Presents a rationale for using handbells and discusses their application to elementary, junior high, high school, special education, and college music programs. (SJL)

Describes the types of musical instruments brought by colonists to early New England and the gradual introduction of instrumental music into church services, despite Puritan leaders' disapproval of music. (SJL)

"Wandering minstrels", to use the Gilbert and Sullivan phrase, have been carriers of cultural traditions in many lands, from the balladeers of ancient times to the street musicians of today. (Editor)

A few years ago the synthesizer was an expensive musical instrument. Today prices have dropped tremendously. Explains why the synthesizer is not out of reach of the school classroom and how a solid instructional program can be developed with its use. (Editor/RK)

Eight pianists with mild to moderate mental retardation and eight comparison pianists without retardation were asked to duplicate chord sequences of varying length and musical structure in an immediate memory format. All participants were sensitive to the structural dimensions of the material, and differences between groups were restricted to the…

Offers information about music as a science and as a form of communication. Describes classifications of musical instruments and advances in electronic musical technology. Includes two design briefs (student learning activities). (JOW)

Explores the effect of aptitude, two methods of introducing wind and string instruments, and the effect of socioeconomic status on children's attitude toward playing an instrument. Finds no relationship between musical aptitude and musical attitude, but that the method of introduction and socioeconomic status combined to affect children's…

Presents strategies to use rainsticks with middle grade students. Teaches scientific inquiry using a rainstick activity that challenges students to explore posing, probing, and persuasion and represents the National Science Standards. Allows for the integration of different disciplines. Provides instructions on how to make a rainstick. (YDS)

The quality of students' lives can be greatly enhanced through music, and teachers know that musicians at all levels risk injury when they practice and perform. Overuse injuries are painful, disrupt progress, and can even permanently halt performing careers. Expert treatment can be difficult to find on short notice, especially when an injured…

Much progress has been made in the past three decades to improve the quality of education for students with disabilities. Schools have had to undergo complex changes in order to implement the special education laws regarding access to and structure of educational services. Although services have dramatically improved, there remain frequent…

A musical note produced through the vibration of a single string is psychoacoustically simpler/purer than that produced via multiple-strings vibration. Does the psychoacoustics of instrument sound have any effect on learning outcomes in music instruction? This study investigated the effect of two psychoacoustically distinct instrument sounds on…

We investigated effects of legato, staccato and pizzicato articulation styles on the perception of modulated tempos. Seventy-two music majors served as participants. Two solo violin excerpts were chosen with contrasting rhythmic rates and were recorded in all three articulation styles. Examples were presented to listeners in three conditions of…

Background: Previous research suggested that persons with Down syndrome (DS) used a different strategy to drum than typical adults. Methods: The present study examined continuous bimanual drumming strategies in response to different instructions in 10 persons with DS, 10 mental age-matched and 10 chronological age-matched groups. The drumming task…

This observational study analysed the lesson content of 24 instrumental lessons (piano, strings and winds) using a gender-balanced sample (equal numbers of male/female teachers and students) from five Australian higher education institutions to ascertain the priorities of topics in advanced applied music lessons in the Western Classical tradition.…

Drawing largely from the realm of performance theory, critical race theory, and Asian American studies, the author examines the ways in which performance, performativity, and the cooptation of aesthetic forms constitute and disrupt racial identity categories. In this article, the author focuses on the growing contemporary artistic practice of…