Effect of Tempo on Children's Music Preference

Abstract

This study measured the effect of four levels of tempo on the expressed preference of fifth and sixth grade students for traditional jazz music listening examples. A listening test was administered to 163 students in seven classrooms in south central Michigan. Test reliability was evaluated in terms of common factor concentration, student behavior was observed during the test, and free response data were solicited from students at the end of the measurement procedure as an additional check on results. A one-way repeated measures analysis of variance disclosed a significant effect for tempo, and a priori comparisons showed significant differences between the slowest tempo level and each increasingly faster level of tempo. Students rated each faster level of tempo higher than slower levels. There was a strong positive correlation between increases of tempo and higher preference ratings. This study confirms the effect of tempo suggested in previous studies in the series, which were inconclusive because of interaction between independent variables.