing; (3) self-selected pitch level; and (4) previous music experience. Reports statistical results and relates them to the training of elementary education majors. (DSK)

Studies whether physical attractiveness of singers affects judges' ratings of their vocal performances. Reveals that physical attractiveness does impact evaluation, that male raters were more severe than female raters, and that the rating of undergraduate majors versus graduate students and professors combined were not differently affected by…

Preschool and elementary school children can participate in pleasurable and worthwhile language experiences through the use of rhythmic group chants. Teachers can select contemporary poems, nursery rhymes, or have children make up their own chants. Provides examples of group chants and sources for chants, rhymes, and poems. (MDM)

Discusses materials that help primary-grade students develop a richer supply of words: books, audiotapes, and magnetic poetry kits for teachers and/or for students. (SR)

Provides information on the career and accomplishments of Ella Jenkins focusing on issues such as her musical background, the similarities among children in various countries, teaching children to sing in different languages, and how music teachers can reach more children and improve musical instruction. (CMK)

Activities in music class allow students, especially students with hearing impairments, to explore new means of expression and to enhance existing ones. Additional benefits may include increases in auditory awareness, cognitive ability, attention span, memory recall, and vocabulary. Students with hearing impairments can learn and flourish in music…

The purpose of the study was to describe and interpret a particular culture of boys with changing voices at the American Boychoir School by means of an ethnography. Themes that emerged were (1) the boys' own perceptions of the voice change process, (2) healthy strategies for singing through the change, and (3) psychological issues. Informants were…

Presents an article about the techniques for enhancing creativity among elementary students. Importance of developing rapport with the students to establish a harmonious learning environment; Need for teaching a wide but simple repertoire of songs, chants and patterns; Significance of developing mirroring games like Simon Says to improve the…