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Suzhou Pingtan is a traditional Chinese opera originating from Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, known for its melodic tunes, storytelling, and expressive performances. The objective of this study was to explore the transmission process of Suzhou Pingtan Chinese Opera in Jiangsu, China, and its impact on education and literacy. This study utilizes a combination of fieldwork, interviews, and questionnaires as research tools were used to gather data from three key informants, two main informants, and three general informants. The data collected are analyzed through qualitative methods, including content analysis and thematic analysis. The research findings reveal ten main modes of transmission, including the inclusion of Suzhou Pingtan in the national intangible cultural heritage list, the establishment of inheritors, the Suzhou Pingtan Art Festival, the enhancement of performance level and frequency, the development of Suzhou Pingtan School, the establishment of Suzhou Pingtan Museum, the expansion of performance venues, the integration into primary and secondary schools and universities, international transmission, and strong government support. The study suggests the importance of continued support for educational initiatives, the preservation of performance venues, and the cultivation of young audiences to ensure the sustainability and wider appreciation of Suzhou Pingtan.

Using multimedia elements to present poetry can help make it more accessible and understandable to a broader audience. In the context of China, where poetry is important in culture and art, interpreting the poems of Chinese poets in contemporary music can help popularize their work among young audiences. The study aimed to explore the possibilities of using various multimedia tools to promote poetry in online educational blogs and to study the effectiveness of various multimedia tools in attracting audience attention to poetry. The survey results reveal the popularity of contemporary songs in China among the youth, who draw inspiration from poetry. "Green Light" ([foreign characters omitted]) received the highest percentage of votes, at 38%. This song centres on the theme of love and expresses the desire to be reunited with a loved one. "Raindrops on Banana Leaves" ([foreign characters omitted]) garnered 26% of the votes and conveys the beauty of nature after rain, emphasizing the appreciation of the world's beauty. "Nebula" ([foreign characters omitted]) was mentioned by 9% of the students, and this song includes lines from the poem "Love in the Sky" by Jiang Zhiqun. It explores themes of love and self-reflection, reflecting the desire to be with a loved one. "Crazy Heartbeats" ([foreign characters omitted]) received 18% of the votes, and the song uses phrases from the poem "Strong Feelings" by Junjian Lu. It portrays intense emotions, highlighting love and passion. "I Am by Your Side" ([foreign characters omitted]), a song containing lines from the eponymous poem by Zhongsan Lu, was chosen by 9% of the students. It revolves around the theme of love and the longing to be with someone special. These findings illustrate how contemporary music in China often intertwines with classical poetry, bridging the gap between traditional literary heritage and modern forms of cultural self-expression. The results of the statistical analysis indicate a statistically significant difference between the control and experimental groups regarding the impact of multimedia technologies on learning outcomes. The experiment has shown that these technologies contribute to better comprehension of the material and the attainment of higher scores compared to students who employed traditional teaching methods. Based on the study, conclusions can be drawn about the prospects of other processes related to this topic, namely the importance of using multimedia technologies to present poetry in online educational blogs, especially for interpreting poems by Chinese poets in modern Chinese music, such technologies will help to attract a wider audience and develop a person's creativity, linguistic culture, and sensual and aesthetic spheres. For further research, it will be essential to study the impact of multimedia technologies on the understanding and appreciation of Chinese poetry by students of different age groups and cultural backgrounds and to conduct a comparative analysis of various methods of interpreting Chinese poetry in multimedia format. The present findings can also be used to develop recommendations and practices for using multimedia technologies in education and cultural activities related to Chinese poetry and methods for applying multimedia technologies as the presentation of poetry in online blogs.

The Burmese arched harp, known as "Saung Gauk," is the national icon of the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar (once called Burma). It is both ancient and contemporary, and its music frequently carries stories that are threaded with long-standing philosophical principles of the Burmese. The music of the Saung Gauk consists of five primary pitches (and two ornamental extras) that provide intriguing melodies, and a bronze bell and wood clapper provide the accompanying rhythm in traditional practice, even while Burmese-style piano and tuned drums may fill out an ensemble in which Saung Gauk is featured. A learning pathway will detail ways to approach this extraordinary music and the special place of this harp in Burmese identity.

This article examines and discusses the musical and artistic characteristics of Shaanxi folk songs, as well as how they can be more effectively disseminated in today's rapidly changing social environment. This also provides some beneficial information for the dissemination and development of Shaanxi folk songs, allowing them to be disseminated and passed on more effectively. The study's objectives were to analyze the musical characteristics of northern Shaanxi Province's folk songs and to propose guidelines for the dissemination of folk song literacy in northern Shaanxi Province, China. The study investigates and analyzes how to better disseminate Shaanxi folk songs from various perspectives, including educational dissemination, media dissemination, and official institution dissemination, using qualitative research methods. The results of this study show that the folk songs of northern Shaanxi have a strong local flavor and a simple style that people appreciate. They have a distinct musical charm and range from small two-stanza styles to large multi-stanza styles. Guidelines for the dissemination of folk songs in northern Shaanxi Province, China, have been developed in order to introduce the world to the excellent folk songs of northern Shaanxi in a new language form as well as to various contemporary cultural activities and school education.

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences of one music teacher (the researcher) and two intact classrooms of 3- to 6-year-old children who engaged in world music lessons as a pathway to developing empathy. Participants in each of the two classes engaged in a 30-minute world music lesson once per week for 8 weeks, and each lesson included a different musical culture. Data sources for this study included semi-structured interviews with early childhood center directors and teachers. Further data included transcripts and video recordings of class sessions, researcher field notes, childcare center curriculum documents, and planning documents. Findings indicated that this world music-based approach was successful in generating curiosity about the world, making empathetic connections with others, navigating new and different sounds and experiences with respect, and inviting children into the role of expressing empathy.

In a report commissioned by the Society for Music Analysis to address a gap in music literacy, McQueen (2020) identified instrumental teachers as an important part of music education both within schools and in the community. This article takes as a starting point McQueen's (2020) proposal that 'it is through instrumental tuition that music literacy in its many forms is likely to develop' (65) to tease through some of the implications it might have for contemporary perspectives on music education. In doing so it assesses the relationship between music literacy and music analysis as a complex one involving professional partnerships which can lead to 'a clash of allegiances' (83) evident in versions of curriculum knowledge and the values underpinning them. My aim is to bring forward discussions surrounding instrumental teaching and school curricula and argue that greater collaboration between all those engaged in music education will address issues arising from and perpetuated by their separation.

This review provides a summary and discussion of the 'Music Literacy' strand (day 1) of the Society for Music Analysis's OxMAC conference (University of Oxford, July 2023). The review highlights how the ever-expanding range of musics currently studied in higher education calls for an increasingly multifaceted understanding of the term 'music literacy'. This was explored at the conference through presentations focusing on diverse aspects of music literacy, including its relationship with music technology, popular music, music pedagogy, musical hermeneutics and musical traditions grounded in the concepts of vibration and timbre. The review contextualises these presentations by outlining how they relate to wider current debates within music education at a variety of levels as well as the agenda of the Society for Music Analysis.

The purpose of this study was to investigate Hong Kong preschool teachers' music-specific professional development (PD) preferences and analyze the potential differences among teachers with varying levels of teaching experience (beginning, experienced, and advanced). A survey was developed to assess four music-specific PD preferences: content, facilitators, types, and activities/resources. We found that respondents (N = 1,019) preferred PD that was centered on musical creativity and curriculum integration; facilitated by experts in pedagogy and music performance; conducted as short workshops and mentoring sessions; and focused on observation, skill acquisition, and practice. The data also revealed significant differences between beginning, experienced, and advanced teachers and their PD preferences. Beginning teachers showed a higher preference for graduate studies and blended PD. Beginning and experienced teachers were more interested in playing instruments and in learning by observing other teachers. Advanced teachers showed preference for PD focusing on dance and music appreciation. The study shows that teaching experience is a crucial factor for determining preschool teachers' music-specific PD preferences. Implications include considering teachers' interests, motivations, and needs while planning and designing PD for preschool teachers. Further research should explore what teachers with different profiles require in specific educational settings.

Although music education researchers often utilize music major status as a single-item proxy variable for musician status--and with this designation presume musical competencies or abilities of research participants--there is a lack of research demonstrating links between status as a music major and those assumed competencies. In this study, we compared undergraduate music majors and non-music majors (N = 237) at the group and individual levels using Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index (Gold-MSI), a well-established measure of multiple ways in which people report engaging with music. Comparing group means, we found that music majors scored higher than non-music majors on each Gold-MSI subscale. Moderate distribution overlap suggested that these results should be considered cautiously. A logistic regression analysis further suggested the complexity of using music major status as a single-item measure, given that music major status was only strongly predicted by the musical training subscale. Measures such as Gold-MSI may provide a viable and psychometrically sound way of determining musical sophistication that will allow more granular and refined analyses of studies relating to musical competencies.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the process of composing educational music. As part of a research project titled "Sound Connections: Composing Educational Music" Canadian composers completed email interviews, responding to semi-structured questions about the process of composing educational music. Using qualitative data analysis, we sought to understand better this process and found that the composers in this study used a variety of compositional techniques at all stages of the compositional process (conceptualizing, writing, and refining) to promote the development of student musicians. Key findings included the importance of balancing skills review and challenge; the use of form, timbre, and harmony for the development of communication and listening skills specific to the ensemble context; the use of elements from various musical styles to support music appreciation; and the encouragement of student collaboration in the creative process of composition. An unexpected finding was the importance of composer collaboration with teachers and students in the composing process. The knowledge gained in this study adds to the literature on this under-researched topic, and may help composers, student composers, and composition teachers develop a better understanding of and appreciation for educational music, thereby encouraging educational music composition. In addition, the findings of this study may assist teachers in the difficult task of choosing educational music for their students.

Parents and guardians inherently become involved in diverse aspects of the music learning process and retain the potential to foster a musical home environment, influencing the musical growth, attitude, and level of participation of their children. Research suggests a relationship between parental support and successful development of music skills in school-aged students (Creech & Hallam, 2009, 2011). As such, String Project programs in university settings may benefit from knowledge that could promote or enhance positive, reciprocal relationships among students, parents, and teachers. We designed a survey to assess String Project parents' perceptions of commitment, musical growth, and emerging trends in student musical identity. This survey was administered during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which all participants received virtual music instruction. Parents were asked to describe their child's level of enthusiasm for music study, developing practice habits, evolving self-identity, and appreciation of music. Additionally, parents were surveyed regarding their own musical backgrounds and the role of music in their family's life. A majority of parents reported 2-3 hours of practice per week and interest in continued music study through high school and beyond for their children.

Background: Inclusive research advocates for the involvement of people with intellectual disabilities to be more than passive participants within the research process. Methods: This study used a participatory design with proxies to consult with 13 people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities, on their musical preferences. Four instrumental listening tracks were created for consideration. The expected outcome was that people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities would contribute to the codesign and development of a Musical Play framework. The study took place in England. Findings: Proxy reports suggested that elements of music such as the tempo, tonality and instrumentation influenced the participants' responses. Responses were mixed across all tracks, indicating that the musical preferences of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities are variable and individualised. Conclusion: Further exploration of how people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities can contribute to inclusive research is recommended.

Currently there is a great variety of musical styles that coexist in our society. We can access music in very different ways and with immediacy never before imagined. For teenagers, music is a key element in defining their identity, socializing and taking refuge in their inner world. This communication focuses on the analysis of songs from the Reggaeton music genre and the way in which students receive them. The co-educational proposal carried out in a private secondary school in Barcelona will be explained. Its main objectives will be, on the one hand, to foster a critical spirit in the students towards these types of songs and, on the other hand, to offer an education in terms of equality that deconstructs myths and stereotypes.

How teachers perceive concepts and facts is very important because teaching is a profession capable of shaping the cognitive, affective and behavioural behaviours of society through education. This research aims to determine the perceptions of prospective teachers studying at teacher education programmes of different fields regarding the concept of music. The main purpose here is to determine how music, which has an important place in human life with its individual, social, cultural, economic and educational functions, is perceived by prospective teachers. This research was conducted according to the descriptive survey model. The participants of the research consisted of three categories and a total of 186 people: prospective teachers attending departments whose curriculums do not include music lessons (PT, n = 57), prospective teachers attending departments whose curriculums include music lessons (preschool teaching, classroom teaching) (PTM, n = 66) and prospective music teachers (PMT, n = 63). The data were obtained through a form asking the participants to complete the statement 'Music is like ... because ...'. The analysis of the produced metaphors was carried out in five steps: (1) coding and extracting, (2) collecting sample metaphors, (3) developing categories, (4) ensuring validity and reliability and (5) transferring data to Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for quantitative data analysis. As a result of the research, based on 83 different metaphors produced by prospective teachers, these metaphors were divided into seven categories. When the distribution of perceptual categories by participant type was examined, it was observed that the perceptions of the participants changed according to whether they took music lessons and how often they took them.

In the last 30 years Croatia has been involved in an intensive period of educational reforms. Music teaching, as a compulsory subject, underwent some positive and negative changes. The so-called open model and contents remake bring the possibility for teachers to be more creative and for students to be involved to a greater extent, but unfortunately, music lessons come to just 1 h per week. As a part of the Croatian school system, the extracurricular music activities are implemented in the school curriculum which affects the acquisition of new knowledge developing students' musical skills. This paper aims to present the today's situation of attending music classes in regular and extracurricular lessons in Croatia. Moreover, it discusses the international research project "Schools@Concerts: Tuning up for the Music Experience" which influences the idea how to carry out another kind of extracurricular musical activity which suits the worldwide environment. The intention is to familiarize students with (classical) music during the work in the extracurricular activity and by visiting to a concert. The author presents her own idea how to realize the extracurricular music activity "Listening to Music with Concert Experience" carried out by a cognitive -- emotional approach to listening to music which contributes to the students' music appreciation and preservation, transfer, renewal and dissemination of cultural heritage.

A liberal arts education for Christians is about finding God's truth; therefore, Christian students need to be educated in a broad range of subjects, including music. While a music appreciation course is thought to be about gaining knowledge of music, some music scholars have pointed out that a music curriculum should involve students in experiencing the essence of music through doing. This article discusses God's invitation for us to music and the value of music in a liberal arts education. In addition, it looks at the integration of a praxial approach (referred to here as musicing) in a music appreciation course.

Providing effective feedback to students is a significant issue for Australian educators. The ability to provide effective feedback comprises one of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and is seen as being a key element of quality teaching. Much research has been conducted into what constitutes effective feedback. Yet in spite of this existing knowledge, evidence suggests that feedback continues to be poorly received by students. The overall purpose of this research was to explore how ten Year Seven students (aged 12-13) reflected on and responded to written teacher feedback on a music history/appreciation project. Data from this pilot study revealed that students reflected on and responded to feedback based on personal features, task perceptions and individual choices. Findings from this study are relevant to teachers and teacher educators interested in improving classroom feedback practices.

Since post-war II, music education has advocated its presumed aesthetic benefits. "Aesthetic advocacy" became instituted through the abundance of publications by Bennett Reimer (e.g., 1970, 1989, 1995, 2003). That aesthetic meme is still influential. The debate about "Music Education as Aesthetic Education" MEAE may be weakening; still, the philosophically untutored conviction remains that involvement with music "automatically" promotes an educationally valuable aesthetic experience. Hence, teachers need only to enable music experiences. By definition, however, aesthetic experiences defy explicit evaluation. This lack of noticeably improved 'aesthetic refinement' creates legitimation crises among school boards and education ministries, doubting music's value in the curriculum. Following a critique of Reimer's theorizing, I argue for a "praxical alternative" for music education. Compared to the vagueness of aesthetic experience, praxical music education promotes music as a social praxis that depends on substantial and noticeable musicianship gains capable of continuation in adult life. These demonstrate the evident social values of musicking that make aesthetic rationales unnecessary. I argue for a 'turn' in music education that regards music as a social praxis promoting "musical sociality" throughout life and society, one that is philosophically and pragmatically warranted, and where long-term practical (praxical) results are gained instead of 'activities' that terminate with graduation. A philosophy that guides music educators to promote musicking responsive to human sociality can instead foster professional "teaching praxis" that society can respect and value as with the other helping professions.

Improving concert attendance is a concern for most classical music organizations, both for continued financial stability and for artistic fulfillment. According to a statistical report from the League of American Orchestras (2015), slightly more than a third of orchestras' total revenue comes from concert sales. Good concert attendance can also benefit orchestras in garnering other sources of funding, such as government funding and corporate sponsorship. Yet in recent years, concert attendance has decreased. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) (2013) reported in its Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA) that the percentage of US adults who attended at least one classical music performance in a year decreased from 9.3 percent in 2008 to 8.8 percent in 2012. These percentages are both lower than the 13.0 percent reported in 1982, the first year of reporting by the SPPA. Concerns over this decreasing rate of classical concert attendance have prompted many studies on the various factors that affect concert attendance, one such being age. While the SPPA reports suggest that adults in the oldest age groups have the highest rates of classical concert attendance, Toma and Meads (2007) state that, in mid-sized cities, adults from ages 18 to 24 and from ages 35 to 49 have increased rates of concert attendance, with decreased rates of attendance for adults from ages 25 to 34. The NEA's (2015) General Social Survey (GSS) likewise found that overall rates of attendance at all arts events are the highest among individuals aged 18 to 24 and 35 to 44. These numbers from the GSS should be placed in context, however, as the GSS asked participants about all performing and visual arts, unlike the SPPA, which limited its survey to specific genres of theater, dance, and music. In addition to these numbers from the NEA, a study involving ticket buyers to a major symphony in Australia found that among both subscribers and single-ticket buyers, approximately half began attending orchestral concerts regularly before age 35 (Boyle, 2007). Despite these many studies related to classical music audiences and their backgrounds, few studies have described how much of classical concert attendees' early exposure to classical music as provided in school programs as compared to avenues outside of school. The purpose of this study was to gather information about the musical background of current orchestral concert attendees, and to determine if these attendees perceive influences or relationships between their experiences in school music programs and choices to attend classical concerts. The current designed served as a pilot test to determine reliability for a larger study to be completed in the future.

Although many programs aim to develop students' listening skills and promote the appreciation of Western classical music, relatively few such programs incorporate visual art. This study examined the perceived effectiveness of the Edinburgh International Festival's (EIF) "Art of Listening" program in reaching its stated goals to: develop skills for listening, encourage the enjoyment of listening to Western classical music, break down preconceptions held about Western classical music, cultivate a deeper relationship with the imagination through music and art, and encourage students' personal responses to music. Focusing primarily on the first three goals, this study gathered data from 78 students from six upper primary classes (generally students ages 11 or 12) from four schools located in the Edinburgh, Scotland metropolitan area. Findings from student and teacher surveys before and after the program as well as program observations indicate that participants perceive that the "Art of Listening" program achieves the specific objectives examined, at least in the short-term. Both students and teachers responded positively to the program's unique combination of listening skill development, classical music appreciation, and responses to music through visual art. The article discusses considerations for implementing similar programs in other contexts and makes suggestions for future research.

The protests during the summer of 2020 were an awakening for many people to the realities of systemic racism. Music education had a full-blown reckoning with the insidious ways racism manifests in the profession. One way that systemic racism manifests in individual classrooms and programs, and one not always easily identified, is cultural appropriation. The author describes the four categories that imply some, but not all, appropriation is harmful: (1) Cultural exchange; (2) Transculturation; (3) Cultural exploitation; and (4) Cultural dominance. This distinction is important for educators who avoid all non-Western art music in an attempt to avoid being accused of appropriation or racism. The possibilities for adapting curriculum are endless if perspectives on "right" and "wrong" ways of making music can be changed. Music teachers have a unique opportunity and space to help students learn about the world and use that knowledge in order to better coexist with others. Inclusive practices can help marginalized students feel represented and welcome. Once that is achieved, all students will be able to thrive in the music classroom.

How we listen to music and respond to its media and contexts has changed significantly since the invention of sound recording. Today's musicians have countless opportunities to listen to others' interpretations given the vast availability of past and contemporary repertories through the global reach of recordings. This study investigated the extent to which the growing archive of recordings provides a valuable resource for performers' creativity. Although musical performance is a particularly porous domain for influence through either deliberate or spontaneous assimilation of expressive variation from other aural sources, little empirical research exists on influence in performance and specifically on the influence of recordings. Qualitative data were obtained via an online questionnaire to identify how and in what ways the use and influence of recordings have changed over the course of classical performers' training or professional careers. Respondents' (N = 130) comments were analysed using a thematic inductive approach. The emerging themes reveal an overall increased level of use of recordings now relative to the past, a largely positive contribution of recordings in shaping musical development, including the role of recordings in self-regulated learning, a largely positive attitude to the influence of others' interpretations, a means of developing expressions of self-identity in relation to others and a route to acquiring a more critical and discerning mode of listening to recordings. Implications for music education are discussed in terms of how listening to recordings, in both formal and informal learning contexts, could support advanced musicians' learning through trial and error, enhance creative insight, strengthen self-efficacy, foster metacognitive skills and nurture individuality.

Wondering if there is more to learn from youth's descriptions of the importance of music in their lives, the authors interviewed 35 youth (aged 12-22 years) using a constructivist grounded theory approach. The data analysis process led to the realization that youth were often describing episodes of play. The researchers synthesized essential characteristics of play from the scholarly play literature and particularized these characteristics with extracts from the interview conversations. The goal became to describe the play in youth musicking. The authors' framework of "musick-play" reflects the interconnectedness of (a) conditions that constitute a musick-play-place; (b) sonic, and social processes that illuminate instances of youth musick-play and that highlight the centrality of self-caring in that play; (c) experiences that foster autonomy, competence, and relatedness (self-determination theory); and (d) opportunities for well-being. This framework is intended as a heuristic for those who seek to understand youth musicking through the lens of play.

In this article, the author offers a perspective on why humans like music and what it means for music education. The author builds his discussion around the following five basic premises: (1) since the dawn of civilization, humans have used their voices and the musical instruments they invented to express emotions in sounds that vary in pitch, volume, and rhythm; (2) because humans seek to understand the environment and to know where they came from, humans like to create stories and pass them on to others; (3) due to a link in the human brain between the auditory system and the motor system, humans tend to move their bodies in response to music by, for example, tapping their feet, moving their heads, or dancing; (4) in an effort to understand the events that unfold around them, humans seek to recognize patterns, and try to anticipate future events based on past experiences; and (5) humans enjoy experiences that are familiar, but also desire new experiences from time to time.

"Emotion" is a key to exploring the relationship between contemporary popular music and youths. In reality, youths exercise the identity construction centering on self-identity by the unconscious use of ritualization towards popular music (cultures). The article analyzes the conversion in identity construction of youths in the course of popular music appreciation in the new era, and summarizes the identity construction of "private-individual", "public-individual", "self-division" and "reflexive". The study on varieties of identity types strengthens our belief that "emotion-identity" is a down-to-earth approach to research Chinese youth group of popular music appreciators.

Children's songs inspire the love of music in children and improve their musical skills and at the same time, teach national values and societal rules, contribute to their personality development, make children feel happier, foster interpersonal communication and particularly contribute to the cognitive and linguistic development of children at early ages. Children's songs, which take place almost every moment of children's life, play an important role in transferring values to children. There are many classifications of value education, but Schwartz's value classification is a very comprehensive and an accepted type of classification. In the literature research, no studies have been done to examine the children's songs in terms of values. In this context, the aim of the research is to examine the 59 children songs which were qualified to the finals at the Popular Children's Song Competition organized by Turkish Radio Television Corporation between 2004 and 2015 according to Schwartz's classification of values. Content analysis method and NVivo 11 Pro program were used in this research. According to the findings of this research, motivational types found in the analyzed songs are achievement, hedonism, stimulation, self-direction, universalism, benevolence, conformity, and security. Among these motivational types, it is seen that the most emphasized and prominent values are a world at peace, a world of beauty, protecting the environment, enjoying life, unity with nature. In addition to these findings, there is no value for power and tradition motivational types.

The purpose of this study was to investigate student motivation and achievement in music appreciation by comparing web-based and game-based online music learning environments. Undergraduate students (N = 132) from a public research university in the southeastern United States participated in the study. Based on the pretest-posttest control-group design, two groups of 66 students were randomly assigned to a control (web-based online instruction) or treatment group (game-based online instruction). Achievement was measured by using a multiple-choice pretest and posttest. The IMMS (Instructional Materials Motivation Survey) by Keller (2010) was administered to assess student motivation. Analysis showed that the students improved their achievement scores in both game-based and web-based online music learning environments. While there was no significant difference in student motivation between the two groups, the web-based online group significantly outperformed the game-based online group in student achievement. The results of the study indicated that minimizing extraneous multimedia learning materials might be crucial to improving student achievement in music appreciation. A full discussion is provided.

Tests of musical ability in children have relied on diverse conceptions of what musical abilities are. Recent investigations suggest that such conceptions can be seen as socially constructed and differ between cultures, sub-groups, and individuals. Based on a previous study on conceptions of adult musical ability, we designed a questionnaire targeting musical behaviours of 3-6-year-old children. 922 German adults who regularly spend time with children assessed how often a musical child would show these behaviours. Principal component analysis revealed four components of childhood musical ability: musical communication, enthusiasm and motivation, analytical understanding of music, and musical abilities in a narrow sense. The importance assigned to the components differed depending on musical expertise: Participants with higher expertise rated analytical music skills as significantly less important. Results suggest that ecologically valid tests of musical ability in childhood should cover a wide range of skills and observable behaviours.

In higher education we aspire to prepare students to develop international-mindedness suited to become world citizens. The purpose of this study is (1) to investigate the development of international-mindedness during students' participation in music methods coursework and (2) to find out how international-mindedness is related to preference for world music. Results indicate that participants grew in the characteristics of international-mindedness as well as in their preference for a wide variety of world music examples by the end of the semester.

This research was performed with the purpose of examining the differences of acclaim, their causes, and acclaim status of original recordings of popular songs and their cover versions rearranged in different styles. The research was conducted using the qualitative research method. The participants were asked to listen to three songs with two different cover versions of each. The researcher then asked them to complete a survey form. The research subjects were the second semester junior and senior preservice music teachers of the 2014-2015 academic year (n:49). Data from the first question and cover choices (oriented towards their musical tastes) are presented as a frequency distribution table in line with the data obtained, and the acclaim criteria and opinions on the acclaim criteria and underlying reasons for the selected pieces were analyzed using the content analysis method. According to the general conclusion of the research, when the acclaim of subjects was examined for all three pieces, it was observed that cover interpretations were preferred. Moreover, there are similarities between the criteria subjects have considered in liking a piece and their views on the pieces they like.

The ability to recognize and distinguish among varying musical styles is essential to developing aural skills and musicianship. Yet, this task can be difficult for music learners, particularly nonexperts. To address this challenge and guide music education practice, this study drew on cognitive psychological principles to investigate the effect of interleaved presentation of music pieces by various classical music composers on learning to identify these composers' styles. Participants with 4 or fewer years of musical experience were presented with music pieces from six composers in an interleaved manner (alternating between listening to different composers' works) and music pieces from another six composers in a blocked fashion (listening to works by one composer at a time before moving on to the next). A later test in which participants had to classify novel pieces by the same 12 composers revealed the superiority of interleaved over blocked presentation, although most participants misjudged blocking to be more effective than interleaving. This finding provides evidence for the utility of interleaving in teaching music composers' styles and extends the literature on the interleaving effect in category induction to the auditory domain. Practical implications and future directions for the use of interleaving in music education are discussed.

Purpose: A growing body of evidence suggests that long-term music training provides benefits to auditory abilities for typical-hearing adults and children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how music training may provide perceptual benefits (such as speech-in-noise, spectral resolution, and prosody) for children with hearing loss. Method: Fourteen children aged 6-9 years with prelingual sensorineural hearing loss using bilateral cochlear implants, bilateral hearing aids, or bimodal configuration participated in a 12-week music training program, with nine participants completing the full testing requirements of the music training. Activities included weekly group-based music therapy and take-home music apps three times a week. The design was a pseudorandomized, longitudinal study (half the cohort was wait-listed, initially serving as a passive control group prior to music training). The test battery consisted of tasks related to music perception, music appreciation, and speech perception. As a comparison, 16 age-matched children with typical hearing also completed this test battery, but without participation in the music training. Results: There were no changes for any outcomes for the passive control group. After music training, perception of speech-in-noise, question/statement prosody, musical timbre, and spectral resolution improved significantly, as did measures of music appreciation. There were no benefits for emotional prosody or pitch perception. Conclusion: The findings suggest even a modest amount of music training has benefits for music and speech outcomes. These preliminary results provide further evidence that music training is a suitable complementary means of habilitation to improve the outcomes for children with hearing loss.

This study examines the impact made by music education on a sample of Catalan citizens who studied this subject during their compulsory schooling. A biographical narrative methodology was used to investigate a broad spectrum of the participants' school musical experiences and to analyze the impact that music education has had on different aspects of their lives. Their perceptions and experiences, collected and expressed through life stories, show a correlation between the theoretical approach to learning music adopted by teachers and its little impact on the participants' lives. Their stories also bring to light the difficulties involved in identifying and distinguishing the existing impact between both in-school and extracurricular music education but identify emotional impact as the most relevant one overall. Based on the evidence provided, this article aims to contribute to the debate on the role of music education on the school curriculum.

After learning about Frank Sinatra's life, the first author sensed the need to study him in depth. Sinatra played many roles during his lifetime, the most significant of these as an actor, singer, and producer. Sinatra was one of the greatest influential artists in the 20th century. The first author sought personal and professional growth and development by learning from his work and life and using his life-giving positive qualities in her life. The academic framework of this study was the method of Appreciative Inquiry. The 5 D cycle of Appreciative Inquiry was applied as the structural and scientific groundwork of the study. The first author identified 4 positive themes from traveling to places of interest and from conducting a workshop: Sinatra persevered to accomplish his dreams and passions despite his setbacks; Sinatra had a no-nonsense, confident, dedicated, and spontaneous approach toward his life and work; Sinatra was sensitive and dynamic toward the unremitting changes in the world and his life; and Sinatra believed in himself and kept his own personalized manner of doing things.

This study aimed to explore the personal music listening choices of music teachers. Specifically, in which formats do teachers listen to music for personal pleasure, how do they obtain the music they choose, and how frequently do they choose to listen to certain genres of music. Using an online survey, music teachers answered questions about their listening and purchasing habits. Results were then analyzed using simple statistics and Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) to discover listening preferences for the group as a whole, as well as what differences may occur with regards to age, teaching situation or other factors. Through this analysis, it was shown that although music teachers chose a variety of music for personal listening, they tended to listen to "Classical" art music with the most frequency. Younger teachers also chose some popular styles more frequently than older teachers and some listening choices tended to align with teachers' job types, such as choral teachers' frequent choice of vocal art music. Music teachers also embraced online technology in their listening, frequently selecting formats such as computer downloads, streaming services, and mp3 players.

This paper overviews the decline and revival of music education in New South Wales schools from 1920 to 1956. Commencing with a focus on vocal music during the period up to 1932, a time of decline in music teaching, the paper examines initiatives introduced in 1933 to address shortcomings in music education, and the subsequent changes in curriculum and teaching during the 1930s. Evidence of a variable revival lies in the school choral music movement of 1939 to 1956, and in how music education diversified beyond its vocal heritage from the late 1930s and early 1940s, with new emphasis on music appreciation, percussion, flutes, and recorders. By the mid 1950s, involvement in, and quality of, school instrumental music was continuously improving.

This article discusses the five-string kantele as an example of the Finnish national heritage, a school instrument and an example of sustainable design. A qualitative case study was made by collecting the data from the Finnish students--prospective teachers--and the sixth form pupils, who had designed and carved their own five-string kanteles. The purpose of this research was to find out which aspects of five-string kantele design are considered the most important for sustainable principles and design among these youngsters. As results, the elements and principles of designing the five-string kantele are discussed and its relevance to five sustainable characteristics (creative, ecological, economic, aesthetic and socio-environmental) is presented. The sustainable values of the kantele and the purpose for which it is made are also considered.

This article explores the process of determining an approach to the analysis of qualitative data collected as part of a case study research project involving children and teenagers from a community of musical practice--an all ages community-based fiddle group in central Scotland. The researcher's overarching goal is to find ways to increase ongoing participation in playing a musical instrument by people of all ages. The article does not present the findings of the study, but instead explores the notion of the reciprocal "leap of trust" that occurs between researcher and case study group, and the effects the arising mutual obligations and responsibilities have on research decisions regarding data analysis. The author describes her experience of data collection in the field and suggests that decisions regarding data analysis are influenced equally by the research participants and herself, as researcher. Theirs is a shared narrative. The research itself a reciprocal "leap of trust".

Purpose: We report a preliminary study that prospectively tests the potential cognitive enhancing effect of foreign language (FL) learning in older adults with no clear signs of cognitive decline beyond what is age typical. Because language learning engages a large brain network that overlaps with the network of cognitive aging, we hypothesized that learning a new language later in life would be beneficial. Method: Older adults were randomly assigned to 3 training groups--FL, games, and music appreciation. All were trained predominately by a computer-based program for 6 months, and their cognitive abilities were tested before, immediately after, and 3 months after training. Results: FL and games, but not music appreciation, improved overall cognitive abilities that were maintained at 3 months after training. Conclusion: This is the 1st randomized control study providing preliminary support for the cognitive benefits of FL learning.

Music, considered as a field of discourse, has important implications for how educators think and act within their classrooms. Based on the work of Ruben Gaztambide-Fernandez, Murray R. Schafer, and feminist music education scholars, this paper aims to delineate these implications and to propose "sound education" as an alternative. Instead of traditional Music-centered focuses on "appreciation" and "musicianship," "sound education" proposes "listening" and "sound-making" as alternatives. Gaztambide-Fernandez's notion of "cultural production" and Steven Feld's "acoustemology" provide conceptual bases that ground these alternatives in ways which center on symbolic work and social interactions, while allowing for a broad understanding of relationality within ecologies of human and non-human entities.

Children's picture book biographies on composers and musicians can prompt powerful music learning experiences. Biography breaks are the reading aloud of a picture book biography and the questions or activities the teacher engages students in while and after reading the book. In the music classroom, biography breaks can be used with children of all ages to introduce students to composers, musicians, music elements and concepts, music vocabulary, music genres and styles. Biography breaks provide a groundwork for discussing the historical, social, and cultural context of music, as well as a catalyst for engaging students in meaningful music experiences creating, performing, responding to, and connecting with music.

This article describes a project in which contemporary music is studied and created in primary-school classrooms in the presence of a composer. Listening to and analyzing a composer's works fosters musical creation processes in students, who subsequently present and discuss their works in a meeting with the composer. Finally, the students' works are performed in public in a concert for children from various participating schools. We describe the project design and offer reflections based on the perspective of one of the participating teachers, as well as enumerate some of the benefits/implications of projects like this.

It was not long into the author's career as a music educator that they noticed a considerable drop in their own recreational music listening. Any wisp of recreational music listening was typically an accompaniment to an activity or task rather than the main event. This changed dramatically around seven years ago, when a few of their colleagues invited the author to join a recreational music listening club. The group, affectionately named the Open Mind Record Grind, meets once monthly in the basement of one of its 12 or so members. At these listening sessions, each member of the group brings a few tunes to play. The experience, in a word, feels essential. The spirit of giving is also reflected in how group members feel a sense of responsibility toward supporting emerging and lesser-known artists.