The descriptions of Polynesian music and dance resulting from Cook's voyages influenced the romantic composers of the early nineteenth century, especially in the incorporation of exotic and mystical themes. (Author)

Discusses why students who play musical instruments should participate in a chamber music ensemble. Provides rationale for using small ensembles in the high school band curriculum. Focuses on the topic of scheduling, illustrating how to insert small ensembles into the lesson schedule, and how to set up a new schedule. (CMK)

Compares the Intermediate Ear to Hand Test melodic-imitation and tone-quality scores between students who played their teacher's major instrument and students who played a different instrument. Finds statistically significant higher scores on overall performance quality among students who played their teacher's instrument than among the other…

Assigned middle school and high school instrumentalists to listen and rate twelve performances: four without accompaniment, four with CD accompaniment, and four with piano accompaniment. Reports that CD accompaniment rated highest and piano the lowest. States that students consistently assigned the best feature and the aspect needing most practice…

Discusses how choral directors and choirs can collaborate with a percussionist when a drum or other instrument is needed for a performance. Explores details, such as instrument availability and storage as well as working with a percussionist. Focuses on specific types of music. (CMK)

Offers strategies for introducing world music into the school instrumental music program. Suggests steps toward creating a more multicultural band or orchestra, including choosing multicultural musical literature, analyzing world music, and maintaining a diverse music library. Argues that culturally diverse music programs are better equipped to…

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…

Reports on a study of the use of musical scores and rating scales by 80 pianists who listened to 21 trials of solo piano music. Found that the use of musical scores and rating scales did not improve interrater reliability. Discovered that the subjects were less consistent when evaluating slow musical pieces than faster pieces. (CFR)

Describes the minimalist movement in music. Discusses generations of minimalist musicians and, in general, the minimalist approach. Considers various ways that minimalist strategies can be integrated into the music classroom focusing on (1) minimalism and (2) student-centered composition and principles of minimalism for use with elementary band…

Contends that teaching contemporary music pieces that are largely improvised provides an ideal learning opportunity for students. Focuses on the piece "Improvisations I," stating that the version presented is intended for college students. Describes the performance of each section of the piece and provides suggestions for rehearsal. (CMK)

In the fourteen years since the 1990 MENC pre-conference symposium on Multicultural Approaches to Music Education in Washington, D.C., music educators have come to recognize the need to include a variety of world musics in all music curricula, from elementary classrooms to advanced performing ensembles. Accordingly, a significant increase in the…

This study is an examination of the influence of three orchestra/school partnerships on students' interest in instrumental music. A vocational choice school was used to assess students' interest in instrumental music. Surveys were administered to second- through fourth-grade students at partnership and nonpartnership schools. Results indicated…

Suggests ways to use the Band-in-a-Box (BIAB) software created by PG Music in the general music classroom. Benefits of the program to music teachers; Key features of BIAB; Basic steps in making an accompaniment in BIAB; Tips on putting in chords; National standards for music education. INSET: Band-in-a-Box Interface.

This paper steps outside of conventional frameworks of schooling and examines inclusion from the perspective of eight young people and adults who play Scottish fiddle music in a group. The participants were asked to talk about their experiences of playing and their involvement with the group in practice and performance sessions. The group had been…

Music educators want to encourage every child to sing or play an instrument--or at least they want them to feel capable of successful singing and playing. But recently, those of them concerned with performing arts medicine and musicians' injuries have had to deal with the sobering truth that just being able to sing or play an instrument is not…