The Cantonese opera was traditionally transmitted by an apprenticeship approach, which has faded out in the mid-twentieth century. Instead, the conservatory approach adapted from the West has replaced the major mode of nurturing professional artists in China and Hong Kong. This study aims to investigate and examine the current practice of the…

The Naval School of Music was founded in 1935 in response to the poor performance level of the U.S. Navy's bands at that time. The school evolved from an adjunct operation of the U.S. Navy Band into a tri-service institution serving the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps with dedicated facilities, courses for musicians and band leaders, and courses to…

Adult musicians show superior auditory discrimination skills when compared to non-musicians. The enhanced auditory skills of musicians are reflected in the augmented amplitudes of their auditory event-related potential (ERP) responses. In the current study, we investigated longitudinally the development of auditory discrimination skills in…

Band and choral preservice teachers (N = 44) studied band and choral scores, listened to recordings of school ensembles, and identified errors in the recordings. Results indicated that preservice teachers identified significantly more errors when listening to recordings of their primary area (band majors listening to band, p = 0.045; choral majors…

Today, some of the important dilemmas of music education are that performers are too dependent on the notes in a written musical score and they are not being so able to improvise. Stage phobia, lack of motivation and problematic of perception regarding today's modern music are additional problems facing musicians. This research aims at revealing…

The purpose of this study was to determine if participation in a composition competition influenced four K-12 students' self-concepts as musicians. Research questions explored motivations for these four students to enter into a composition competition, influences of the competition on students' self-concepts as musicians (if at all), and effects…

This article discusses the use of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) in a mixed methods research design with reference to five recent publications about music in the lives of mature age amateur keyboard players. It explores the links between IPA and the data-gathering methods of "Rivers of Musical Experience",…

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Dan Vargas spent his twenties going to punk shows at King's Palace, Club 88, the Cathay de Grand, the Vex, the Starwood, the Hong Kong Cafe, Base's Hall, and the Masque. He has produced for several bands and is currently a songwriter and singer for an LA rock band. In this article, he reflects on the…

Throughout the time of my teaching career, the tide has exposed changes in the nature of music, students and music education. This paper discusses teaching and learning in contemporary music at seven critical stages of 21st century music education: i) diverse types of undergraduate learners; ii) teaching traditional classical repertoire and skills…

As we approach the year 2020, it is important to consider the impact of the Housewright Symposium, and to evaluate the development of music education since the publication of the "Housewright Declaration". The purpose of this article was to (1) examine music education in America through the lens of selected "we agree"…

Musical independence has always been an essential aim of musical instruction. But this objective can refer to everything from high levels of musical expertise to more student choice in the classroom. While most conceptualizations of musical independence emphasize the demonstration of knowledge and skills within particular music traditions, this…

Recent years have seen a growing interest in research linking musicking and peacebuilding, and the establishment of the Min-On Music Research Institute (MOMRI) in 2014 in Tokyo follows this trend. Its mission statement is: "To pursue a multidisciplinary investigation of the potential application of music in peacebuilding activities," in…

The concept of ngoma is present throughout Eastern and Southern Africa. Ngoma refers to the tradition of expression via music, drumming, dance, and storytelling. History, values, education, and even identity can be transmitted between generations. This article traces the experiences of a music teacher from the United States traveling and studying…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate intragroup beliefs regarding participation in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II marching band throughout the university's American football season. Fifty-three undergraduates from an urban midwestern university elected one of two options: (1) focus group only or…

This study presents a qualitative investigation into the effects of enforced occupational change on a professional musical identity. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) is used to explore the meaning of redundancy for six professional opera choristers. The paper highlights aspects of career disruption that are unique to singers who make…