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The act of predicting rhythmic events and coordinating these predictions with motor actions is seen in many elements of human existence (e.g., walking, dancing, or speaking). Several studies have shown that the efficiency of synchronizing actions with an anticipatable repeating stimulus differs between musicians and non-musicians. This difference is particularly evident when examining two commonly measured metrics of synchronization tasks, (a) asynchrony, or the differential in temporal distance between a recurring stimulus and its associated motor reaction; and (b) variability, or the degree to which successive synchronization actions are distanced from each other relative to repeated stimuli. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which differences in asynchrony and variability might be related to the type of musical experiences received in secondary school. It was hypothesized that students who received a greater amount of musical training would exhibit reduced asy / Music Education

This research continued a line of inquiry previously established at Project P.L.A.Y. School, a play-based, Reggio-Emilia-inspired preschool in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, the purpose of which was to explore what can happen when young children and adults co-construct music in a social, relationship- and play-based environment. Three questions initially guided this study: 1) How does musical content emerge? 2) How is music play developed in this setting? 3) How do children and their teachers story their music experiences? Using narrative and heuristic approaches to inquiry, I, along with my co-researchers, highlighted ways to make children's musical learning audible and visible. Having been a member of this community in the dual role of musical play partner and researcher since fall of 2012, I framed this dissertation study to encompass the weeks of September 16 through December 18, 2014. During that time frame, I increased my visits from once to twice weekly, with fourteen children aged 2.5 through 5 years old, five of whom I knew from the previous year, and five other adults. As both a play partner and researcher, I continued my role as music facilitator who views young children as competent and capable co-music researchers. Amidst other stories, I increased focus as I continued a pedagogy of close listening to children as music co-researchers. Living alongside each other at Project P.L.A.Y. School, children and adults generated and collected shared musical stories. Data sources for this study included audio and video recordings, photographs, artifacts such as artwork and musical notation, and my research notes and journal. I continued using narrative and heuristic approaches to inquiry, and restoried narrative vignettes highlighting children and adults as music co-researchers. From the resulting grand narrative, I found that shifting lenses and all adults mindfully viewing these young children as competent music researchers facilitated and supported children's creative, multimodal expressions of their research interests. Viewing children's and adults' interactions through the lens of co-music researchers lead to abundant, creative musical expression from children and adults alike. Musical content emerged when adults and children interacted as music co-researchers and protagonists in their shared stories. This inquiry generated the following additional questions: 1) How can adults best facilitate young children's musical research interests? 2) How can adults and young children make their collaborative research audible and visible? Implications from this study include encouraging all adults to adopt a pedagogy of listening, to notice and value children's creative musical expressions, and to value children's musical lines of inquiry as researchers. / Music Education / Accompanied by two .m4v files.

The purpose of this study was to investigate principals’ perceptions of the status of music education in secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago. The guiding questions were (a) What are secondary school principals’ perceptions of music learning outcomes as they are currently being met and as they should be met under ideal conditions, (b) What are secondary school principals’ perceptions of broad educational goals as they are currently being met and as they should be met under ideal conditions, (c) Is there a difference between principals’ perceptions of current and ideal conditions for the learning outcomes and the educational goals, and (d) What are secondary school principals’ perceptions about the degree to which eleven selected variables impact music education? A descriptive research design was used in which secondary school principals (n = 93) were provided with the survey instrument. The survey is organized into four sections based on the questions that are derived from the research purpose and questions. Cronbach’s alpha was used to test for internal consistency of the survey items. Data, related to the first two guiding questions, was fielded via Likert-type scales where the responses represented the principals’ perceptions of the level of realization of the standards for the music learning outcomes and the broad educational goals. For the third guiding question, data analyses included repeated t-tests and Cohen d value measurements to describe differences between the current and ideal perceived conditions of the realization of the standards for the music learning outcomes and the broad educational goals. A Spearman correlation was used to describe the consistency between the current and ideal perceived conditions of the realization of the standards for the music learning outcomes and the broad educational goals. Chi-squared analyses, on the two open-ended questions presented to the principals, were used to examine the differences in how principals perceive certain factors affect their ability to support music programs. Results from the repeated t-tests showed that principals believe there is a difference between how the music learning outcomes and broad educational goals are currently being met and how they should be met, under ideal conditions. Chi-squared analyses revealed that there were moderately positive associations between the current and ideal conditions, with the music learning outcomes yielding rs = .71 and the broad educational goals yielding rs = .65.; however, results were statistically significant only for the broad educational goals. Chi-squared analyses revealed that there were no significant differences in the ways principals perceived how 11 variables (a) Medium-Term Policy Framework 2011-2014, (b) Students, (c) Parents, (d) Budget/Finances, (e) Scheduling, (f) Standardized tests, (g) School Board, (h) Governing Office/Ministry of Education, (i) Music Teacher, (j) Classroom Teacher, and (k) Educational and Scientific Research were impacting the music programs. Results showed that the principals were mostly inclined to remain neutral about the effects of most of the variables and that they did not consider any of the variables to either strongly positively or strongly negatively affect the music program. / Music Education

<p>The purpose of this study was to explore the union of technical and imagery-based instruction (hereinafter, T-I instruction) in two phases. Phase one: The researcher (1) explored T-I instruction&rsquo;s influences on aspiring performing artists&rsquo; acquisition of learning and performing newly composed pieces and improvisation, and; (2) observed aspiring performing artists&rsquo; feelings of learning with T-I instruction versus technical instruction. Phase two: The researcher investigated (1) listeners&rsquo; perceived expressivity of aspiring performing artists&rsquo; performances that were either influenced by T-I instruction or technical instruction; (2) listeners&rsquo; perceived expressivity of aspiring performing artists&rsquo; performances of newly composed pieces versus improvisations; (3) whether there was a statistical significant difference of T-I instructions&rsquo; influence on the progressive differences in the means of listeners&rsquo; perceived expressivity between the aspiring performing artists across the time frame of the study; (4) the explanations for their ratings, and; (5) information that helps listeners perceive music as expressive using the <i> Perceived Expressivity Questionnaire</i> (PEQ). </p><p> Results for Phase one: 60 sub-themes and 13 themes emerged from the data relating to two meta-themes: <i>Learning</i> and <i>Quality of Life</i>. Results for Phase two: Cronbach&rsquo;s alpha statistical procedure revealed an unacceptably low internal consistency for listeners&rsquo; perceived expressivity of aspiring performing artists&rsquo; performances (&alpha; = .02). Hence, no further statistical analysis was implemented to answer research questions one through three. Explanations for their ratings dealt primarily with aspiring performing artists&rsquo; use of 11 musical components. The Brief Essay Responses from the <i>Perceived Expressivity Questionnaire</i> (PEQ) provided possible explanations for the low internal consistency and insight on what kind of information help listeners&rsquo; perceive music as expressive. Further discussion on the finding and implications for performing artists and educators&rsquo; use of T-I instruction are offered in this document. </p>

Cinq rechants, composed in December of 1948, represents the culmination of Olivier Messiaen's rhythmic exploration. These rhythmic influences, including Greek versification, talas from ancient India, and medieval and Western associations with plainsong, canon, ostinato, and polymeter, drew Messiaen's attention to ways in which to alter rhythms. The techniques which Messiaen discovered enabled him to alter rhythmic patterns through added values, the addition or subtraction of a note, dot, or rest, and augmentation or diminution. An analysis of form, texture, text associations, and meter adaptation within Cinq rechants provides the framework for a study in the application of Messiaen's rhythmic discoveries and inventions.

<p> The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the music programs at Mennonite Collegiate Institute (MCI) founded in 1889 and Steinbach Christian High School (SCHS) which has its origins in Steinbach Bible College founded in 1936. The <i>Kanadier,</i> Mennonites who came to Manitoba in 1874 (e.g., <i>Kleine Gemeinde</i> and Bergthaler), had previously rejected part-singing in Russia. However, they became more open to part-singing after they came to Manitoba. The Bergthaler in Gretna helped establish MCI. The Mennonite Brethren (MB) and Evangelical Mennonite Brethren (EMB) were influential in promoting choral music among the <i> Kleine Gemeinde</i> in Steinbach. Steinbach Bible College became a joint effort of the MB, EMB, and <i>Kleine Gemeinde</i> (now the Evangelical Mennonite Conference or EMC). The <i>Ru&beta;l&auml;nder</i> (or <i> Russlaender</i>) who came to Canada in the 1920s, many of whom were MB, were culturally more progressive than the <i>Kanadier</i> and influenced both MCI and SCHS. The researcher interviewed teachers, administrators, a museum curator, visited archives, and attended a <i>S&auml;ngerfest</i> (or <i>Saengerfest</i>) at MCI and a concert at SCHS. Both schools are known for their choral programs and do similar repertoire. Regarding the religious musical heritages of the two schools, MCI is more deliberate at including German hymns and traditional favorites known as <i>Kernlieder </i> in their programming whereas the emphasis at SCHS is sacred music in general.</p>