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This study explores society's influence on our beliefs about music in general and music education in particular. My interest in this topic stems from my work as a music educator and my desire to understand more fully the apprehension of pre-service elementary education majors who frequently seem reluctant to engage personally in music-making and often appear unconvinced of their ability to teach music. Other researchers who have been interested in this phenomenon have commonly assessed subjects from a psychological perspective by examining their attitudes and assumptions, yet the results of these studies have often been confusing, contradictory, and inconclusive, with little of the research influencing practice. As my research direction crystallized, I became more and more convinced that this inquiry would benefit from moving out of the psychological paradigm and exploring socially-constructed meaning. My research question therefore has been, “How do societal beliefs construct our understanding of music and music education?” In particular, I have chosen to explore this question through discourse analysis. Discourse analysis is interpretive work that attempts to investigate how meaning is made through language and other signifying practices in society. In order to locate and generate texts that speak to the construction of meaning in musical experience, I deconstructed texts from various sources that included interviews with pre-service elementary education teachers, an interview with a fine arts coordinator, commentaries on selected musical events and other musical representations in various media, and reflections on my own experience. An inquiry into the institutionalization of music was an important part of this research. To organize the beliefs represented in the texts, I identified dualisms that operate in society at large and then teased out how these dualistic relationships construct our understanding of music and music education. My interpretation pointed to areas of conflict in the teaching and learning of music and showed how ideological differences about music are represented and managed in various discourses. Finally, in order to provide the groundwork for a possible disruption and challenge to the status quo, I explored a generative “Third Space” that suggests how music could be constructed as “Music for Living” rather than “Music as Art.” / Graduate

A study of pitch learning must outline first the procedures involved in such learning and then identify specific factors appearing to influence the learning of pitch. Once identified, each factor can then be evaluated by controlled experiment before confirming its influence. Since it is what is heard and perceived that is learnt, I have started with the process of Hearing and Perceiving, for as Arnold Abramovitz, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Cape Town says, “the reception, processing and interpretation of acoustic symbols constitutes some of the most elusive and complex phenomena to attempt to examine, gauge and measure, due partly to the transient, ephemeral nature of sound itself.”

From introduction: A study of pitch learning must outlina first the procedures involved in such learning ar~d then identify specific factors appearing to influence the learning of pitch. Once identified, each factor can then be evaluated by controlled experiment before confirming its influence. Since it is \'lhat is heard and perceived that is learnt, I have started with the process of Hearing and Perceiving, for as Arnold Abramovitz, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Cape Town says, "the reception, processing and interpretation of acoustic symbols constitutes some of the most elusive and complex phenomena to attempt to examine, gauge and measure, due partly to the transient, ephemeral nature of sound itself."

Dissertation (MMus (Performing Arts))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Music / unrestricted

This study was an investigation of the hypothesis that a prescribed program utilizing significant representative contemporary art music can be designed, developed, and taught to grade seven students that will positively influence their expressed musical preferences towards this music. Such an analytical listening program was developed utilizing four types of contemporary art music--tonal, polytonal, atonal, and electronic—and was taught to fourteen randomly selected grade seven music classes designated as Experimental treatment I (E 1) for a period of fourteen weeks. For comparison, a second Experimental treatment (E 2) was given to another random set of grade seven classes, whose treatment was limited to repetition without formal instruction. Both treatments were compared against a control condition (C)—a music program that excluded exposure to contemporary art music—administered to a third random group of grade seven classes. All groups were pre-tested with a test of music knowledge and with an instrument constructed to obtain evidence about students' expressed preferences for each of the four categories of music. The latter contained not only "study" selections later used repeatedly in the E 1 and E 2 training programs, but also selections that were not used as instructional material ("transfer" selections). The same instrument was also administered as a post-test. The stability of the instrument with students excluded from music instruction over the experimental period was indicated by test-retest reliability coefficients ranging from .75 to .93 for both "study" and "transfer" selections, and averaging .88. Highly significant gains in preference scores were found for the E 1 (analytical listening) treatment, on both "study" and "transfer" selections, though the "transfer" gains were numerically smaller. Smaller, but still highly significant gains were found for the E 2 (repeated listening) treatment, except in the case of electronic music; the mean gain on the electronic "transfer" selections was not significant. For the control group, some gains were positive and some negative, all being small and none being significant. Comparisons of the effects of the experimental and control treatments on preference gain-scores were made by a two-factor analysis of variance in which sex was the second factor. A covariance adjustment for possible differences in prior music knowledge and for differences in pre-test preference scores was made. There was little evidence of any sex effect, either alone or in interaction with treatments. However, the treatments clearly showed a hierarchy of effectiveness, with E 1 (analytical listening) being most effective, E 2 (repeated listening) significantly and obviously less effective, though still superior to the control condition for which preference gains were essentially zero. Minor exceptions to this clear general trend are noted in Chapter VI. The correlation between music knowledge scores and the gains in preference scores proved to be too low to be significant at the .05 level. Conclusions: (1) The results of the E 1 program indicated that grade seven students can develop stronger preferences for contemporary art music through analytical listening procedures. Moreover, a particular sequence of cognitive learning experiences also resulted in affective transfer. (2) The E 2 results supported the view that repetitive listening is an important factor in the formation of positive preferences. (3) As the sex variable accounted for little variance in preferential responses, it is unlikely that boys and girls require either different materials or methods while engaged in classroom listening activities. (4) As no correlation was discovered between music knowledge and musical preferences, it appears that listening activities may be conducted in the classroom without adverse effects despite the fact that theoretical knowledge may be minimal. One major implication as a result of the study was the suggestion and recommendation that music educators be prepared to re-appraise music courses in their present format, for it is possible that the emphasis placed on theory, reading skills, singing, and instrumental performance may not be completely justified. An alternative program that would place listening at the core of musical activities and from this centrality relate and integrate all other theoretical and performance objectives was also recommended for further research. Finally, it was recommended that the present work be expanded into longitudinal research to further identify factors that are important in the development of positive musical preferences for contemporary art music. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

Numerous curricula for preschool music education have been developed in the past two decades. For the most part, however, these have not incorporated important evidence from three disciplines which has important implications for how the music education of preschool children should be approached. The first of these is the field of developmental neurobiology, which has provided relevant information concerning early learning and experience. The second is the research pioneered by Jean Piaget, whose insights into cognitive development bear heavily on curriculum planning for preschool music education. The third is research in musical development, which indicates what skills and behaviors can be expected of preschool children in a musical setting. The goal of this thesis is to demonstrate (a) why an understanding of the major findings from these fields is important to the formulation of a music education program for preschool children; and (b) how this understanding can and should impact on the curricular choices made for the musical education of preschool children. To this extent, a series of developmental and musical objectives for the music education of preschool children, specifically 4-year-olds, have been formulated to serve as a theoretical and practical foundation on which to develop and choose musical activities which are appropriate for this age group. The educational and practical value of each of these activities was tested with a group of 4-year-old children during a 12-week study carried out at the University of British Columbia Child Study Center. The activities which adequately demonstrated this value were then organized into a 12-week music curriculum for 4-year-old children. Four conclusions are made in this thesis. The first of these is that music education should begin early in life in order to influence the general learning patterns necessary for the development of musical skill. The second conclusion is that early exposure to music will be most effective when the activities chosen are complex and stimulating and allow for interaction with numerous musical stimuli on a variety of different levels. The third conclusion is that developmentally appropriate musical activities may make an important contribution to the enrichment of the learning environment during the preschool years and may subsequently enhance sensory, motor, verbal and nonverbal, social and creative thinking skills. Finally, it was concluded that preschool music education will be most effective when musical tasks reflect the limitations of children's cognitive development. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this research was to investigate the time usage skills of undergraduate students in college marching band. Specifically, this study investigated and compared the time usage of collegiate marching band members, music majors, and non-music undergraduate students. Participants (N = 80) were undergraduate students at a large southern university in the United States. Data were collected through a researcher-designed time log. Using the time log, participants recorded hourly activities for one week. Time logs provided a simple format for participants to easily and quickly record activities in several categories. The time log also contained a series of several demographic questions. Results of this study indicated that non-marching band students had more free time than marching band students. Non-marching band participants allocated more time for leisure-related activities than marching band participants. Compared to other activities, results indicated that participants spent the most time sleeping and engaged in leisure related activities. These results are consistent with related research, which found that people spend most of their time sleeping and in leisure. Although this study occurred during homecoming weekend, marching band students appeared to have adequate time to study, even with the sizeable amount of weekly rehearsals and weekend performances. Marching band students used more of their free time to study and complete homework compared to non-marching band students who chose to watch TV or socialize with friends. Non-marching band music majors devoted more time to practice than marching band music majors; however, total instrumental playing time was significantly greater for marching band music majors. Results also indicated that the opinions of others, such as parents and high school guidance counselors, may have influenced college students' decision to enroll in marching band. Further results indicated that students not enrolled in marching band may not use marching band rehearsal hours for academic-related activities. Marching band students appeared to use their free time more effectively than non-marching band students, choosing to study and complete homework, rather than engaging in leisure activities. Further research should continue to identify time usage challenges for college marching band members to further understand the process used by those students to make time use decisions. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2015. / June 4, 2015. / College Band, Marching Band, Music Education, Music Majors, Time Use / Includes bibliographical references. / Patrick Dunnigan, Professor Directing Dissertation; Patrick Meighan, University Representative; Alice-Ann Darrow, Committee Member; Steven Kelly, Committee Member; Clifford Madsen, Committee Member.

In 1842 Felix Mendelssohn gained approval from the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV to apply the late Supreme Court Justice’s Heinrich Blümner’s 20,000-Thaler gift to the founding of Germany’s first music education institution dedicated to the higher-level training of musicians. The establishment of the Leipzig Conservatory in 1843 was a milestone in Germany’s history, as this was Germany’s first national conservatory of music, with the goal to train and educate “complete” musicians in both applied and theoretical studies. Due to its highly-esteemed faculty, the Leipzig Conservatory immediately drew attention from music students not only nationally but also internationally. The Leipzig Conservatory was known for its “conservative” leanings as well as the strong foundation students received in harmony, counterpoint, and voice-leading. The pedagogy of the Leipzig Conservatory not only had a great impact in Germany and the surrounding European countries, but its influence reached across the Atlantic to American musical life. Nineteenth-century Americans held German musical training in high regard. Between 1846 and 1918 over 1,500 Americans traveled across the Atlantic to study with the renowned faculty at the Leipzig Conservatory. Receiving a comprehensive music education and being exposed to world-class visiting soloists such as Clara Schumann and Franz Liszt, these American students returned to the United States as music teachers, administrators, music writers and publishers, and performers, prepared to influence their music culture in numerous ways. These American individuals had a great impact in numerous cities throughout the United States, and several of them had a role in founding America’s first music conservatories: Oberlin Conservatory of Music (1865) and New England Conservatory of Music (1867). By studying the original documents and concert programs at these institutions, one can trace direct pedagogical approaches and institutional policies transferred from Leipzig to Oberlin and Boston. Furthermore, many early faculty members at Oberlin and NEC themselves had studied at the Leipzig Conservatory, bringing Leipziger tastes and pedagogy to American students. While the Leipzig influence impacted Oberlin and NEC greatly, its pedagogy and principles shaped many other aspects of American music life and education throughout multiple cities and regions in the United States, leaving lasting imprints on American music culture, including music education, concert life, music criticism, and composition. The supplementary Excel spreadsheet shows Leipzig Conservatory faculty members and the duration of their tenure at the Conservatory. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2018. / December 14, 2018. / America*, Conservatory, Leipzig, New England, Oberlin, pedagogy / Includes bibliographical references. / S. Douglass Seaton, Professor Directing Dissertation; George Williamson, University Representative; Sarah Eyerly, Committee Member; Iain Quinn, Committee Member; Denise Von Glahn, Committee Member.

This is Volume II, Volume I is in process of being scanned