Although the use of extended piano techniques were relatively uncommon in the common practice period (c.1600 - 1900), the use of extended skills became more common in modern classical music since 1900. Composers in modern Turkey also use these techniques in their works. This study analyzed the role of extended-technique piano repertoire in the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived pitch of string vibrato tones. The authors used recordings of acoustic instruments (cello and violin) to provide both vibrato stimulus tones and the nonvibrato tones that listeners adjusted to match the perceived pitch of the vibrato stimuli. We were interested especially in whether there…

Jamey Aebersold is an internationally known saxophonist and authority on jazz education and improvisation. His series of jazz play-along book and CD sets are valuable tools for music teachers, and his weeklong summer jazz workshops--now in their thirty-third year at the University of Louisville in Kentucky and thirty-seventh year overall--have had…

Professional musicians and college students commonly study orchestral excerpts, but a similar practice has yet to be implemented in the band field. Due to their widespread use in orchestral auditions, excerpts have been incorporated as a tool for musical development. Many college professors regularly assign excerpt study as part of their…

In the first part of this two-part article, the author described Dr. Patricia Shehan Campbell's (2004) exciting ideas for fully engaging students during listening lessons. He chose Everything But the Girl's song "Lullaby Of Clubland the Jay "Sinister" Sealee Remix" to model Dr. Campbell's pedagogical sequence. He also described the three-stage…

They have worked as professional musicians, taught in several school districts, and even created a children's educational music video series, all while raising five kids of their own. But as they move into yet another chapter of their careers as music educators, Chuck and Mary Lynn McMichael are still crazy after all these years. Crazy about…

Informal learning practices, based on Lucy Green's research into how popular musicians learn, offer students in the music classroom the opportunity to explore collaborative, aural-based learning that is guided, rather than directed, by the teacher. Over a period of five years, informal learning projects were included in the music curricula of two…

This study examined the effects of the conductor's goal orientation (mastery vs. performance) and use of shared performance cues (basic vs. interpretive vs. expressive) on instrumentalists' self-efficacy, collective efficacy, attributions, and performance. Eighty-one college instrumentalists from two musical ensembles participated in the study. It…

The purpose of this study was to compare the levels of anxiety that students experienced according to whether their public performance consisted of a free improvisation or a repertory piece. The researcher had two objectives: (1) examine the relationship of students' levels of anxiety to free improvisation and repertory pieces during a…

In this article, the authors share their recent experiences with a fourth grade general music classroom in China as members of the "People-to-People Ambassador Program". They provide a description of the types of musical activities they observed at Aiju Primary School in Shanghai in December 2009 by sharing the content of one specific…

Jean Marzollo creates two beautiful texts using a child's first words, "Mama, Mama" and "Papa, Papa" as a recurring theme. Wildlife artist, Laura Regan, illustrates Marzollo's poetry with loving images of parents and children in the animal kingdom. Poetry and illustrations highlight the tenderness and care of Mama and Papa as they bond with their…

How might primary students utilise the stimulus of a painting in a collaborative composition drawing on a non-conventional sound palette of their own making? This practitioner research features 17 recorder players from a Year 6 class (10-11-year-olds) who attend a West Auckland primary school in New Zealand. These children were invited to…

This exploratory phenomenological study was designed to investigate the relationships between mathematics and music skills of students participating in successful high school instrumental music programs. The participants of this study were purposefully selected and included one math educator or math department chairperson and the band or orchestra…

Instrumental performance that approximates real-world models is one way in which a general music curriculum can encourage high levels of engagement and potential for lifelong musical activity. Although guitars, keyboards, and various folk instruments are useful for this purpose, orchestral instruments can also provide significant solo and ensemble…

Publicly funded schools are supposed to serve everyone equally in egalitarian, liberal democracies. In this paper we claim that school music ensembles fail, on the whole, to adequately reflect current socio-demographic patterns in both Canada and the United States. From a postcolonial perspective we attempt to problematize, with reference to…