Musical Practice Research Articles

Reminiscences of a legendary Nigerian art music composer and scholar, Dan Agu

Many individuals have made remarkable contributions to the study of music in Nigeria, with their efforts, resulting in the formulation of theories, studies on African music, manpower production, and music compositions. The role of the music scholar is fraught with challenges which include reporting research findings, that can be very tricky without an in-depth knowledge of the subject; and teaching, which can also be misleading to learners without systematically applying suitable methods. In music, combining research with composition/performance further makes itintricate, since the system in Nigeria, makes it difficult to efficiently fuse scholarship with music practice. In most cases, music graduates are left with the option of electing between being a music scholar and music artiste. These concerns notwithstanding, Professor Dan Agu, was able to efficiently combine both areas, as he excelled in African music theory and practice, composition, performance, music education, and university administration. His research findings in these areas coupled with other experiences garnered in the field of music have been of immense benefit to many a people. The paper attempts to examine these contributions with focus on his personality, research, music composition and development of manpower. In eliciting data, the author relied on descriptive method, interviews and personal experiences garnered through observation of Dan Agu. Firstly, as a teacher where the author had a first-hand experience as an undergraduate student, and later, as a postgraduate candidate. The paper found that Agu’s scholarly works are rich in scope and content. It is recommended that his creative and scholarly works be compiled and published in books of different volumes to enable wider circulation in the academic spaces.

The significance of music in African culture: A study of Ogbanigbe Festival in Ukwu-Nzu Aniocha Local Government, Delta State.

Music is a cultural expression interpreted, determined, moulded and coloured by culture and the cultural environment of a people, it plays a vital role in various aspects of celebrations amongst societies in Nigeria. In festivals, for example, music expresses the culture of the people. This study examined the role and significance of music in African culture in Ogbanigbe festival in Ukwu-nzu with emphasis on ideology, belief systems, organizational structures, significance of music practices, and mode of dressing, dialect, and communal activities. Its main objective is to critically study the music of ogbanigbe festival and collate ethnology materials that distinguish, differentiate and separate one community from another. The theory adopted for this paper is functionalism theory; the functionalism theory is used to define culture in relation to the reality of change. It traces the evolution of phenomena, the emphasis of culture on norms, tenets and values. The methodology used for the study is survey method, oral interview and fieldwork to assess the basic principles that are common in the musical culture of ukwu-nzu people during the ogbanigbe festival. In ukwu-nzu town, New Yam festival is associated with Ogbanigbe festival similar to some villages in Aniocha nomenclature. Four songs texts were selected and interpreted, the paper conclude that the significance of music in festival plays a huge role to showcase the cultural practices and beauty. Suggestions were made for the sustenance of cultural music in festivals.

Music-related wellbeing as a teaching objective? A critical interpretive synthesis

Educational researchers increasingly focus on psychosocial factors, implying the need for an improvement of school settings regarding child wellbeing. However, so far, studies which focus music-related wellbeing of primary school aged children are rare. The paper explores the essential question which empirically based frameworks offer concrete foundations for corresponding educational practices in the music classroom. Hence, the research conducted a critical interpretive review of English-language publications. In a multi-stage process, it sampled publications between 2017 and 2020 targeting children of early primary school age and focussing on a connection between musical practices and well-being. For a full-text analysis, the research selected studies offering theoretical frameworks for synthetic theorisation. Findings show that until now, few studies have focussed on primary school-aged children. However, it also indicates that an integrative model such as the PERMA Well-being Cycle can function as point of reference for the design of educational settings. Departing from ongoing reflections of this research, the paper argues for a differentiated professional perspective on psychosocial processes in the music classroom and music-related wellbeing as an explicit teaching objective instead of following implicit ‘hidden’, yet powerful agendas. The outcome might serve as the clarification of strategies to foster child wellbeing in music education settings.

Commonality and variation in mental representations of music revealed by a cross-cultural comparison of rhythm priors in 15 countries

Music is present in every known society but varies from place to place. What, if anything, is universal to music cognition? We measured a signature of mental representations of rhythm in 39 participant groups in 15 countries, spanning urban societies and Indigenous populations. Listeners reproduced random ‘seed’ rhythms; their reproductions were fed back as the stimulus (as in the game of ‘telephone’), such that their biases (the prior) could be estimated from the distribution of reproductions. Every tested group showed a sparse prior with peaks at integer-ratio rhythms. However, the importance of different integer ratios varied across groups, often reflecting local musical practices. Our results suggest a common feature of music cognition: discrete rhythm ‘categories’ at small-integer ratios. These discrete representations plausibly stabilize musical systems in the face of cultural transmission but interact with culture-specific traditions to yield the diversity that is evident when mental representations are probed across many cultures.

Sad Girls on TikTok: Musical and Multimodal Participatory Practices as Affective Negotiations of Ordinary Feelings and Knowledges in Online Music Cultures

ABSTRACT This article examines musical participatory practices on TikTok as mediations of ordinary feelings and knowledges. It conducts a multimodal analysis of user-generated videos that recirculated the song “Complex” by Scottish singer-songwriter Katie Gregson-MacLeod, which became widely successful on the app in 2022. Through its features and sociotechnical affordances, TikTok fosters feminine-coded articulations of intimate affects and negotiations of ordinary feelings and knowledges that have been marginalized in popular music cultures. Its intersecting algorithmic logics and human practices also create new rules about what affective sensibilities are foregrounded and how they are circulated through multimodal and memetic participatory practices.

Developing community music in Italy: The journey

This article deals with the relationship between community music and scholarly research within the context of Italian community life, cultural politics, conditions and history. Community music theory and practice activities provide participants with opportunities for growth, development and collaboration, ranging from specific musical skills to social and cultural outreach and the positive challenge of increasing self-awareness and empowerment. After discussing the links between community music projects and social work, music therapy or arts education, the article locates community music in the landscape of Italian music research and, especially, musicology. It summarizes the current state of community music and the efforts to create an Italian network of community music scholars as well as establish a dialogue with similar international networks. The aim is to create the conditions for the establishment of an academic and theoretical framework for community music in Italy that can work as a pathway between music for social change, musicology and music education.

Music Learning Motivation of College Students Majoring in Early Childhood Education: An Empirical Study from China

This study aims to explore the music learning motivation levels of Chinese college students majoring in early childhood education, and analyze the differential effects of demographic variables such as gender, age, grade, and hometown background. The research design used descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney U test to conduct statistical analysis on the collected questionnaire data. The results showed that age and hometown background have a significant impact on students' learning motivation. Students aged 17 to 19 scored higher on internal learning motivation than students aged 20 to 22; students from rural areas scored higher than urban students on both motivations. Although the effects of gender and grade exist, they are not significant. These results suggest that the specific needs of diverse student groups should be taken into account in music education practice. To improve students' music learning motivation, it is recommended that educators should design more personalized and culturally relevant courses, while using diverse teaching evaluation methods to stimulate students' intrinsic interest and identity.

Modern Band in Elementary Music

Modern band programs have spread throughout the United States to create learner-centered and culturally affirming school music experiences for children. The four key concepts of modern band, (1) approximation and scaffolding, (2) decision-making, (3) iconic notation, and (4) culturally sustaining (music education), are congruent with many elementary general music philosophies and pedagogies. This article examines intersections of modern band and general music practices and demonstrates how typical classroom instruments (e.g., unpitched percussion, ukuleles, xylophones, and metallophones) can be used to implement key modern band concepts in an elementary school general music setting.

Abordarea procesuală și sistemică în realizarea activităților muzical-didactice la lecția de educație muzicală

This study investigates the concept of activity in the systemic approach of musical-didactic activities at the music education lesson. The activity is not a totality of reactions, it is a system, which has its own structure, content, changes and internal transfers, aiming personal development of the personality. Through activity, person produces changes in objective external conditions, in his own internal states, in relations with the environment. In activity, person realizes his ideas, satisfies his aspirations, builds new plans, new ideals; through activity, person adapts to internal and external conditions, at an increasingly higher level. Based on the Education Reform in the Republic of Moldova, the approach and systematization of musical-didactic activities at the music education lesson have been implemented in musical practice for several years. The curricular reform involved a substantial change in the instructive-educational process, a new teaching model being proposed, which would allow students to form a unified conception of musical art.

Using an Equity-Centered Framework to Guide Family Engagement: Supporting Children’s Lifewide Music-Making through Reciprocal Partnerships

Engaging families in partnerships that promote student learning and build trust between music educators and the community can be challenging. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide suggestions to help music teachers engage families to support children’s lifewide music-making. We share research and scholarship on family musical practices, family composition in the United States, family-inclusive practices, as well as some families’ views of and hopes for music education. We use this literature and an equity-centered framework of family engagement to provide suggestions to build reciprocally beneficial family partnerships, as well as sample materials teachers can use.

Musculoskeletal Pain Intensity and Interference Questionnaire for Musicians-Italian Version (MPIIQM-IT): Multicenter Validation, Translation and Cultural Adaptation.

The study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and test the psychometric properties of the Musculoskeletal Pain Intensity and Interference Questionnaire for Musicians (MPIIQM) in an Italian population of professional and amateur musicians. The translation and cultural adaptation process followed international guidelines, while the reliability and validity of the questionnaire were assessed against the COSMIN checklist. The internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach's alpha (a) coefficient. Construct validity was analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with principal axis factoring (PAF) extraction. The sample adequacy and data suitability were assessed through the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett's sphericity tests, respectively. Concurrent validity was analyzed by assessing Pearson's correlation coefficient with the Italian version of the Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ-I). Finally, the cross-cultural validity was investigated by analyzing score differences between amateur and professional musicians, and differences based on musical practice habits. The tool was administered to 311 subjects recruited from across Italy. The MPIIQM-IT was found to have high levels of internal consistency for the entire tool and each of the two subscales (Cronbach's a = 0.875, 0.877, and 0.845, respectively). The recruited sample was found to be adequate (KMO = 0.810) and the data suitable (C2 = 341.040, p < 0.001) for factor analysis, which produced 9 items contained in two main factors. Pearson's correlation coefficients showed a positive, statistically significant correlation between the MSK-HQ-I and the two subscales of the MPIIQM-IT with p < 0.01. Analysis of Student's t-test for independent samples and the ANOVA test for continuous variables showed statistically significant differences between male and female, professional and non-professional musicians, and conservatory and non-conservatory students. The MPIIQM-IT is a valid and reliable tool, useful for investigating the presence of pain and playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) in both professional and non-professional musicians.

Rethinking the music curriculum theories: Towards an updated comprehensive student-centred approach

This article reports a theoretical investigation on music curriculum and explores the factors that shape the practice of music education in terms of the official and other music curricula. We drew on relevant literature and explored four key aspects of the design and implementation of music curriculum: policy-making contexts, teaching practices, students’ practices and attitudes, and school contexts. Currently, music education research focuses on student-centredness as an important element in music practice. Embracing students’ various ways of musical engagement as well as their music identities promotes further development of their musical-social skills and enhances their interests. We suggest the development of an updated and comprehensive music curriculum which is student-centred and based on new musical literacies that respond to students’ daily musical needs and address the challenges of today’s social context. Our suggestion is encompassed in five core principles: 1) Getting to know our students, 2) Discussing the teaching-learning goals with our students, 3) Adapting to local conditions, 4) Bottom-up and top-down perspectives: Finding the balance through authentic classroom activities, and 5) Contextualising assessment. The article advocates for the effective use of all types of music curricula so that students become active, responsible and critical thinkers in their personal, social and musical lives.

From Wax Cylinder to Metal Disc: Transplanting Robert Lachmann’s “Oriental Music” Project from Berlin to Jerusalem on the Eve of World War II

Of the multidisciplinary cohort of scholars associated with the Berlin Phonogramm-Archiv in its formative decades, it is Robert Lachmann (1892–1939) who, in his approach to fieldwork and the importance he attached to it, comes closest to adopting the methods of classic ethnomusicology. In April 1935, having been dismissed from his post in the Prussian State Library under the Nazi racial laws, he took up a temporary appointment at the newly founded Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a mission to create an Archive of Oriental Music. He brought with him copies of his entire collection of some 500 wax cylinder recordings held in the Berlin Phonogramm-Archiv. Between 1935 and 1938, Lachmann made 956 recordings on metal disc documenting musical traditions of different "Eastern" communities of Palestine. His writings from this period, however, relied predominantly on research carried over from his Berlin years. The most substantial, and the first to be completed, is his monograph Jewish Cantillation and Song in the Isle of Djerba (Gesänge der Juden auf der Insel Djerba) based on his fieldwork in Djerba in 1929. In this contribution, I argue that Lachmann's pioneering study of this Tunisian Jewish community provided the methodological blueprint for much of his work in Palestine. I focus on his series of 12 radio programs, entitled "Oriental Music," transmitted by the Palestine Broadcasting Service between November 1936 and April 1937. The programs, which feature different groups living in or around Jerusalem, were illustrated by live studio performances by local musicians and singers, simultaneously recorded onto metal disc. In successive lectures, Lachmann presents fundamental ideas about the nature and evolution of musical practices and systems that are explored more fully in his Djerba monograph. Thwarted by inadequate finances and lack of institutional support, Lachmann's work was cut short by his premature death in May 1939 and it fell to his former student, Edith Gerson-Kiwi, to pick up the threads of his project. His collecting activities, together with the comparative vision that informed them, laid the foundations for the work of subsequent generations of ethnomusicologists.

Metacognition in musical practices: two studies with beginner and expert Brazilian musicians.

Metacognition is essential in the musical learning process as it involves understanding the purpose of each task, its planning, execution and evaluation. Considering the relevance of metacognitive processes, our objective in this study was to investigate how expert and beginner musicians manifest and verbalize their metacognitive processes in the context of preparing repertoire for a performance. The method used was a multi-case study carried out in two different contexts: with the five members of a brass quintet made up of professional musicians and with three beginner university violin students. The results obtained indicated that even at different levels of expertise, metacognitive processes were present in the musical practices of participants in the two contexts investigated. It was found that in both cases time management is a component of the preparation process in metacognitive regulation, however, for the beginner violinists in our sample it was a significantly more complex task than for the professional brass players. Regarding the learning monitoring and evaluation processes, it was possible to verify that beginner instrumentalists as well as professional musicians used declarative, conditional and procedural knowledge to carry out and reflect on their musical practices. These results have implications for both the individual and collective study process and for teaching processes. It is also observed that reflective thinking must accompany the processes of individual and collective interpretative-musical practices, considering that the musical results desired by musicians are related to the quality of cognitive, behavioral, affective and motivational undertakings pertinent to control and regulation of metacognitive processes.

Can Community Music Contribute to More Equitable Societies? A Critical Interpretive Synthesis

This article presents outcomes from a critical interpretive synthesis inquiry exploring whether community music can contribute to more equitable societies. Drawing on 74 cross-disciplinary articles, we identify equity-related outcomes across three key categories: outcomes to improve the immediate wellbeing and life trajectories for individuals experiencing disadvantage; outcomes relating to the development of skills, knowledge and understandings empowering individual participants to enact positive social change within their communities; and outcomes with the potential to affect the root causes of social inequity. This review provides a solid foundation for further conceptual and theoretical development within and beyond the fields of social justice research and community music. Our findings will also be helpful for translating the creative and cultural benefits that community music practice could bring to addressing social justice issues in a wide range of complex contexts.

From Musical Writings To Writing Music: Book-Writing Leading to Music School in Nineteenth-Century Calcutta

Print created the urge to innovate new modalities of musical knowledge production and dissemination in nineteenth-century Bengal. Publication of music books made the bifurcation between music theory and practice clearer, but only as a textual category. As the literature suggests, these were two categories for organizing musical knowledge, intimately entwined, where one produces the other and also doesn't exist without each other. The technology of ‘swaralipi’ (musical notation) used in the modern printed books materialized the project of disseminating music to the reader who could now ‘read’ the music from the book. For some book writers, music books were meant to be a replacement for the oral tutelage, published as ‘self-instructors’. But, on the contrary, the most prolific book-writers of the time used their books as the basis of oral tutelage in the music school. In the modern setting of the music school, the person of the ‘guru’ or ‘ustad’ was replaced by the formalized, systematic teaching of the ‘professors’ of music. Music books, as the medium of modern music pedagogy, thus changed not only the way students learned – making it possible to learn from the book with no instructor – but also the role of teachers, whose teaching was validated by the book. The music books came to function as the ‘modern shastras’ – to exercise regulatory authority over music practice, and how music is learned and taught. The ‘orality’ of music emerges as a liminal space in the gap between the writings on music and the writing of music. What emerges is an unlikely milieu where a new form of musical education is devised, the possibility of an education without a guru is conceived, and the schema of musical notation brings the entire process to life.

Cultural Harmonies: Exploring Compositional Techniques and Cultural Fusion in Guizhou Ethnic Minority Music

This study investigates compositional techniques within Guizhou Ethnic Minority Music, focusing on the transformative influence of cultural fusion. Through interviews with local musicians from the Miao, Dong, Yi, and Shui ethnic groups, the research identifies recurring elements and variations in musical practices. Cultural fusion emerges as a dynamic force shaping compositional creativity, where deliberate blending of traditional instruments, melodic motifs, and rhythmic patterns transcends individual ethnic styles. The impact on the listener's perception reveals enhanced accessibility and relatability, attracting a diverse audience. The dual role of cultural fusion is evident—preserving cultural identity while catalyzing musical evolution. As musicians adapt tradition to contemporary contexts, Guizhou Ethnic Minority Music becomes a bridge between heritage and innovation. The study contributes to broader discussions on global music by highlighting the power of cultural fusion in fostering cross-cultural understanding. Guizhou's musicians emerge as cultural ambassadors, shaping a narrative that transcends geographic boundaries, inviting scholars and enthusiasts to explore the intricate interplay of tradition, innovation, and cultural exchange in the musical realm.

A qualitative investigation of a virtual community music and music therapy intervention: A Scottish–American collaboration

This study investigates the experiences of people involved in a virtual intervention involving community music and music therapy for individuals with autism. The intervention blends conventional music therapy and community music approaches. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many community music and music therapy projects shifted to an online format and there is a resultant need to understand more about how virtual music interventions may be of benefit for individuals with autism. We report on the design, implementation, and outcomes of one such intervention. Over an 8-week period, community musicians and music therapists ( music facilitators) based in Scotland and America delivered 16 music sessions, which were recorded using the Zoom software. During the sessions the participants wrote, performed, and recorded two songs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two of the participants, using video elicitation techniques, and six of the facilitators. Data were analyzed thematically. The intervention was found to (1) enable participants to explore their personal narratives, (2) promote self-perceptions of achievement, and (3) provide evidence of mastery, creativity, and self-expression. An international collaboration made possible by technology enabled facilitators to work remotely and participants to make use of new opportunities for engagement. This article demonstrates how community music practices focusing on participation and music therapy approaches focusing on clinical outcomes can be integrated. We present the online environment as its own social milieu in which creativity and connection can be explored in new ways.

Embodiment in music education

In this article, we give an overview of theoretical and empirical research that exemplifies how and why the body of the student and teacher plays a pivotal role in music learning and teaching processes. We will discuss the concepts of entrainment, alignment, and prediction, that have been developed within the theory of embodied music cognition, and their relation to music learning. Furthermore, we will discuss how physical modelling, gestures and touch are important embodied teaching strategies. The article concludes with some suggestion as to how these concepts and strategies can be put into the music educational practice.

An acoustical environment survey of student music practice.

Chronic exposure to loud sound leads to noise-induced hearing loss. This is especially common in collegiate-level musicians. Existing methods for estimating exposure typically do not consider genre- or instrument-specific variability in soundscape/spectral characteristics. We measured sound exposure levels (SELs) across instruments, bands, and genres at a university music school. We found (1) considerable variability in SELs across instruments and bands, (2) that Jazz musicians are consistently exposed to the highest sound levels, and (3) that spectral features of music differ between instrument type and genre, and based on room size. These findings highlight the need for tailored guidelines that moderate the implementation of hearing conservation initiatives for collegiate musicians.