Musicians acquire musical skills (i.e., pitch and rhythm discrimination) from music education. Research indicates musical skills can transfer to and assist learning in non-arts domains, including language learning. Like musicians, dancers also acquire musical skills in dance education through embodied cognitive processes. However, few or no researchers have investigated the musical skills attained from dance education and considered how these musical skills might interact with language aptitude. Therefore, in this study, 72 undergraduate and graduate music (n = 37) and dance majors (n = 35) were evaluated and compared in pitch and rhythm discrimination scores in the Advanced Measures of Music Audiation (AMMA) aptitude test. Participants were also administered a survey to collect data on their demographics and music, dance, and language experience. The study results suggest that music majors may be superior in pitch and rhythm discrimination compared to dance majors, and that there is no difference between dance majors and non-music majors in pitch and rhythm discrimination. Additional findings suggest that bilingual/multilingual music and dance majors may be superior in pitch discrimination compared to monolingual music and dance majors; however, no difference was found in rhythm discrimination between these two groups. Finally, results also suggest that tonal language-speaking music and dance majors may be superior in pitch and rhythm discrimination compared to non-tonal language-speaking music and dance majors.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of iconic-based rhythmic instruction on middle school instrumentalists' ability to read rhythms at sight in the preparation of music for sight-reading. One hundred thirty-one middle school students from 12 randomly assigned bands in the Midwestern United States provided data for a pretest-posttest control-group design. Of the 12 participating middle schools, four schools served as the control group (n= 42), four schools delivered rhythmic instruction using iconic-based methods (n= 42), and four schools delivered isolated rhythmic training using symbolic-based methods (n= 47).Using adjusted pretest scores from a researcher-constructed rhythm test (Rhythm Sight-Reading Performance Ability), the Musical Aptitude Profile (1995), and the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (1999), results of an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that no group obtained a significant difference on the posttest mean scores from the rhythmic performance test (F= 1.940, df= 1, 107, p= .149). Because results from individual schools showed considerable variation, other variables were observed to see if they were significant. Findings from an ANCOVA revealed that the individual school was significant (F= 3.141, df= 9, 107, p= .002).To verify the relationship found between the individual school and the posttest measurement, an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was run with the pretest and posttest scores serving as repeated measures. The results indicate that a significant interaction between the individual school and the pretest to posttest measurement exists. In light of these findings, it is speculated that the key to improving a student's rhythm-reading ability may be dependent not only on the method, but also on the quality of instructional delivery. / School of Music

The purposes of the study were: 1. to prepare and execute a course of study in rhythms for the elementary grades of the Frisco Public Schools; 2. to study the needs and interests of the student of the elementary grades of the Frisco Public Schools using the principles of physiology, biology, sociology, psychology, and education as a base for the study.

The purpose of a rhythm activity program in the Thomas A. Edison School is to achieve the following: 1. The building within each child a better coordination of mind and body. 2. The satisfying of each child with a knowledge that he has the ability of achievement. 3. A healthful, happy, and social relationship between the sexes. 4. For the pupil the realization of the pure joy and exhilaration of living. 5. Poise and self confidence within the child. 6. The carrying over of this program into other closely related classes such as, playground, art, auditorium, and music. 7. An ambition within each pupil to make his community life more desirable.