The purpose of the study being reported here set out to examine the achievement goal orientations of students majoring in Music Education as predictors of their learning approaches. Set in Turkey, the study group consisted of music education majors (n = 240) in a variety of higher education settings (n = 5). The study results revealed that the…

This pilot study focuses on the use of mobile tablets to allow secondary students to compose in class with the application "GarageBand." The empirical research has two aims: to demonstrate the possibility of using mobile tablets as a composing device, and to examine professional practices for using mobile technologies in music learning.…

Postsecondary violin instructors often implement remedial pedagogy with first-year performance/music education students to holistically nurture individual artistic goals and overall well-being. Using a qualitative multiple case study research design, 10 postsecondary violin instructors from across North America were interviewed to investigate…

Like every field of learning, it is important to use various strategies in instrumental music to learn it easily and permanently and to attain the skills to learn independently. This requires determining the strategies used by students studying instrument education. The purpose of this study was to examine the strategies fine arts high school…

The MacPhail Center for Music Online School Partnerships program aims to increase access to high-quality music education for students who attend schools in Greater Minnesota in order to improve student interest and knowledge in music, and to improve or maintain positive school engagement and non-academic skills. The MacPhail Teaching Artists work…

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…

The purpose of this research was to investigate the experiences of instrumental music teachers in Designing Arts Instruction, a 4-day professional development course in a large urban school district. Specifically, I was interested in which activities participants (a) found most relevant and applicable to their current teaching situation, (b)…

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…

MacPhail's Online School Partnership has been providing lessons and working with schools outside the Twin Cities metro region since 2011. This report looks at how well the program is being implemented, how well the collaboration between MacPhail and schools functions, and how it can be strengthened.

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…