Syftet med studien är att utforska hur några utvalda tillvägagångssätt för lärande, förmedlade av ledande slagverkare och slagverkslärare, används av och fungerar för en lärarstudents instudering av ett musikverk. Dessa tre tillvägagångssätt användes för att studera in Concerto for marimba and strings av Emanuel Sejourné.  Ljudinspelningar och loggbok låg till grund för analysen om vad som fungerade bra för mig i min egen övning och hur jag upplevde de olika metoderna under pågående övning. I resultatet framkommer att framförallt trivselfaktorn är en bidragande orsak till ett lyckat övande. Andra viktiga faktorer som redovisas är vikten av att ha kontroll på musiken innan jag som musikutövare börjar öva samt vikten av att öva som en konsert i förebyggande syfte. Avslutningsvis diskuteras arbetets resultat i relation till den presenterade litteraturen och tidigare forskningen inom området. / The aim of this study is to explore how some selected approaches of learning, mediated by leading percussionist and percussion teachers, is used by and works for one students rehearsal of a musical work. These three approaches were used when practicing the Concerto for Marimba and Strings of Emanuel Sejourné. Audio recordings and log book was the basis for the analysis of what worked well for me in my own practice and how I experienced the different methods during exercise. The result shows that above all enjoyment factor is a contributor to a successful practicing. Other important factors reported are the importance of knowledge and the music before you start to practice and the importance of preventively practicing as a real concert. At the end, the results of the study is discussed in relation to the presented literature and previous research in the subject.

The ability to sight-read well is held as a highly regarded and important skill in music performance and education. Over the past 90 years, researchers have investigated several aspects of music sight-reading, especially those attributes possessed by skilled sight-readers. A significant and recurrent finding from this body of research is the relationship between sight-reading and rhythm recognition. Though these studies have found positive effects and correlations between rhythm recognition and sight-reading, they have been limited and indirect. The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the effects of (a) practicing rhythms on a single pitch and (b) practicing rhythms with full-range scales and their direct effects on sight-reading ability in saxophonists at the college level. The primary objective in this research was to determine if one method was more effective than another in developing sight-reading skills. The participants (N = 74) consisted of college students who were enrolled in saxophone lessons at a university in the southwestern United States. Participants were administered a sight-reading pre-test at the beginning of an 8-week treatment period. After pre-testing, students were blocked into two groups. The first treatment group was assigned to practice rhythms on a single pitch and the second treatment group was assigned to practice rhythms combined with full-range major scales. After the treatment period, participants were administered a sight-reading post-test. A 2-way mixed ANOVA was used to determine if there were differences between treatment groups, differences from pre-test to post-test, and if there was a significant interaction between treatment and time. There was no significant difference between treatment groups, F (1, 72) = .035, p = .852, partial η2 = .000028. There was a significant effect for time, indicating that both treatment groups improved from pre-to post test, F (1, 72) = 83.499, p < .001, partial η2 = .537. There was no significant interaction between treatment and time, F (1, 72) = .322, p = .572, partial η2 = .004.

Studien utforskar hur jag tolkar Prelude i d-moll ur Johan Sebastian Bachs andra svit för solocello. Syftet är att undersöka hur instuderingsprocessen sker, från okänd not till fri tolkning med avseende på att instrumentet ska ”sjunga”. Forskningsfrågorna berör en fungerande inlärningsmetod, hur jag påverkas av min lärares tolkning samt i vilken grad en publik upplever mitt sjungande instrument. Med hjälp av bland annat en barockcello, loggboksskrivande och videoinspelning under processen har jag, utifrån ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv, tolkat stycket på mitt sätt. Resultatet belyser hur jag gått tillväga för att studera in stycket, med hjälp av bland annat a-vistaläsning. Det berör också hur mottaglig jag är till att påverkas av min lärares tolkning av stycket, vilket inte visade sig vara i samma utsträckning som jag till en början trott. I resultatet beskrivs också hur min tolkningsprocess har gått tillväga och vilka mönster i musiken som uppenbarade sig med tiden. I resultatets senare del görs en sammanställning av enkätsvaren som bland annat visar på att jag och min cello, enligt publiken, frambringar en sjungande ton. Slutligen diskuteras resultatet i förhållande till tidigare litteratur och forskning inom det aktuella området. / The study explores how I interpret Prelude in D minor from Johan Sebastian Bach’s second suite for solo cello. The purpose is to examine how the rehearsal process is done, from the unknown note to free interpretation with respect to the instrument to “sing”. Research questions concern a workable method of learning, how I influenced by my teacher’s musical interpretation, and the degree to which an audience experiencing my singing instrument. With the help of including a baroque cello, logbook writing and recording during the process, I have, from a hermeneutic perspective, interpreted the paragraph in my direction. The result highlights how I proceeded to study the piece, with the help of sight-reading. It also affects how susceptible I am to be influenced by my teacher’s interpretation of the piece, which has not proved to be as much as I initially thought. The result also describes how my interpretation process has processed and the patterns in the music that appeared over time. In the later part of the result is a compilation of responses that shows that my cello and I, according to the audience, brings a singing tone. Finally, the results are discussed in relation to previous literature and research in the field.