This systematic review examines the efficacy of the Suzuki music teaching method in cultivating instrumental skills through experimental research. The research indicates that the Suzuki music teaching method accommodates various instruments for students of different ages but its effectiveness in enhancing rhythm skills varies with the instrument…

Class piano has been a subset of piano pedagogy that has been growing in popularity since its establishment 200 years ago. The purpose of this literature review was to synthesize the research and materials related to the history of class piano and its function in (a) K-12 school settings, (b) collegiate student settings, and (c) adult student…

Band repertoire lists evolved from a desire to make the school band experience "more educational" when school bands themselves were relatively new. The first national band repertoire list was created for the National Band Contest in 1924, with new lists published annually through 1943. These lists gave prominence to the literature they…

The purpose of this scoping review was to synthesize literature regarding audio streaming in the P-12 music classroom by identifying the varied uses, recommendations for equitable access, and gaps in the knowledge base. A total of 23 publications met the criteria for inclusion. Ensemble and general music classrooms in elementary, middle, and high…

Conducting courses are a common component of undergraduate instrumental music education programs. The experiences students have in those courses vary across and sometimes within institutions. This variation is due to many factors including choice of instructional materials and sequences, as well as whether textbooks or other instructional…

Although teachers work constantly with parents, discussions concerning parental roles in children's music learning are often left at the margins in music teacher training programs. The aim of this article is to offer a review of musical parenting research from an ecological perspective. Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory of human development is…

In the past few decades, there has been an increase in the percentage of non-string specialists teaching string classes. In this article, we review literature about subject-specific pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in general and music education settings, to better understand the challenges that teachers with limited knowledge of…

Neuroscientists have worked for over two decades to understand how the brain processes music, affects emotions, and changes brain development. Much of this research has been based on a model that compares the brain function of participants classified as musicians and nonmusicians. This body of knowledge reveals a large number of benefits from…

This literature review examines and synthesizes 30 years of research into the relationship between gender and musical instruments. Specifically, the review focuses on how this relationship affects instrument selection by grade school students entering a school music program. Topics include the gender typing of musical instruments, instrument…

A compelling body of research demonstrates that music continues to offer powerful potential for enhancing health and well-being in old age. Active music-making has been found to provide a source of enhanced social cohesion, enjoyment, personal development, and empowerment, and to contribute to recovery from depression and maintenance of personal…

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of positive peer reinforcement on self-reported psychological measures and songleading performance in beginning guitar students. No differences were found between the control group (n = 21) and the experimental group (n = 20) concerning psychological measures of self-esteem, stress, and…

Choice of instrument is among the most important factors in determining the course of a student's music education. Instrument selection can be a lengthy process accomplished through a variety of factors. The stereotyping of instruments by gender can, unfortunately, be one of those factors. The association of gender with particular instruments can…

This investigation, which was part of a larger dissertation study, examined high-level performance in groups of people with developmental disabilities and the instruction that facilitated such performance. Specifically, it focused on those aspects of instruction that appeared to be particularly effective in eliciting a high level of performance in…

An overview of early country school music and music education in the Mountain Plains region of America provides impresssions gained from texts, journals, official records, and personal interviews. Music is portrayed as a socializer to engender community spirit, an enhancement of patriotism, a means to enculturate to the "American way of…