This theme issue of "The Goldfinch" focuses on music as an art using sound in time to express ideas and emotions and contains articles featuring appreciations of some of Iowa's renowned musical artists. The first article gives an overview of music in Iowa's history. The next article describes Antonin Dvorak's summer sojourn in Spillville…

Discussed the efforts of a university to undertake the production of a theatre piece created by Leonard Bernstein. (RK)

Article attempted to ascertain whether bilateral language representation occurred at the expense of certain musical as well as of spatial abilities. (Author/RK)

Author developed a program of classical music and induced young musicians to perform successfully to an audience. (Author/RK)

Compares some inadequate and uninteresting music with music that is creative and stimulating, and considers the musical values of audiences. (RK)

The author gives an historical description of bell ringing, and characterizes the bell-ringing process. (MF)

Discusses categories of music, interaction of musical styles, status of musicians, and the roles of African music scholars and teachers. (Reprinted from African Report.) (DB)

Study indicates that, "Socialization to a professional self-concept does happen during music school attendance. This self-concept is developed through participation in professional performances. (Author)

Investigates the effect of anxiety in musical performance and assesses the quality of subjects' performances under enhanced and reduced anxiety situations. Adjudicators compared tapes made by 95 graduate and undergraduate music students during performances done in isolation and in front of audiences composed of other music students and…

The object of empirical musical sociology is to study the social interaction and interdependence of musicians or composers, their music, and the public. Trends in historical and contemporary musical sociology and the constituents of the musical process are examined. (AM)

Throughout the history of Brazil, musicians have always been able to win social recognition and status. The development of musicians' professional organizations; the business, cultural, and educational enterprises of Brazilian musicians; and the roles of women, foreign, and amateur musicians are discussed. (AM)

Compared the efficiency of cognitive-behavioral therapy, emphasizing self-instruction and attention-focusing techniques, with behavior rehearsal and with a waiting-list control in the treatment of debilitating musical-performance anxiety. Multivariate analyses indicated that both the cognitive-behavioral therapy and behavior-rehearsal programs…

This article originally appeared in March, 1940 as "Why No Great Women Composers?" The author, a psychologist, finds no sex differences in music achievement traceable to ability or opportunity, but feels that a woman's fundamental urge is to be loved, while a man's is to achieve in a career. (SJL)

The field of music performance offers as many opportunities as there are individuals willing to attempt a breakthrough. Yet, this is one of the most difficult careers to succeed in. Here are eight varied articles on being a pop/rock/jazz instrumentalist or vocalist, a classical music instrumentalist or vocalist, a studio musician, a conductor, a…