To test the extent to which learners performing a simple keyboard passage would be affected by directing their focus of attention to different aspects of their movements, 16 music majors performed a brief keyboard passage under each of four focus conditions arranged in a counterbalanced design--a total of 64 experimental sessions. As they…

Whilst Norwegian primary school teachers are no longer required to have arts subjects in their education portfolio, schools are encouraged to host projects involving municipal art institutions and professional artists with a view to enriching pupils' contact with the arts. "The Cultural Rucksack", a national arts programme for primary…

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between observed practice behaviors consistent with conceptions of deliberate practice (Lehmann & Ericsson, 1997) and the performance achievement of collegiate wind players (N = 55). The secondary purpose of this study was to explore relationships among observed practice…

SchoolJam, a popular teen musicians' showcase in Texas that provides recognition for young performers as well as funding for their school music programs, is about to go nationwide. The competition, which NAMM, the International Music Products Association, brought to the United States from Germany in 2007, allows groups of musicians age 13 to 18 to…

Just about every music teacher has an entertaining--or horrifying--story to tell about student instruments in an extreme state of disrepair. Most instrument problems aren't nearly so severe; loose screws, leaky pads, stuck mouthpieces, and wobbly bridges are far more the norm. Still, each little imperfection can have an impact on a student…

This study documents and analyses the environment where music education happens in a regional Conservatorium in New South Wales, Australia. The study aimed to gain insight into the structure, nature and professional practice of a regional conservatorium, and identify innovative pedagogical possibilities. An ethnographic case study was undertaken…

This dissertation investigates the ways in which experience with lexical tone influences the perception of musical melody, and how musical training influences the perception of lexical tone. The central theoretical basis for the study is a model of perceptual learning, Reverse Hierarchy Theory (Ahissar et al., 2009), in which cognitive processes…

In this study, one-to-one tuition in higher music education (HME) was theorised as a culturally and historically grounded activity system consisting of relationships between musicians, instruments, music-making traditions and audiences. The "skills paradox", as seen in the inherent conflict between musicians' need for long-term artistic…

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was the ultimate child prodigy. It is said that Mozart, after attending a service at the Vatican, wrote down an entire sacred piece of music after one hearing. There are countless examples of the amazing feats that Mozart accomplished through his childhood, not to mention his huge compositional output through…

Despite the rhetoric of failure inherent in the long-lasting debates over school music instruction in Russia, the practice of school singing teaching in Russian schools, especially those serving peasants and the urban lower classes, satisfied to a large degree the needs of the community. However, the limited role for school music and singing…

Thanks to technology and modern conveniences, the world continues to become a smaller place, while communities become more diverse. At the same time, it's becoming easier to learn about the world's many cultures, to appreciate their unique qualities, to understand their significance--and their fragility. For music teachers with wide-ranging…

The author of this article comments on the book, "Body Consciousness," by Richard Shusterman. She states that this book speaks to her as a musician-teacher, music scholar crossing multiple disciplines (education, musicology, ethnomusicology, women's studies, gender studies), lesbian-feminist, social activist, Buddhist. While she is not a…

Although many amateur performers enjoy participating in master classes, we know little about what it means to them. The aim of this paper is to investigate learning in a master class with amateur pianists from an emic perspective in order to increase knowledge and understanding about older music learners engaging with instrumental tuition. The…

The guitar is an extremely versatile instrument. It can produce complex chords and arpeggiated textures as readily as single-note melodies. In the twentieth century alone, it has appeared in a wide range of genres; classical, jazz, blues, rock, and bossa nova compose a partial list. The guitar is also a difficult instrument. Inconsistencies across…

Even given the countless hours clocked in class and rehearsal time, there's nothing that compares to a road trip to seal the bond among band, orchestra, and vocal music students. "Nothing can replace travel," says Peter Markes, orchestra director at Edmond North High School in Oklahoma. "It's safe, well-structured and, for many of…