This interview with three performing master teachers at the Interlochen Arts Academy features personal teaching approaches that develop the problem solving skills that are essential for advanced musical study. A positive master teacher-student dynamic is revealed that nurtures technical facility, as well as interpretive decision-making. The role…

Investigates focus of attention of musical elements to ascertain which elements are perceived as the most salient in relationship to Haydn's Symphony #104. Indicates that the subjects did not focus on any particular element while listening to this piece. Asserts that the key to music listening is staying on task. (CMK)

Examines the effects of soloistic versus blended choral singing and random versus acoustic choral seating arrangements on evaluations of choral blend and overall choral sound. States that 37 choral conductors, 33 voice teachers, and 32 nonvocal musicians rated performances of four pieces by a choir of 22 voice majors. Includes references. (CMK)

Presents an interview with James Newton Howard, a film composer. Provides background information on Howard. Addresses topics such as his most challenging and rewarding scores, his musical background, and the benefits of being associated with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). (CMK)

The literature in the field of music teacher education describes a tension between the music making and the music teaching in the professional lives of music educators. Yet how do music educators themselves think about their work? This study is an investigation of how six elementary general music teachers who are also performers speak about their…

This article focuses on a number of research projects produced by members of the Center for the Study of Education and the Musical Experience (CSEME). Written over a fifteen year span, the studies were linked by a common topic--music listening. Each study explores a distinctive aspect of music listening, and together, they have generated a more…

This article reports on a three-year longitudinal study with 157 children in school grades 3 and 4 (aged between 7 and 9 years), who commenced learning an instrument in one of eight school music programmes. The children were administered tests at the end of each school year to assess their abilities to perform rehearsed music, sight-read, play…

Self-analysis is a basic component of artistic development. For the singer, self-analysis is equally important, but the steps for improvement may be less visible. As Richard Alderson has noted, a singer "hears his voice from the inside through the bony structure of the head rather than outside through the eardrum. We as singers are doomed to a…

The Genesis Project is a multi-phase research project designed for the purpose of developing an in-depth understanding of the nature of musical creativity by investigating how composers compose. In this first phase of the project, an understanding of the four dimensions of musical creativity: (1) the "person", (2) the compositional…

Inspired by studies of apprenticeship and theories of situated learning, this study argues that learning should be understood in relation to ongoing social practice. Using interview material and participant observation studying piano students' learning at the Academy of Music in Aarhus, it describes how transparency and access to the music culture…

Many orchestra teachers have experienced feelings of panic when they first read the National Standards and realize that the coalition standard is for performance ensembles as well as general music classes. Teachers who are responsible for starting beginners or who teach intermediate players may wonder about the feasibility of teaching composition…

Standards 3 and 9 of the National Standards for Music Education charge teachers to teach improvisation as well as music of diverse cultures. Jazz is a musical style that is perfect to cover both content areas. Until now, however, jazz repertoire and improvisation have not played a major role in the education of string students. One reason is that…

Conducted during the Institute for Steelband Playing held in 1988, this study's aim was to understand how Trinidadian people view, experience, explain, and order specific elements of their musical world, with the goal of providing an information base for establishing steelband programs in Canadian schools. The study focused on (1) How did the…

This paper explores the question: what courses and activities contribute to the music major's musical growth (musicianship), and which do not? Musical independence (MI) is the key indicator of student outcome in music. The study makes a subtle difference between MI and musical achievement, the mastery of any academic skill related to music,…

In order to investigate the relationship between mental imagery and creative problem solving, a study of 44 separate accounts reporting mental imagery experiences associated with creative discoveries were examined. The data included 29 different scientists, among them Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, and 9 artists, musicians, and writers,…