Many approaches have been employed in the creation of educational technologies. One of the lesser explored approaches is that of participatory design when it includes children as direct contributors. In such cases, specific strategies for supporting the effective participation of software developers and children are necessary. This article…

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate whether child musicians are better at listening to speech in noise (SPIN) than nonmusicians of the same age. In addition, we aimed to explore whether the musician SPIN advantage in children was related to general intelligence (IQ). Method: Fifty-one children aged 8.2-11.8 years and with…

The purpose of this study was to determine what technologies are used in fourth- and fifth-grade instrumental music and to examine factors that influence the attitudes of teachers, students, and their parents toward the use of those technologies. Two researcher-designed questionnaires, the "Technology in Music Usage Questionnaire" (TMUQ)…

The case presented in this study focused on the experiences of students enrolled in a Saturday day music program situated in an underserved community. Students in this community represent a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, and we were interested in whether younger students in the program would benefit from receiving lessons from an older…

Little is currently known about the possible benefits of using networked technology to enhance ensemble performance. This study explored whether the introduction of specially devised technology -- networked tablets using traditional music notation -- to a primary school orchestra would enhance the experience of ensemble music. Particular emphasis…

Rates of music participation are low in developed nations. This may be attributed in part to the failure of school music to engage children sufficiently to motivate them to continue learning and participating in music. We tested the "Harmonix" program of classroom music education, which is currently being designed to maximize engagement…

This study extends an eight-country mapping exercise (McPherson & O'Neill, 2010; see "Research Studies in Music Education" issues 2010-2011) to include students' motivation to study music within the Australian context. It sought to determine whether music learners (students learning an instrument or voice), might be more motivated to…

The purpose of this action research project report was to increase student motivation and engagement. There seemed to be an increasing disconnect between student potential and performance, especially among gifted math and beginning music students. Two teacher researchers carried out this research with 25 fifth-grade students at two different sites…

Research exploring learning outcomes in instrumental music has tended to focus on attainment ignoring other outcomes including long-term commitment to engage with music. This research addresses this issue. One hundred and sixty-three instrumental music students completed a questionnaire which sought information about their practising strategies,…