GRADES OR AGES: Intermediate Grades. SUBJECT MATTER: Music. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: This guide has been developed to help the classroom teacher supplement the program of the music specialist. There are three main sections: Section 1 includes general concepts of music that the specialists will cover and has subsections on rhythm,…

Describes study of effects of learning procedures and performance tempo on ability of 64 middle school students to perform previously learned rhythmic passages. Reviews the four learning procedures used for each rhythmic passage. Finds no evidence attributed to learning procedure but significant adverse differences if the tempo was changed from…

Provides research findings concerning the musical instrument preferences of fourth grade students. Finds that, although gender associations with certain instruments have lessened, they remain noticeably present. Identifies drums, saxophone, and flute as the most popular instruments. Notes a moderate relationship between student perceptions of peer…

Provides a strategy from the book "Strategies for Teaching Middle-Level General Music" that addresses Standard 3C from the National Standards for Music Education in which students improvise melodies in various styles on the keyboard using the G-flat major and E-flat minor scales. Describes the procedure, indicators of success, and…

Reports results of a study of the musical timbre preferences of fifth grade students and of the effectiveness of the Instrument Timbre Preference Test. Concludes that results support the test's practical validity, particularly in terms of longitudinal prediction. Suggests that timbre preference investigations could affect aspects of music…

Subjects of the study were five elementary string class students (grades 4-6) who performed consistently with incorrect left-hand positions. Although students varied in response to different teaching styles, praise was always as effective as corrective feedback in changing the left-hand position and more durable in its effectiveness. (Author/SJL)

Investigated the effect of using tape-recorded aural models for home practice on selected sight-reading and performance skills of sixth-grade clarinet students. The tape recordings had no observed effects on the selected music skills, nor did the students using them complete more music exercises, as had been hypothesized. (Author/SJL)

Observes that biological sex is an important determinant of whether elementary students persevere in musical instrument training and hypothesizes that psychological sex-type may also play an important role. Shows that psychological sex-type directly impacts choice of instrument type. Suggests applications to musical instrument education. (DSK)

A classroom guide is designed for use with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra's Young People's Concert program. Following an introduction to teachers and students, the guide is divided into six sections. Section one, "The Orchestra and Its Instruments," provides teaching activities to introduce the sections of and instruments in an orchestra.…

The author, an associate professor of music education at Pennsylvania State University and some undergraduate music education students explored possible uses of the synthesizer as they attempted to provide experiences in electronic music for a class of fifth grade students. Their program consisted of five lessons in the elements of music which are…

Examines whether fourth grade students prefer band or nonband instrument timbre. Identifies differences between student preferences in the United States and Greece, examining how cultural differences influence instrumental timbre preferences. Reports that band instrument timbres often are preferred in the United States but are less so in Greece.…

Explores the factors that may influence the decisions made by students aged 9-15 years old as they chose musical sounds and constructed compositions. Indicates that age, formal music training, and aesthetic response to musical sounds are the primary factors affecting specific choices made in the compositional process. (CMK)

An intermediate-level general music unit provides introductory lessons for the autoharp, guitar, and recorder. In the autoharp unit, chording is approached by first using a one-chord song and proceeding to three-chord songs. The guitar unit introduces chord symbols and tablatures and helps students gain familiarity with the parts of the…

Encourages the use of percussion ensembles in upper elementary and secondary general music classes because of their high motivational value, the ease of achieving performance, and the minimal need for music reading skills. Offers guidelines for introducing percussion ensemble music, including an annotated discography listing selections to…