Musical Ability Research Articles

Altered resting-state connectivity of the auditory cortex in congenital amusia: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study in Mandarin speakers.

Brain imaging studies have reported that the neural deficits of congenital amusia in non-tonal language speakers are mainly in the connectivity between the auditory cortex and the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) in the right hemisphere. However, the relationship between the functional connectivity (FC) in these regions and the music perception ability of amusia in tonal language speakers remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the FC characteristics of amusia in Mandarin speakers in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data by voxel-wise connectivity analyses with seeds in left and right Heschl's gyri (HG) and region of interest (ROI)-to-ROI connectivity analyses. Our findings indicate increased connectivity between right HG and bilateral posterior superior temporal gyrus, as determined by voxel-wise connectivity analyses in amusia. Conversely, reduced connectivity was observed between bilateral HG and bilateral IFG (orbital part) as assessed through ROI-to-ROI connectivity analyses in amusia when compared to controls. Moreover, the music perception scores of amusia in Mandarin speakers were associated with diminished connectivity between the left HG and the right IFG. This study furnishes direct evidence for the link between music perception deficits and the aberrant frontotemporal connectivity of congenital amusia in tonal language speakers in resting state.

Feasibility, Experiences and Short-Term Outcomes on Challenging Behaviour and Well-Being of a Partially Online Music Intervention Pilot Study for Adults With Intellectual Disabilities.

During the COVID-19 pandemic we implemented a partially online music intervention to examine the feasibility, experiences and short-term outcomes on the challenging behaviour and well-being of adults with intellectual disabilities. This mixed-methods study included 10 participants with mild or moderate intellectual disabilities who received 16 one-hour individual music sessions in 10 weeks, either face-to-face or online. Data on feasibility and experiences from participants and music workers were collected and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Challenging behaviour and well-being were measured before and after intervention. Overall experiences were positive and concerned appreciation, positive feelings, musical abilities, attention span, relatedness and personalisation. Online experiences varied, but most participants preferred face-to-face over online sessions. After the intervention, challenging behaviour scores were better than before. Engaging in a partially online music intervention is feasible for people with intellectual disabilities and seems to improve challenging behaviour. Experiences are discussed and recommendations for future online sessions are provided.

PLAYING WITH SOUNDS. EARLY AND PRESCHOOL MUSIC EDUCATION THROUGH KODALY APPROACH AND EDWIN GORDON’S MUSIC THEORY

The early introduction of children to the art of music is a recommendation in numerous curricula and approaches to music education. However, there is a need for a more profound understanding and the development of clear guidelines for working with music educators in children's educational institutions. In addition to guidance for music educators, it is crucial to persuade parents, the primary source of musical stimulation for their children, to engage with their children's musical development. Children in early childhood express natural curiosity in exploring the sounds of their environment. The incorporation of music into the natural surroundings of children can stimulate their interest in singing, dancing, and playing musical instruments. Many scholars engaged in research on children’s music education are interested in understanding how to develop children’s musical abilities to support their understanding of musical language.

Validating scores from the short form of the Music Self-Perception Inventory (MUSPI-S) with seventh- to ninth-grade school students in Germany

The Music Self-Perception Inventory-Short (MUSPI-S) is a theoretically based instrument consisting of 28 items with subscales that assess music self-concept globally and in six specific areas. The present study sought to validate a German translation of the MUSPI-S using a sample of 444 secondary school students. In addition to participants’ scores from the German translation of the MUSPI-S, associated data included demographic background variables, self-reported school grades in various subjects, and interest in the school subject of music. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the hypothesized factor structure and measurement model for MUSPI-S scores. Latent factor correlations among MUSPI-S subscale scores and correlations of these scores with school grades and interest in the school subject of music aligned well with theoretical expectations and previous research. Findings also provided evidence for strict measurement invariance of scores in the German MUSPI-S across subgroups of gender, school year (i.e., grade level), and musical activity. MUSPI-S subscale factor-level means did not reliably differ among seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-grade students but favored females over males and musically active over non-active students on nearly all subscales. Overall, this evidence supports the use of the German translation of the MUSPI-S in assessing a wide range of important self-perceived musical abilities for research and practical assessment purposes.

The Neural Correlates of Spontaneous Beat Processing and Its Relationship with Music-Related Characteristics of the Individual.

In the presence of temporally organized stimuli, there is a tendency to entrain to the beat, even at the neurological level. Previous research has shown that when adults listen to rhythmic stimuli and are asked to imagine the beat, their neural responses are the same as when the beat is physically accented. The current study explores the neural processing of simple beat structures where the beat is physically accented or inferred from a previously presented physically accented beat structure in a passive listening context. We further explore the associations of these neural correlates with behavioral and self-reported measures of musicality. Fifty-seven participants completed a passive listening EEG paradigm, a behavioral rhythm discrimination task, and a self-reported musicality questionnaire. Our findings suggest that when the beat is physically accented, individuals demonstrate distinct neural responses to the beat in the beta (13-23 Hz) and gamma (24-50 Hz) frequency bands. We further find that the neural marker in the beta band is associated with individuals' self-reported musical perceptual abilities. Overall, this study provides insights into the neural correlates of spontaneous beat processing and its connections with musicality.

Music education training for kindergarten teachers: a workshop integrating Shulman’s pedagogical content knowledge and pedagogical reasoning and action model

ABSTRACT Kindergarten teachers often express concerns about the insufficient preparation they receive in their training programs to effectively teach music. This lack of confidence in their music teaching and musical ability can impact their effectiveness of teaching, which in turn can affect children’s music learning. To address this deficiency in music training for preservice teachers, this study consists of a workshop that integrates Shulman’s Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) through the Pedagogical Reasoning and Action Model (PRA). The workshop takes an experiential approach, moving away from the traditional separation of content knowledge and pedagogy. Nine participants took part in the workshop and were interviewed to address two research questions: 1. How do preservice teachers perceive the significance of their musical competence and music pedagogy skills when conducting a music lesson? 2. In what ways does the workshop contribute to the professional growth and effectiveness of preservice teachers in music teaching? The integrated approach employed in the workshop proved effective in enhancing the preservice teachers’ comprehension of PCK through PRA model. The study emphasizes the significance of designing training programs that encompass the breadth and depth of Shulman’s theory of teaching, equipping teachers to deliver music education.

Musical Sophistication and Multilingualism: Effects on Arcuate Fasciculus Characteristics.

The processing of auditory stimuli which are structured in time is thought to involve the arcuate fasciculus, the white matter tract which connects the temporal cortex and the inferior frontal gyrus. Research has indicated effects of both musical and language experience on the structural characteristics of the arcuate fasciculus. Here, we investigated in a sample of n = 84 young adults whether continuous conceptualizations of musical and multilingual experience related to structural characteristics of the arcuate fasciculus, measured using diffusion tensor imaging. Probabilistic tractography was used to identify the dorsal and ventral parts of the white matter tract. Linear regressions indicated that different aspects of musical sophistication related to the arcuate fasciculus' volume (emotional engagement with music), volumetric asymmetry (musical training and music perceptual abilities), and fractional anisotropy (music perceptual abilities). Our conceptualization of multilingual experience, accounting for participants' proficiency in reading, writing, understanding, and speaking different languages, was not related to the structural characteristics of the arcuate fasciculus. We discuss our results in the context of other research on hemispheric specializations and a dual-stream model of auditory processing.

KARL ORFF AND SHINICHI SUZUKI ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD MUSIC EDUCATION

In this article the authors consider pedagogical concepts of Karl Orff (Germany) and Shinichi Suzuki (Japan), regarding music education of young children. As is known, they dedicated their lives to the musical and aesthetic education of children and made an invaluable contribution in world music pedagogy. Leading scientists and researchers highly rate their activities. The article presents an analysis of scientific sources, brief biographical data and information. In particular, it is reveals that the creative atmosphere in his family influenced the becoming of K. Orff as a composer, musician and teacher. The desire for improvisation, composing music, poems and stories, staging theatrical performances became the core that contributed to the emergence of an integral system of music-aesthetic education of children called «Orff-pedagogy». Its basic principle defined by the concept of «learning-doing creating». Various types of musical activities, on which he relied in his work, aimed to emotional-creative and moral-aesthetic education of the younger generation.The uniqueness of Suzuki's method emphasized by the necessity of forming creative activity in the process of musical-performance activity, in particular, in playing the violin, from the earliest childhood. The materials of the article also allow us to understand that Suzuki's "method of talent education" implies: reliance on the belief, regardless of the child's capabilities, that every child has musical abilities; manifestation of the teacher's love for young performers; training them to creative labor; joint work of the teacher and parents in the musical education of children; manifestation of care and mutual assistance.In spite of the fact that K. Orff and S. Suzuki are representatives of different ethnic groups, cultures and traditions, but their pedagogical views have much in common. This is, above all, the manifestation of great love for children, the desire to bring them up to be creatively active not only in the process of communicating with music, but also in their relationship with the world around.

Folk games as a tool of formation of artistic and creative competence of primary school children in music classes

The article describes the features of acquiring artistic and creative competence, as a child's elementary awareness of the specifics of art forms (artistic and productive, musical, theatrical); valuable attitude to art and artistic activity, the desire to perceive folklore art. Folkloric forms of the heritage of Ukrainian culture are considered. Teaching and methodical material and practical recommendations are offered, which in music classes will be useful both to experienced teachers of preschool institutions and to those workers who are starting to work with the smallest brains. Normative documents in the field of preschool education were studied and play competence was considered as a child's ability to free, emotionally saturated, spontaneous activity on his/her own initiative, in which the possibility of applying existing and assimilating new knowledge and personal development is realized due to the child's desire to participate in the life of adults through the realization of interests in game and role-playing actions in a generalized form. The necessity of using folk games for the formation of artistic and creative competence in preschool children is substantiated. Peculiarities of knowledge of the surrounding world of preschool children and themselves in it are determined. The work proposes to create a basis for the natural formation and development of musical abilities in preschoolers through a folk game by encouraging children to play folk games. It has been emphasized that raising children is based on love and respect for Ukrainian musical folklore. The secrets of conducting music classes using folk games and working with preschoolers are recommended to teachers of primary schools, music teachers, teachers of children's vocal ensembles of extracurricular and club institutions, scientists, graduate students, students of pedagogical and art educational institutions, parents and the general public

Frontoparietal network topology as a neural marker of musical perceptual abilities

Why are some individuals more musical than others? Neither cognitive testing nor classical localizationist neuroscience alone can provide a complete answer. Here, we test how the interplay of brain network organization and cognitive function delivers graded perceptual abilities in a distinctively human capacity. We analyze multimodal magnetic resonance imaging, cognitive, and behavioral data from 200+ participants, focusing on a canonical working memory network encompassing prefrontal and posterior parietal regions. Using graph theory, we examine structural and functional frontoparietal network organization in relation to assessments of musical aptitude and experience. Results reveal a positive correlation between perceptual abilities and the integration efficiency of key frontoparietal regions. The linkage between functional networks and musical abilities is mediated by working memory processes, whereas structural networks influence these abilities through sensory integration. Our work lays the foundation for future investigations into the neurobiological roots of individual differences in musicality.

A comparison of teachers’ musical abilities between public and private kindergartens in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China

Abstract This study investigates teachers’ musical abilities in Shandong kindergartens in China, making a comparison between public and private kindergartens. For this research, five public and five private kindergartens were selected within the same city. The methods of non-participant observation and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The findings show that the overall musical abilities of public kindergarten teachers were greater than those of private kindergarten teachers. This study reveals that leadership and government policy are important factors for influencing the results, and puts forward recommendations for making changes in policy to improve teachers’ musical abilities in private kindergartens.

Methods of teaching flute playing: Synthesis of Ukrainian and European schools

The aim of the study was to investigate the methods of teaching flute playing through the unification of international schools. In the course of the study, a series of focus groups were held with 26 people, including experienced flutists, teachers of music schools and conservatories, and students of music faculties. The focus groups helped to find out which teaching methods are most effective and which aspects of Ukrainian and European schools can be successfully combined to achieve the best results in flute teaching. The study found that different breathing techniques, hand and finger positions, interpretation of musical works and development of musical ear are important for flute playing. The results of the study showed that the Ukrainian school emphasizes folk traditions and emotional expression, while the European school focuses on technical excellence and academic accuracy. The focus group participants agreed that a synthesis of these approaches could provide students with a more comprehensive music education, combining technical skills with a deep emotional understanding of music. Based on the data obtained, recommendations for teachers were developed that include a combination of techniques from both schools, which contributes to the harmonious development of students’ musical abilities. The study points out the importance of an individual approach and the need to adapt techniques to the needs of each student, which is a key aspect of successful flute teaching. This approach allows taking into account the individual characteristics of each musician, contributing to their harmonious development and success in their musical career

Loop and Enjoy: A Scoping Review of the Research on the Effects of Processing Fluency on Aesthetic Reactions to Auditory Stimuli.

Processing fluency has been shown to affect how people aesthetically evaluate stimuli. While this effect is well documented for visual stimuli, the evidence accumulated for auditory stimuli has not yet been integrated. Our aim was to examine the relevant research on how processing fluency affects the aesthetic appreciation of auditory stimuli and to identify the extant knowledge gaps in this body of evidence. This scoping review of 19 studies reported across 13 articles found that, similarly to visual stimuli, fluency has a positive effect on liking of auditory stimuli. Additionally, we identified certain elements that impede the generalizability of the current research on the relationship between fluency and aesthetic reactions to auditory stimuli, such as a lack of consistency in the number of repeated exposures, the tendency to omit the affective component and the failure to account for personal variables such as musical abilities developed through musical training or the participants' personality or preferences. These results offer a starting point in developing novel and proper processing fluency manipulations of auditory stimuli and suggest several avenues for future research aiming to clarify the impact and importance of processing fluency and disfluency in this domain.

Pengelompokan Tingkat Pengembangan Bakat pada Anak Menggunakan Metode Clustering

Education is one measure of success or success in the knowledge/intelligence of students with their talents. Talent is an innate potential ability, which still needs to be honed and retrained so that it can become a capable ability, expertise and skills. Talent can be obtained from several ability tests that will be carried out so that children can find out what talents they have. MIS Mutia Rahma is a school that plays an important role in developing the talents of each of its students with various standards from the lowest to the highest. This school strives to maximize the potential of its students. Based on data obtained from 2010-2022, there are 1056 student talent development data. However, from this data it is not yet clear how the process of dividing groups and monitoring student talents is carried out. Therefore, an effective method is needed to process this data in order to classify the development of children's talents. The method that can be used to group data on children's talent development is the K-Means algorithm. Of the 20 data, there are 3 groups, namely group 1 has 7 data and group 2 has 11 data, and group 3 has 2 data with the most results obtained being cluster 2 with the group level of talent development in children aged (X) 8-10 years, who have the ability (Y) linguistic ability (KL), musical ability (KM), spatial ability (KS), kinesthetic ability (KK) & intrapersonal ability (KIP), the type of extracurricular (Z) that is developed in children is Football.

초등학교 ‘즐거운 생활’ 통합교과서에 나타난 한 줄 형태 그림 악보의 비판적 고찰

The score of music must have the ease and accuracy in conveying musical expression. The picture scores shown in the integrated curriculum of ‘Pleasure Life’ of the elementary school curriculum consider the ease of musical expression relatively well, but there are somewhat lacking in the accuracy of expression. That is because the presentation of musical elements is not sufficient. Music elements appear in the length, height, harmony, speed, form, and color of sound based on the physical phenomenon of sound. As such, the picture score must contain the characteristics of these musical elements well. Although it is certainly difficult for the ‘Pleasure Life' textbook for the lower grades of elementary school to fully consider these musical elements, the length and height of sound, which are the most basic musical elements, must be accurately marked. If these are ignored, it is greatly hesitated about how to express the music. No matter how much the picture score is for the lower grades, especially the sense of length and height of sound must be sufficiently developed in the lower grades of elementary school, so only this criterion must be clearly presented. This is because the acquisition of musical senses and concepts during this period has a great influence on the subsequent expansion of musical expression ability and musical growth. Therefore, the picture score for the lower grades of elementary school should be presented with sufficient consideration for sensory feelings along with basic musical elements such as the length of the note, the height of the note, the color of the note.

사물인터넷(IoT)에 기반한 움직임 음악교육 시스템 개발 및 활용

The purpose of this research is to suggest the new approach of the music education that utilizes the IoT technology. To achieve this, we explored IoT and examined the AI, ICT and IoT tools currently used in music education. IoT technology offers advantages such as facilitating interactive communication, enabling easier interactions, and expanding the range of physical movements. However, most music education tools currently available on the market are primarily based on AI and ICT. Among the IoT-based tools, there were very few that used movement to teach music. Thus, the IoT-based movement music education system “Muvement” has been invented. This system is composed of the features ‘drawing movement’ and ‘making music'. Unlike traditional music education applications that rely on small screens of phones, tablets, or computer monitors, this technology enables learners to explore and learn musical elements by utilizing a larger space and engaging their entire bodies. Through this, learners can actively explore music with visual and auditory feedback and experience music in a creative way. This extends static and two-dimensional music activities into dynamic and three-dimensional experiences, opening up new possibilities for the future of music education. The technology can be used in various areas of music education such as performance, listening, and creation, as well as in collaborative lessons with other subjects like art and physical education. Outside of school, it can be used as a tool to enhance musical abilities and promote physical and mental health for different age groups, including young children, adults, and the elderly. Furthermore, it offers new approaches in the performing arts field and in rehabilitation therapy programs, expanding its social value and cultural impact. This study introduces the technology and its applications, highlighting the need for further research to concretely reveal the educational and physiological effects and significance of the technology in music education.

Analysis of the Role and Strategies of New Media VR Technology in Music Education for Cultivating Middle School Students' Music Appreciation Ability

With the rapid development of new media technology, virtual reality (VR) technology has increasingly been applied in the field of education, particularly showing great potential in music education. By introducing VR technology, this study explores its role in cultivating students' music appreciation abilities. VR technology has significant application value in music education. Through the design of scientific teaching content, innovative teaching methods, and effective evaluation feedback mechanisms, it can comprehensively enhance middle school students' music appreciation abilities. This provides a valuable reference for the further promotion and application of VR music education.

Psychophysical correlates of musicality in musically untrained children: evidence for musical sleepers in children

BackgroundMusic learning induces significant neural changes, enhancing auditory, verbal, and visuospatial skills, IQ, and speech perception. Research studies reveal structural and functional brain plasticity due to music training in adults and children. While musical abilities are linked to formal training, the existence of “musical sleepers” with heightened speech perception without formal training is noteworthy in adults. This study addresses the gap in understanding such phenomena in children, exploring psychophysical abilities in musically adept children, and aiming to impact rehabilitation models.Materials and methodA pre-experimental study involved 164 typically developing children (mean age: 9.93) without musical training. Musical abilities were evaluated using the abbreviated version of Montreal Battery for Evaluation of Musical Abilities (MBEMA) test in DMDX software, covering melody, rhythm, and memory subtests. Psychophysical tests in MATLAB assessed temporal, frequency, intensity, timbre, and binaural resolution.ResultsUsing a median split based on MBEMA test scores (median: 42), 84 children exhibited poor musical abilities, while 80 showed good ones. Descriptive statistics for MBEMA scores and psychophysical tests were conducted. As data did not follow normal distribution, non-parametric inferential statistics were employed.Mann–Whitney U tests revealed significant differences favouring good musical abilities in all assessments: gap deduction (p = 0.01), pitch discrimination at 500 Hz and 4 kHz (p = 0.00), intensity discrimination at 500 Hz (p = 0.00) and 4 kHz (p = 0.01), profile analysis (p = 0.01), interaural level difference (p = 0.023), and interaural time difference (p = 0.038). Spearman correlation showed highest correlation with pitch discrimination at 500 Hz (r = − 0.538), 4 kHz (− 0.416), intensity discrimination at 4 kHz (r = − 0.367), and 500 Hz (r = − 0.311), profile analysis (r = − 0.313), interaural level difference (r = − 0.276), and gap deduction (r = − 0.235). All were significant (p < 0.01), except for the interaural time difference.ConclusionChildren excelling in music surpassed those with weaker abilities in psychophysical tasks. This echoes past research, underscoring auditory discrimination’s influence on musical skills in untrained children. These results potentially support the concept of musical sleepers in children. Key predictors include pitch discrimination, while interaural time difference exhibited minimal correlation. Utilising such assessments may predict musical training outcomes for children with auditory disorders, but additional robust statistical investigation is necessary.

Parental achievement pressure perceived by gifted children

The study was conducted in order to determine the pressure on the achievement expectations perceived by the parents of gifted secondary school level children attending Science and Art Center in the 5th-8th grades attending Science and Art Center in the city center of Karaman. It was carried out with 115 gifted children at 5th-8th grade level. Demographic information form and Parental Achievement Pressure Scale were used to collect data. The branches in which children are diagnosed are, respectively, general ability with 71,30%, art with 16,52% and music with 12,18%. No significant relationship was found between the ages of gifted children attending Science and Art Center and the duration of their attendance at Science and Art Center, and the ages of their mothers and fathers, and parental pressure for achievement. On the other hand, it was concluded that the achievement pressure scores perceived by children in the general ability branch were significantly lower than the achievement pressure scores perceived by children in the art and music branches. At this point, it is thought that it would be appropriate to include necessary guidance for parents about not put pressure on their children who are diagnosed as gifted, especially with the expectation of academic achievement. Keywords: Superior ability, science and art center (sac), parental achievement pressure, general ability, art and music ability branches.

Prosodic discrimination skills mediate the association between musical aptitude and vocal emotion recognition ability

The current study tested the hypothesis that the association between musical ability and vocal emotion recognition skills is mediated by accuracy in prosody perception. Furthermore, it was investigated whether this association is primarily related to musical expertise, operationalized by long-term engagement in musical activities, or musical aptitude, operationalized by a test of musical perceptual ability. To this end, we conducted three studies: In Study 1 (N = 85) and Study 2 (N = 93), we developed and validated a new instrument for the assessment of prosodic discrimination ability. In Study 3 (N = 136), we examined whether the association between musical ability and vocal emotion recognition was mediated by prosodic discrimination ability. We found evidence for a full mediation, though only in relation to musical aptitude and not in relation to musical expertise. Taken together, these findings suggest that individuals with high musical aptitude have superior prosody perception skills, which in turn contribute to their vocal emotion recognition skills. Importantly, our results suggest that these benefits are not unique to musicians, but extend to non-musicians with high musical aptitude.