Implications For Music Education Research Articles

Harmonizing Tradition and Innovation: Exploring Cross-cultural Elements in Contemporary Chinese Piano Compositions

With the globalization of music education, the piano has emerged as a universally embraced instrument, serving as a conduit for cultural exchange. Chinese piano music, a fusion of traditional Chinese and Western cultures, occupies a crucial position in global music education. This study investigates the cultural significance, impact on cultural identity, cross-cultural elements, and pedagogical approaches associated with contemporary Chinese piano compositions. Through qualitative analysis of survey data collected from 30 music majors at Yunnan University of the Arts Wenhua College, several key findings emerged. Chinese piano music plays a vital role in representing contemporary Chinese culture on a global stage, harmonizing traditional elements with innovative approaches. Engagement with this genre positively influences cultural identity and pride among students, fostering a deeper connection to their heritage. The study identifies cross-cultural elements and innovative techniques in Chinese piano compositions, providing insights for educators and composers. Furthermore, it highlights the need for a more balanced representation of Chinese piano music in music education curricula, addressing gaps and biases in current pedagogical approaches. Overall, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of contemporary Chinese piano music's cultural significance and its implications for music education, cultural diplomacy, and compositional innovation.

“I’ve Sat in Your Seat Before”: A Study of the Experiences of Three Black Women Music Educators

This descriptive collective case study explored the experiences of three Black women music educators through the framework of community cultural wealth. Analysis of data collected through Seidman’s three-stage phenomenological interview model revealed three themes. The first, “path to teaching,” represented the formative experiences that shaped participants’ development, including a deep level of embodied musical knowledge in multiple genres and the development of resilience. The second, “navigating the academy,” represented the experiences of participants during their collegiate programs, including mentorship and support they had received, perseverance through difficult challenges, and intersections of their experience with existing and often problematic structures in music schools. The final theme, “pedagogical approach,” represented the ways that participants wove aspects of their individual capital and experience into their pedagogical approach, including knowledge of families and community, ethnoracial representation for their students, culturally responsive approaches to pedagogy, and passing along tools for navigational success to their students. Alignment of the data with the framework of community cultural wealth is discussed, emphasizing participants’ prominent uses of both navigational and resistant capital and the development of “Black musical capital.” Implications for music education are discussed.

뉴노멀시대 음악교육을 위한 음악 교과서 개발 방향 탐색

The change in society as a whole after COVID-19 has led to the creation of a new word, new normal. It also influenced school education, and the need to reflect the changes of the new era emerged in education. School music education has also changed a lot compared to the past, but music textbooks have not reflected various changes. The purpose of this study is to explore the direction of the development of music textbooks according to the 2022 revised music curriculum in the new normal era. To this end, first, the meaning of the new normal was grasped and implications for music education were derived. Second, the characteristics of the new normal era reflected in the 2022 revised curriculum were analyzed. Third, the direction of music textbook development was explored for music education in the new normal era. As a result of the study, the implications of the new normal for music education were as follows: strengthening teacher competency, support for students, teaching and learning methods using digital technology, and the necessity of discussion to harmonize with the nature of music subjects. In addition, the characteristics of the new normal era were generally reflected in the curriculum amid the changed social background and needs. Music textbooks in the new normal era should be developed as textbooks for customized learning for learners, textbooks that embrace various aspects of music in the present and future, textbooks that seek to cultivate digital basic knowledge, and textbooks that encompass collaborative music activities.

Undocumented Immigrant Status: Implications for Music Education

Although issues concerning immigration have been debated for decades, the results of the 2016 U.S. presidential election ignited additional politicization, particularly regarding undocumented immigration. Dominant narratives of undocumented persons continue to be framed in damaging and deficit perspectives that position individuals as unhuman (“alien”) and criminal (“illegal”). Considering the ongoing anti-immigrant climate, it is imperative to learn from undocumented student experiences and how citizenship status might impact access to and participation in music classes. Importantly, learning from undocumented students’ experiences could help educators and administrators better support a significant population in school communities. In this review of literature, I explore research relevant to undocumented immigrant students in the United States and offer implications for working with undocumented students and families.

Does learning to play an instrument have an impact on change in attainment from age 11 to 16?

AbstractMuch previous international research has demonstrated links between general school attainment and active engagement with music. The research reported here compared the change in examination outcomes in English and mathematics in national examinations at ages 11 and 16 of instrumentalists and non-instrumentalists. Data from 701 pupils showed statistically significant differences in examination outcomes between instrumentalists and non-instrumentalists, which was also related to the duration of learning and the instrument played. Instrumentalists had greater change scores in mathematics, but not English, although instrumentalists of lower socio-economic status showed greater change in both subjects. The implications for music education are discussed.

Putting practice under the microscope: The perceived uses and limitations of slow instrumental music practice

Practicing slowly is a commonly used, intuitive approach to music learning, and is widely considered the bedrock of musical skill acquisition. Yet, little is known about the different approaches and techniques musicians use when practicing slowly. This study investigated instrumental musicians’ perspectives on the uses, limitations, and specific techniques of slow music practice, through qualitative thematic analysis of responses to an online questionnaire. Generally, slow practice was perceived as a useful, and often necessary, part of learning. Furthermore, we identified four perceived functions of slow practice. They were managing information load; building a foundation for motor learning; creative and critical problem-solving; and regulating emotional, mental, and perceptual states. We propose a possible underlying mechanism of these functions: reduction of extrinsic cognitive load and stimulation of germane cognitive processes. Respondents also perceived potential technical-practical and emotional-cognitive malfunctions of slow practice, as well as possible strategic pitfalls of using slow practice. Specific techniques of slow practice included the use of tempo organization methods and strategies to complement slow practice. This provided insight into how biomechanical differences between slow and fast playing might be bridged. Findings have implications for music education and understanding the psychology of musical skill acquisition.

Who Takes Music With Them When They Transition to High School?

According to music educators, persistence beyond a student’s initial enrollment in middle and high school music is a problem; however, there has been little research to substantiate this claim. Although several recent large-scale, longitudinal studies of initial selection into music classes have been conducted, longitudinal studies on who persists (vs. quits) in music—especially from middle to high school—are overdue. We prospectively followed a large ( n = 3,393), ethnically diverse (62% Hispanic, 29% Black), predominately low-income (77% free/reduced-price lunch) sample of eighth-grade middle school music students to high school (ninth grade) to understand predictors of persistence. Overall, only 24.5% of students taking a music elective in eighth grade continued to do so in ninth grade (band = 20.4%, chorus = 21.8%, guitar = 12.3%, orchestra = 20.4%). Initially more academically competent students (higher eighth-grade grade point average and reading and math scores) and students with disabilities were more likely to persist with music from eighth to ninth grade. Predictors varied somewhat by music type. A multigroup analysis showed moderation across music types with respect to the effect of gender, gifted status, and math on music persistence (e.g., high math scores predict band but did not predict other music-type persistence). Implications for music educators and researchers are discussed.

Implications for Music Education from a Philosophical Hermeneutic Perspective on Understanding

This article discusses the significance of theoretical analysis in narrative music education research. When we hear stories, we don't only hear about individuals' experiences. Cultural narratives are also socially and historically entrenched. In narrative studies, enlarged and in-depth comprehension requires examining how a person's life relates to phenomena such as time, culture, society, and gender. It is essential to problematize the text on multiple levels of abstraction to disclose unconscious biases, concealed conventions, and ideologies. Including hermeneutics in narrative work is one way to enhance it. Hermeneutics provides interpretations of key life events based on dialogue. Considering narrative as a mode of knowledge, narrative and hermeneutics refer to the same fundamental aspects of our individual and social existence: historicity and interaction, or dialogue, between experiences.

A comparison of federal and state special education laws: implications for music educators

State governments have the purview to interpret federal special education policies as they see fit. Interpretations of these policies to music education rarely are addressed within state special education policy. The authors selected four states to analyze and compare state special education policies; Illinois, Michigan, Texas, and Virginia. Policies highlighted by the authors include funding, LRE, access to information, and professional development. The authors outline how these policies may apply to music education settings and what music educators can do to more fully support students with disabilities. Additionally, the authors offer policy and practice recommendations.

Popular music in family contexts: Broadening the definition through a review of literature

In this article, we review literature documenting the presence and use of popular music within family contexts. After providing a definition of family from a psychological perspective, we present studies that explore popular music in traditionally structured families across the lifespan. We continue by exploring bands with members who share blood ties and progress to analyse contexts in which popular music provides space for sharing meaningful interactions and for developing feelings of family identity, such as nursing homes, homeless shelters and prisons. Considerations for the use of popular music in everyday life and implications for music education are provided.

A case study: 30 elementary music education majors’ perceptions of preparedness, interest, and comfort teaching choir before and after taking a choral methods course

The purpose of this case study was to evaluate the elementary general music education majors’ perceptions of preparedness, interest, and comfort with the choral skills presented in a choral methods course. Thirty elementary general music education majors ( N = 30) enrolled in a choral methods course responded to a pre- and post-course survey. Participants self-assessed their feelings of preparedness to teach choir, stated their interest in teaching choir, and specified their comfort levels teaching seven choral skills. It was found that there were differences between the participants’ feelings of preparedness to teach choir at the beginning and the end of the semester and in the participants’ indication of interest in teaching choir before and after taking the choral methods course. Participants’ overall comfort ratings on the seven choral music teaching skills increased from the beginning to the end of the semester; choral repertoire was the area that participants felt most comfortable, which is indispensable to provide meaningful choral experiences to young singers. Implications for music education are that music education students’ feelings of preparedness, interest in teaching choir, and their comfort in acquiring the required teaching skills to do so, provides insights into effective preservice music teacher preparation.

The impact of dysconscious racism and ethical caring on choral repertoire

ABSTRACT The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate choral directors’ experiences as they navigate Whiteness through their own personal philosophies and practices related to repertoire selection and how those lived experiences may or may not impact their students. Twelve practicing choral directors from middle school through university settings were interviewed. Three important themes arose during analysis including the presence of dysconscious racism with episodes of white fragility, the presence and absence of ethical caring, and the development of a critical consciousness along a spectrum based on experiences. Implications for music educators are offered.

Tensions in designing tablet-based musical instruments for students with disabilities

The purpose of this study was to explore the design and development of tablet-based musical instruments for individuals with disabilities in a music education context. Emergent themes were examined using the design tensions framework in order to better understand the ways student-user abilities, teacher knowledge, and designer expertise were leveraged for this project. Tensions that were encountered and balanced by the design team included: (a) interaction, (b) feedback, (c) context, and (d) ensemble experience. Based on these tensions, “as created situations” were found as results of the actions taken by the design team. These outcomes included: (a) a reduced causality due to the decreased proximity of the student-user to the sound source, (b) a connected musical experience that contextualized student choices, and (c) the emerging need for a context-specific musical pedagogy that connects new visual representations to musical output. Implications for music education and the design of technology for and with individuals with disabilities are also discussed.

Exploring a systemic functional semiotics approach to understanding emotional expression in singing performance: Implications for music education

Engagement with songs through performance and analysis is a key component of music curricula worldwide. Music learning has a significant impact on a number of student competencies, including enhancing students’ communicative abilities as they learn to manipulate, express, and share sound in both voice qualities and lyrics. However, common analyses of singing performance rarely focus exclusively on voice quality, and there is no systematic framework which considers how emotional meaning in lyrics interacts with emotional meaning in voice quality. Drawing on systemic functional semiotics, this article proposes a unified theoretical framework for examining how emotional meaning is co-constructed in the voice and lyrics in singing performance. This framework provides a novel approach for discussing and teaching song analysis and performance. The framework will be illustrated through the analysis of the interaction between voice quality and lyrics in the song “Someone Like You” performed by Adele.

Heart's Ease: Eudaimonia, Musicking in the Pandemic, and Its Implications for Music Education.

This article will review the themes found in the literature on eudaimonia: ethical behaviour, a sense of meaning and purpose, autonomy – being able to make wise decisions and manage behaviour, contemplation, relationship with spirits of the ancestors and celestial beings and relationships of mutuality, respect. It will use these to critique various events online during the pandemic, such as the Embodiment conference, the SHIFT conference and the ZOOM peace choir. These developments related to music and wellbeing will be used to interrogate the purposes of music education and what might be learned from these new developments in relation to technology in relation to themes, such as values, orality and literacy, process and product.

Music for a Lifetime: How Are We Doing? A Review of Literature on Adult Participation in Large Community Music Ensembles

A common rationale for the continued existence and support of music education in schools has been the development of skills and attitudes leading to a lifetime of music-making for all students. Therefore, the purpose of this review of literature was to examine previous research on adult participation in large ensemble (i.e., band, choir, or orchestra) community music settings. The research literature included in this study was summarized and presented according to three broad categories: (a) status studies of both demographic information and the music backgrounds of large ensemble community music participants; (b) the motivations encouraging or discouraging such participation; and (c) potential issues, both concrete and philosophical, in what Jellison (2000) termed the transition between school-based music and that of the adult world. Implications for music educators and potential ideas for future research are discussed.

The Well-being and Instructional Experiences of K-12 Music Educators: Starting a New School Year During a Pandemic.

In adapting to remote emergency teaching modes during pandemic-imposed conditions, teachers’ instruction has changed dramatically. Early research indicates that the well-being of music teachers has suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic and that high levels of depression are widespread. The purpose of this survey study was to assess the continued psychological well-being of music teachers working amid a global pandemic based upon previous research we conducted during the Spring 2020 semester when most teachers in the United States were forced into emergency remote teaching. A secondary purpose was to explore the ways that pandemic conditions have affected music teachers’ sense of safety at work and their current teaching situations. Our questionnaire consisted of sections pertaining to (1) demographic and institutional information, (2) well-being and depression, (3) instructional format and preparedness, (4) teaching efficacy compared to the start of the pandemic, and (5) potential positive outcomes of the pandemic-imposed adjustments. In total, 1,325 music teachers responded to our survey. Overall, the participants reported poorer well-being than both published norms and the sample of participants in our previous study. In addition, 17% reported mild depression, 25% reported moderate depression, and 24% reported severe extremely severe levels of depression. Summaries of the participants instructional experiences and their implications for music education are discussed within.

Effects of focus of attention instructions on listeners’ evaluations of solo instrumental performance

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of focus of attention instructions (i.e. focus on the solo, accompaniment, or collaboration) on listeners’ performance evaluations. Participants ( N = 159) were inservice band directors who listened to and evaluated the accuracy and expressivity of four excerpts of Haydn’s Concerto for Trumpet in E-Flat Major, which we created by synchronizing recordings of good and bad performances of a trumpet soloist with good and bad performances of a piano accompaniment. Results indicated a significant main effect for focus-of-attention instructions group, indicating that listeners’ ratings were affected by the focus-of-attention instructions they received. However, we also found a significant three-way interaction among solo, accompaniment, and group, which signified that the effects of focus-of-attention instructions varied according to both solo and accompaniment conditions. Asking adjudicators to focus their evaluations on the collaborative performance of a soloist and pianist may result in different performance ratings than when asked to rate the soloist or pianist only. Implications for music educators and solo and ensemble event organizers are discussed.

Technology in the didactic process as a tool for developing children’s and youth’s interest in classical music. Implications for Music Education

The article presents the difficulties and challenges in music education. The author tries to show the causes and answer the question if this branch of science is needed. For this purpose, the results of research in the field of musical education, cognitive neuroscience, psychology, as well as theoretical concepts, which are confronted with the original educational project “Symphony for Violin and DJ”, are analysed in order to show practical possibilities and solutions. The main problem of the article concerns the relevance of teaching methods to the digital world in which students live. It is presented from various perspectives and its implications are indicated.

Jammin' the Blues: Experiencing the "Good Life".

The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics, attitudes, and perceptions of older musicians who participated regularly in a local blues jam. Six core dimensions of eudaimonic well-being and their conceptual foundations provided a framework for examining the way that music-making contributes to subjective well-being during the lifespan of an individual. The following research questions guided this investigation: (1) In what ways do biographical factors and engagement with music influence the lives of older adult blues/rock musicians who participate in a local blues jam? (2) What implications for subjective well-being with regard to music learning might be used to inform music education practices? Interviews and observations over a 2-month period provided data for understanding how lived experiences impacted personal well-being, and musical growth and development over time. Findings suggested that eudaimonic well-being is the result of active engagement in human activities that are goal-directed and purposeful, and a good life involves the self-realization of individual dispositions and talents over a lifetime. Implications for music education include individualized pedagogical approaches that encourage learners to discover a sense of well-being in and through music.