This study investigated the music-reading errors of 6--13-year-old piano students (n = 35) as they read three unfamiliar musical pieces. The musical pieces were similar in terms of tonality, and rhythmic and melodic complexity, but differed in terms of simultaneity of left- and right hand and complexity of left-hand arrangement. / Pitch errors were examined in terms of frequency, placement, and type. Of all pitches played, 23% were incorrect pitches. However, 30% of the incorrect pitches were followed by an immediate correction (self-correction). There were significantly more errors made in the left-hand parts than in right-hand parts of all three pieces. The most common error type was erroneous pitches, followed by redundant and omitted pitch errors respectively. Erroneous pitches were significantly more often contour preserving than contour violating. The younger children made significantly more redundant pitch errors and contour violating pitch errors than did the older children and the younger children tended to make more self-corrections than did the older children. / Timing data were examined in terms of the length of performances and in terms of the length and frequency of pauses. No significant differences were found between pieces or age groups in terms of timing. A high frequency of pauses was noted in both age groups. Evidence drawn from pitch and timing errors suggested that the children in this study tried to play all the pitches in the score with little or no consideration for the rhythmic information in the score. This finding was in accordance with results of previous studies on children and music reading. Implications for music education and research are discussed.

Thesis--University of Minnesota. / Includes bibliography.

No description available.

There is evidence that the strategies used by fluent readers of written language and by fluent "sight-readers" of musical notation are much the same. Both require a background in the modality represented by the written symbols. Both require context for construction of meaning through sampling and prediction. In this study, a method of elementary music-reading instruction was developed in which musical notation is introduced in the context of musical patterns familiar to the students through earlier musical experiences. The focus is on melodic contour and rhythmic units, initially with no emphasis on exact pitch. An experimental study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of this method with a more traditional one in which the elements of notation are first introduced in isolation. Subjects for the study were two beginning string classes (fourth- through sixth-grade students) in geographically contiguous schools in a large school district in a southwestern city. There were two 30-minute classes per week. During the first two months, both groups were given identical pre-reading experiences, including rote playing, by the regular music teachers. Instruction in music reading, begun in the third month, consisted of eleven lessons administered to each group by the investigator. The testing instrument, designed by the investigator and used as pretest and posttest, consisted of initial measures of five children's songs, four of which were familiar to the children through rote experiences. While all of the subjects received zero on the pretest, posttest scores for both groups indicated growth in music reading. A t-test on the data permitted rejection of the null hypothesis and acceptance of the alternate hypothesis that the investigator-designed method was more effective than the traditional one in both the music-reading task and the sight-reading task.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 262-271).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oklahoma, 1995. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-86).

No description available.

Thesis (M.M.)--Baylor University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 31-33).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-102).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1970. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Gladys Tipton. Dissertation Committee: Charles W. Walton. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 325-344).