Lexical tone languages like Mandarin Chinese require listeners to discriminate among different pitch patterns. A syllable spoken with a rising pitch (e.g. "b[i-acute]" 'nose') carries a different meaning than the same syllable spoken with a falling pitch (e.g. "b[i with grave]" 'arm'). For native speakers (L1) of a non-tonal…

The focus in this study is the relationships between one tertiary music academy and four amateur orchestras. In this study the kinds of cooperation that exist, how students benefit from participating in amateur orchestras, and how cooperation can be further developed is identified. Four administrators from the academy and four conductors were…

Music self-efficacy has been acknowledged as a strong predictor of successful performance among musicians and music students, but is less researched among amateur musicians. The purpose of this study is to examine the connection between music self-efficacy and learning and playing habits of amateur musicians who had preferences for online music…

Anthony Johnson Showalter (c. 1853-1924) was a music educator, gospel composer, publisher, and considered a pioneer in gospel music and education in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Showalter is notably mentioned in numerous texts and studies related to gospel music; however, little data has been collected regarding the…

This practitioner research, conducted by a secondary school music teacher, deals with two complementary questions: the conceptual question how one could define the 'artistry' of a music teacher in the context of his teaching practice, and the empirical question in how far the music teacher's actions can determine the quality of the musical…

The purpose of this study was to examine possible relationships between the extent of high-level violin performers' movement during performance and evaluators' perceptions of their musicality. Stimuli were 10 excerpts of solo violin performances from the 2015 "Tadeusz Wronski International Violin Competition for Solo Violin," selected to…

Although playing by ear has important benefits for the development of musicianship, one-to-one instrumental teaching has traditionally overlooked it. The current research describes the strategies applied by three woodwind teachers with their students in a Spanish music school through a multiple-case embedded study. Data were collected through…

This study's purposes were to develop a rating scale for midlevel band performance and validate a theoretical structure for the scale. Research questions were (a) What qualities describe excellent seventh- and eighth-grade band performance? (b) What items constitute a Midlevel Band Performance Rating Scale (MBPRS)? (c) How reliable is the MBPRS?…

The laptop ensemble is a platform that has recently been made possible by computer technology that enables individuals to perform music collaboratively. Research in this area has largely focused on the performance aspects, with very few studies focusing on the development of musical competency through participation in a laptop ensemble. This…

In Verona, Northern Italy, a music group is revalorizing a local "dialetto" ('dialect') by putting it to music. By both reviving hundred-year old songs and writing their own music and lyrics, they are widening the cultural reach that this language has and they are finding contemporary ways for people to engage with it. Unlike political…

American music education is focused primarily on music written by White men (Baker, 2003). However, women are more likely to believe they can find success in a career in the arts when they have positive female role models (Quimby & DeSantis, 2006). Similarly, college students are more likely to name career role models who match their own…

This article examines an adolescent's music literacy education across Caribbean and U.S. schools using qualitative research methods and theories of multimodality, transnationalism, and global cultural flows. Findings include that the youth's music literacy practices continuously shifted in response to the cultural practices and values of the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of four preservice music teachers as leaders of adult chamber ensembles. Through examination of these teachers' reflections, we sought to answer the following questions: (a) What impact does leading an adult chamber ensemble have on preservice teachers' perceptions of their instructional…

Musicians' ability to refine their physical movements directly affects their ability to communicate musically with an audience. A focus on the body is thus an important element of music instruction. The Feldenkrais Method (FM) is a method of somatic education that focuses on teaching the body to move in new ways and with greater efficiency and…

In the following study, we have developed an assessment instrument for the practice-dependent skill of analytical hearing following a strict test theoretical validation, resulting in the Musical Ear Training Assessment (META). By means of three pilot studies, a developmental study, and a validation study, we verified a one-dimensional test model…