Musical Competence Research Articles

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.

МУЗИКАТА В СВЕТА НА ДЕТЕТО

This publication describes an innovative pedagogical practice in the educational subject ‘Music’ on the topic ‘Spring and music’. The musical activities in it are aimed to improve children’s performance skills in five-year-old children in singing, playing with children’s musical instruments, motor reflection of music, as well as strengthening their ideas about the types of musical instruments in terms of appearance and way of sound extraction. Open pedagogical practice is part of the activities of the National Program ‘It’s good in kindergarten’. The use of modern digital educational tools such as an interactive board, an interactive fl oor, interactive tables, as well as web-based tools – contribute to the successful formation of children’s performance skills in singing, playing with children’s musical instruments and moving with music. Applying the approaches ‘learning by playing’, ‘learning by doing’ and ‘learning by experiencing’ enriched musical competence, emotional responsiveness and a positive evaluative attitude towards their own skills and the skills of others.

Developing the music listening skills test (MLST) for pre-school and elementary school teacher candidates

In this study, it was aimed to develop a music listening skill test for primary school teacher candidates to determine their levels of perception of basic musical structures through listening. A total of 260 teacher candidates studying in the department of primary education (early childhood and elementary education) of a public university in Türkiye formed the study group of the research. KR-20 internal consistency coefficient of the Music Listening Skills Test (MLST) was determined as 0.731. The mean of the item difficulty index of the test is 0.60, and the mean of the item distinctiveness index is 0.38. The MLST consists of a total of 27 questions with 53 listening contents converted into audio files in MP3 format to be played by the practitioner. The MLST can be used as a preliminary assessment tool in studies on the development of musical competencies. In addition, the musical structures in the test content can be handled in the music education processes of teacher candidates. Assessing music listening skills can also make it easier to follow the steps to be followed in the education of teacher candidates. In this way, educational contents can be developed and music education programs can be updated.

An Assessment of the Relevance of Primary School Choir Directors’ Musical Competencies on Quality Performances

An Assessment of the Relevance of Primary School Choir Directors’ Musical Competencies on Quality Performances

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-RATED MUSICAL COMPETENCE AND AUDITORY PROCESSING IN INSTRUMENTALISTS

IntroductionAlthough the benefits of musical training have been shown to affect a number of auditory processes, the question of how self-rated musical competence correlates with auditory perception remains largely unexplored. The present study aimed to investigate how self-perceived musical competence correlates with musicians’ ratings of their own abilities in speech perception, spatial hearing, and <i></i>sound qualities.Material and methodsThe <i>Edinburgh Lifetime Musical Experience Questionnaire</i> (ELMEQ) was administered on 57 instrumentalists aged 19 to 53 years (mean = 25.1 ± 4.9 years, 34 males and 23 females). All had normal hearing and had undergone formal training on musical instruments for 1–2 years. All of them also regularly practised music for at least 1–2 h/week. Based on their ELMEQ scores, they were divided into two groups: low (ELMEQ score ≤ 7; <i>n</i> = 12) and high (ELMEQ score ≥ 11; <i>n</i> = 16; self-perceived musical competence. Participants were sent a modified questionnaire from the <i>Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale</i> (SSQ) using Google forms, and the data statistically analysed.ResultsA Mann–Whitney <i>U</i>-test showed that participants with high self-rated musical competence had significantly higher ratings on the spatial hearing and sound qualities sub-domains of SSQ compared to their counterparts who had lower ELMEQ scores. However, both groups scored about the same on the speech perception domain of SSQ. A Spearman test revealed a moderate to strong positive correlation between self-rated musical competence and SSQ ratings in each domain.ConclusionsThe findings show that instrumentalists with high self-rated musical competence exhibited high proficiency in the spatial hearing and sound quality domains of auditory processing.

The Impact of the Hyperscore Musical Composition Program on Students / Impactul programului de compoziția muzicală Hyperscore asupra studenților

The development of musical competences requires educational contexts characterised by diversity. Modern trends in education and the profile of Generation Z require the adaptation of teaching-learning-assessment strategies to new training conditions. Thus, the digital dimension cannot be missing from the range of activities carried out with students. This study presents the results of a questionnaire survey of students from two partner higher music institutions. The focus is on the impact of the Hyperscore music composition programme on students.

수업 시연 과정에서 나타난 초등 예비교사의 음악 수업에 대한 인식

Purpose: This study aimed to discover the perceptions of pre-service teachers about music classes and to seek directions for enhancing the music class expertise through difficulties and demands for their music classes.
 Methods: Elementary school pre-service teachers participated in micro-teaching and filled out self-assessment sheets based on recorded class videos. A survey was conducted with 201 pre-service elementary school teachers about their perception of music classes before and after micro-teaching and what they believed their needs were to improve their music class expertise after micro-teaching.
 Results: First, the teachers recognized music classes as classes that felt the beauty of music and sympathized with emotions and values by considering the learners based on music knowledge. Second, they wanted a student participation-oriented music class based on the teacher's musical knowledge and practical skills, but they were experiencing trial and error in the micro-teaching due to their lack of music class experiences. Third, they had many individual differences in their confident music classes. To improve the professionalism of music classes, they believed that they required teacher training institutions to strengthen their connection with the field, support for improving musical competence, expand the number of hours of related subjects, expand class equipment, and provide opportunities to observe and analyze excellent classes. In addition, they recognized the need to develop individual abilities in relation to music practical skills, music knowledge, and music teaching methods in relation to the difficulties they encountered while micro-teaching.
 Conclusion: For the participants in the study to grow into teachers with music instruction expertise, various efforts are required, including not only for the individuals but also teacher training institutions. Following this study, it is expected that future studies will examine specific measures to improve the professionalism of music classes.

Unraveling the contributions of prosodic patterns and individual traits on cross-linguistic perception of Spanish sentence modality.

Cross-linguistic perception is known to be molded by native and second language (L2) experiences. Yet, the role of prosodic patterns and individual characteristics on how speakers of tonal languages perceive L2 Spanish sentence modalities remains relatively underexplored. This study addresses the gap by analyzing the auditory performance of 75 Mandarin speakers with varying levels of Spanish proficiency. The experiment consisted of four parts: the first three collected sociolinguistic profiles and assessed participants' pragmatic competence and musical abilities. The last part involved an auditory gating task, where participants were asked to identify Spanish broad focus statements and information-seeking yes/no questions with different stress patterns. Results indicated that the shape of intonation contours and the position of the final stressed syllable significantly impact learners' perceptual accuracy, with effects modulated by utterance length and L2 proficiency. Moreover, individual differences in pragmatic and musical competence were found to refine auditory and cognitive processing in Mandarin learners, thereby influencing their ability to discriminate question-statement contrasts. These findings reveal the complex interplay between prosodic and individual variations in L2 speech perception, providing novel insights into how speakers of tonal languages process intonation in a non-native Romance language like Spanish.

Cultural Harmony in Education: A Comparative Study of Traditional and Modern Music Teaching Methods in Kazakhstan

This paper presents a comparative study of traditional and modern methods of music teaching in Kazakhstan, exploring how these approaches coexist and complement each other in the current educational landscape. It examines the integration of Kazakhstan's rich musical heritage with contemporary educational techniques, highlighting the balance between preserving cultural identity and embracing global music trends. The study involves a literature review and case studies from various educational institutions across Kazakhstan. It discusses the impact of such integration on students' musical skills, cultural awareness, and creative development. The paper also addresses the challenges and opportunities in harmonizing traditional Kazakh music with modern pedagogical practices. The findings reveal the importance of a diversified approach to music education, which not only fosters a deeper appreciation of Kazakh cultural heritage but also equips students with a broad range of musical competencies.

Developing Clinical Perspectives: Reflections on Student and Teacher Experiences of an Undergraduate Music Therapy Course

Abstract Centered in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, we describe and reflect upon student and teacher experiences of an undergraduate music therapy course in which students are introduced to two core clinical perspectives derived from the music therapy literature: decision-making and case formulation. Guiding the reader through four interrelated course phases, we discuss key content areas, challenges students encountered, and the ways the course instructors engaged with and worked through these challenges. Key learning outcomes are identified, specifically focusing on the importance of 1) teaching multiple perspectives early in a music therapy curriculum, 2) prerequisite knowledge, 3) musical competence, and 4) an integrated curriculum. In doing so, we advocate for an integral perspective to clinical practice, through which students develop the ability to locate themselves and shift perspectives in service of their clients.

Musicogram Use by Preschool Teachers in Listening Activities

Limited and mostly superficial exposure to music experiences during childhood negatively affects various musical competencies that develop early on, such as auditory and perceptual skills, a sense of rhythm, and the ability to sing in harmony. High-quality music education in early childhood can only be achieved by incorporating meaningful and active music listening activities into teaching practices by teachers, creating learning environments aimed at enhancing musical skills in children. The learning needs, motivations, and preferences of teachers shape the musical practices in music education. The selection of techniques for implementation, preparation, or equipment deficiencies leads to a series of interrelated outcomes affecting teachers and children. With this aim, the research was conducted to gather the opinions of preschool teachers regarding the use of musicograms in their music activities and to identify the shortcomings in the appropriate use of musicograms for their intended purpose. The research employed a qualitative research method with a case study design. The study group consisted of 33 teachers working in preschools. Data was collected using the focus group technique, and the data collected were analyzed using content analysis. As a result of the research, it was determined that teachers mainly included song activities (singing and listening), rhythm activities, and, to a lesser extent, musical games (ront), and creative movement and dance activities within the framework of music activities. It has been found that most teachers do not know what “musicogram” means. Musicogram was defined as “musicomoviegram,” essentially a musical animation. Additionally, it was determined that teachers need in-service and post-service support, prefer music activities to be conducted by specialized music teachers, emphasize the use of music more as a conceptual tool than for its artistic content, face material and equipment shortages, and particularly lack theoretical and practical background in using musicograms in listening activities. Teachers were found not to include different types of music that reveal changes in musical features such as dynamics, meter, and tempo in their classrooms, and they did not express a need to include such music types.

Examining the Mediating Effects of Cognitive Style on the Relation Between Music Competence and Creativity

This study aimed to examine the mediating effects of cognitive style on the relationship between music competence and creative thinking. The participants were college students from a university in Eastern China. The categorization between rationality and experientiality (intuition) was adopted to measure students’ cognitive styles. A model was formulated in which music competence predicted cognitive style, which in turn predicted creativity. Structural equation modeling with Mplus 7.4 was utilized to examine the model fit and mediating effects. The result showed that (a) the model fit was acceptable; (b) both rationality and experientiality functioned as significant mediators on the path from music ability to creativity; and (c) the mediating effect of rationality was significantly greater than that of experientiality. The model presented an overall description of the relationships among the four variables; additionally, it revealed that rationality played a more prominent role than intuition did in creative thought.

Formation of Professional Competence of a Future Music Teacher in the Process of Studying the Discipline «The Main Musical Instrument is the Piano»

The purpose of our research is to consider the technology of forming a professional competence approach of a future music teacher in the discipline of the musical instrument, namely in the classroom-piano. We applied a set of methods of scientific cognition, namely: analysis of philosophical, psychological, musical and pedagogical literature, content analysis of the basic concepts of research, observation, introspection, self-assessment, conversations. In the course of the research, a terminological analysis of the concept of “technology for the formation of professional competence” was carried out, criteria and components were identified. Based on the data obtained, the author's approach to the interpretation of this definition is formulated. In the process of considering the features of the organization of the learning environment as an effective technology for the formation of professional competence of a future music teacher in the discipline “The musical instrument is the piano”, the essential characteristics of this discipline were identified, we tried to reveal the mechanisms of action of the technology of professorial competence, namely the mastery, implementation and development of professional musical competencies of students in the piano discipline. Based on the analysis of various points of view on the activity and competence of the individual, we give an explanation of the concept of professional competence of the individual in training. The professional competence and preparedness of future music teachers is manifested in their ability to master and study their profession, to master skills and abilities in organizing the process of musical and pedagogical activity at school.

Study of musical competences of early childhood education teachers

The article presents the results of a survey conducted among early childhood education teachers in randomly selected primary schools in Poland. The aim of the study was to determine the level of musical competence of early childhood education teachers and to identify tools that would help improve the quality of their music lessons. In the theoretical part, the authors show how important the period of early childhood is in music education, i.e., among others, stage of early childhood education, and they refer to research showing that teachers with appropriate musical education have a much greater impact on the development of musical competences in children compared to teachers without such education. The conclusions of the study indicate the need for better education of early childhood education teachers in the field of musical competences at the academic level, e.g., increased number of hours devoted to music classes, learning to play harmonic instruments such as guitar or ukulele, and training in new digital technologies possible to use in music education, that would help them conduct their classes.

Musical Instruments’ African-Based Studies: The Application of the Afro-Brazilian Knowledge to Study Non-African-based Musical Instruments

In the last two decades, the Brazilian music scenario has been marked by an increasingly academic-oriented interest in studying and applying musical knowledge stemming from African-heritage. Institutions and researchers from Salvador city hold an important role in the development and dissemination of this type of knowledge. Accordingly, this article’s general aim is to discuss possible implications of the application of African-based musical knowledge in the study of non-African-based instruments, focusing on the Soteropolitan context. This paper has four specific aims to support the general purpose: 1) To present the Salvador city and the main historical and social elements related to musical contexts; 2) To present some publications which employed African-based musical knowledge for the development of musical competences related to non-African-based musical instruments; 3) To analyze these materials from a music education perspective; and 4) To integrate the examinations with broader social discussions. Pursuing these aims, the current study applies a qualitative document analysis as its methodological approach to acquire the data, examine the materials and develop the knowledge which will support the proposed reflections. Despite the municipal orientation, it is expected that the promotion of a deep understanding of a local phenomenon can influence broader sectors of music education.

Innovative reform strategy of college music education art practice based on information fusion technology

Abstract This paper is designed to improve the efficiency and quality of teaching and learning efforts and to meet the multidimensional information needs of music educators and learners. From the perspective of information fusion technology, we build a multi-source information fusion system based on the basic system architecture. The maximum likelihood, least squares, and D-S algorithms were used to calculate and construct the sampling evaluation index equations. A survey of the teaching methods used in music teaching in colleges and universities was conducted to analyze three strategies needed for college education reform: innovative teaching methods, strengthening teachers’ music competence and quality, and establishing feedback mechanisms for college music teaching evaluation. The combined survey results show that 72% of music teachers believe their teaching skills have been greatly enhanced, while students’ willingness to take music lessons after using information integration technology has all risen to over 80%.Therefore, in the process of music teaching in colleges and universities, the integration of information integration technology can not only improve students’ interest in learning but also improve teachers’ teaching ability, which provides a certain degree of reference for the reform of music teaching in colleges and universities.

Revitalizing cultural heritage: Strategies for teaching Indonesian traditional music in elementary schools

This study focuses on the integration of Indonesian traditional music education at the elementary school level as a strategy for promoting culture in Indonesia. It recognizes the significance of social capital, cultural capital, and knowledge capital as the foundation for fostering a comprehensive and systematic approach to cultural development. The research employs interview, observation, and literature review methods to gather data, guided by three key questions: (1) the current state of traditional music teaching in Indonesian elementary schools, (2) the strategies employed in integrating traditional music education, and (3) the outcomes of the Archipelago Traditional Music pre-congress in 2021 within the paradigm of elementary school music education. The analysis is primarily based on the implementation of previous policies and programs, particularly those managed by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The study's findings reveal several important aspects, including: (1) the need for statutory regulations supporting the conservation of traditional music programs, (2) fostering active collaboration between teachers and traditional artists or musicians through open participation, (3) providing necessary facilities and infrastructure to create an ecosystem conducive to traditional music education at the elementary school level, (4) implementing training programs to enhance the traditional music competence of elementary school teachers, and (5) involving the traditional music community in the design of the curriculum for traditional music education in elementary schools. These results underscore the importance of integrating traditional music education at the elementary school level to promote Indonesian culture. By implementing the suggested strategies, policymakers and educators can contribute to the preservation and development of traditional music, creating a stronger cultural foundation within Indonesian society.

Competencies and Challenges in Teaching Music

It is generally agreed upon that teachers must possess certain competences in order to provide students with instruction of the highest caliber and encourage meaningful learning. Despite the fact that many studies have been done on competences in various fields, few studies have been done specifically on teachers competencies in music education. This study looked at the various degrees of expertise held by elementary school music teachers (n=153). A quantitative research design was employed. The instrument utilized was researcher-made – validity and reliability were established. Based on the findings, teachers were generally competent in teaching Music though most of them have no units in Music in their bachelors degree and with less opportunity to attend training related to Music. Teaching Music was quite challenging. However, curriculum, instructional materials, and physical facilities were more challenging than teaching strategies when teaching Music. Teachers Music competence and challenges in teaching Music were significantly correlated. Teachers ability to handle Music teaching process is associated to the challenge they encounter. Therefore, this study recommends training programs for teachers be designed based on Music competencies and challenges in teaching.

The humiliated began to sing

In this article, the protest songs of teachers on strike were analysed as a traditional pedagogical tool of popular education, social movements, and trade unions. An important context for this was the commodification of the entertainment market, expectations towards the teaching profession, and the state of musical competencies in the population. By identifying what the essence of teaching in the teachers' protest songs was, recommendations for making these activities more educational and politically more effective have been presented. The songs might have played a role in the demise of the strike, in the specific political context, described in the paper. Using the comparisons of teachers to animals by the teachers themselves was a common, but risky tactic.

Attending cultural events and aquiring cultural capital in the context of developing music competencies of future teachers for teaching music culture in lower grades

As part of the Music Culture course, teacher education students at the Faculty of Teacher Education of the University of Zagreb are obliged to attend classical and jazz music concerts organized by the faculty as a part of the Music Scene of the Faculty of Teacher Education.The paper aims to examine the attitudes and opinions of teacher education students about the importance and necessity of attending cultural events, especially concerts, in order to conduct music culture classes in primary education successfully and effectively.The results show that students who, to a greater extent, believe that it is necessary for teachers to actively attend classical music concerts in order to conduct music culture lessons successfully are the ones who listen to classical music more often themselves. There were positive correlations found between the attitude that, for the successful teaching of music culture, teachers must actively attend all kinds of musical events and the frequency of listening to classical music. There is also a statistically significant difference in the agreement with the statement that, in order to teach music culture classes successfully, it is necessary for teachers to actively attend all kinds of musical events, depending on whether students attend only classical music concerts or not.It is crucial to make students of teacher education studies culturally aware during their studies so that the significance of the perception and reception of culture, especially the musical one, is developed and encouraged in their future students.