Analysis of Listening Preferences of High School and College Musicians

1994 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianne Gregory

Undergraduate college music majors, high school musicians in performance groups, and sixth-grade students in eight sites across the United States listened to brief excerpts of music from early contemporary compositions, popular classics, selections in the Silver Burdett/Ginn elementary music education series, and current crossover jazz recordings. Each of the classical categories had a representative keyboard, band, choral, and orchestral excerpt. Self reports of knowledge and preference were recorded by the Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI) while subjects listened to excerpts. Instrumental biases were found among high school and college musicians' preferences for relatively unfamiliar classical music. College music majors' preferences, in general, were less “own-instrument-based” than were those of high school musicians. In addition, the results suggest training broadens receptivity within and across music genres. There seems, however, to be no predictable connection between the degree to which one “knows ” an excerpt and preference for the excerpt.

2021 ◽  
pp. 030573562110316
Author(s):  
Eun Cho ◽  
Jeoung Yeoun Han

Small ensemble participation represents a unique form of human social activity involving a profound level of interpersonal and emotional communication. Previous researchers have suggested that engagement in group music making may have a positive influence on various social-emotional skills, including empathy. In line with this view, the initial study explored the relationship between small ensemble experience and empathy among college music students in the United States. The study results revealed a close association between the two, with students who participated in small ensembles more frequently showing a higher level of empathy. This study aimed to replicate the initial study using the identical survey questionnaire in a college music student population in South Korea ( N = 183). Overall, Korean students scored significantly lower in the empathy measure than the US student sample, which echoed relatively lower empathy among Asian American students in the initial study. Also, consistent with the previous finding, an association between the primary area of music study and empathy was found, with popular music majors showing a higher level of empathy than classical music major students. Finally, some of the small ensemble experience variables appeared to be significant predictors of students’ empathy skills, which partially replicated the initial study.


1999 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
William E. Fredrickson

The purpose of the study was to examine whether musicians who rehearse and perform a musical selection perceive tension in the music differently than do listeners who have not had the performance experience. Students ( n = 32) in a university wind ensemble rehearsed and performed Gustav Hoist's First Suite in E-flat. Within 2 weeks of the performance, participants listened to a recording of the first movement (“Chaconne”) of that performance while registering their perceptions of tension in the music using a Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI) dial. Another group of students ( n = 32) from a university choral ensemble performed the same research protocol. Students in a high school band ( n = 60) also rehearsed and performed the selection. Participants listened to the recording of the musical selection, and registered their perceptions of tension, before rehearsals began and following their performance. Analysis indicated that the experience of performing the music did not seem to greatly affect perception of tension as measured in this study.


2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-72
Author(s):  
Phillip M. Hash

The purpose of this study was to document the history of the National High School Orchestra (NHSO), a select ensemble organized by Joseph E. Maddy under the auspices of the Music Supervisors' National Conference during the 1920s and 1930s. Research questions examined the orchestra's (1) origin, performances, and operation; (2) instrumentation and repertoire; (3) influence on music education; and (4) implications for modern practice. The first NHSO was assembled for the 1926 meeting of the Music Supervisors' National Conference in Detroit, Michigan. Initially led by Maddy, this ensemble was reorganized in 1927, 1928, 1930, 1932, and 1938. The NHSO helped promote instrumental music education through conference performances, radio broadcasts, and concerts presented throughout the country. This organization also demonstrated the potential of high school musicians and served as a basis for the NHSO Camp—the institution known today as the Interlochen Center for the Arts.


1996 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-159
Author(s):  
Sondra Wieland Howe

Julius Eichberg (1824-1893) made valuable contributions to the development of music education through his string and vocal instruction in Boston. Educated in Europe, Eichberg was a violin professor in Geneva before immigrating to the United States in 1857. He directed the Boston Museum Concerts 1859-1866 and composed four operas. In 1867, he founded the Boston Conservatory, developed its string department, and published string method books and chamber music. In the Boston public schools, Eichberg taught high school vocal music, supervised music for the entire school system, and taught teacher-training courses. Boston s school system became a model for other school systems. The annual Music Festivals in Boston, with Eichberg conducting choruses and orchestras, brought the schools positive publicity. Eichberg also composed choral works for his school choruses and edited music textbooks. Eichbergs work in string education and high school choral music laid foundations for programs in the twentieth century.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Hamilton ◽  
Jennifer Vannatta-Hall

This study examined popular music in preservice music teacher training programmes in the United States. The researchers explored types of courses and programmes offered in undergraduate music education programmes to prepare future music teachers to teach popular music. Quantitative data revealed trends in the inclusion of popular music within undergraduate music education programmes, determined music teacher educators’ perceptions of their students’ attitudes towards using popular music in the general music classroom, and examined the types of popular music pedagogy needed for preservice music educators. Qualitative data ascertained perceived confidence levels of graduates to utilize popular music. Results revealed that western classical music is the focus for the majority of music educators’ undergraduate degree programmes and that often music teacher preparation programmes ignore popular music study. Bridging the gap between western classical and popular music would help prepare teachers to include and value all types of music in K-12 music education.


2003 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
William E. Fredrickson ◽  
John C. Coggiola

The present study allowed music majors (n = 40) and nonmajors (n = 30) to record their perceptions of tension in two selections of jazz music using the Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI). Both musical stimuli were recorded versions of “St. Louis Blues” by W. C. Handy, The first was a popular, stylized version sung by Nat King Cole, and the second, which included an extensive improvisatory section, was performed by Ella Fitzgerald. In comparing these results to earlier studies dealing with music majors' and nonmajors' perceived tension and aesthetic response, there are certain factors that remain constant Music majors' responses did not seem to differ markedly in overall contour from nonmusic majors' responses, which is consistent with previous research. Graphs of perceived tension responses are much more highly differentiated than are graphs of perceived aesthetic response. These graphs produce a pattern that is unique to that musical selection (or in this case, a highly stylized performance). Subjects had no trouble performing the task or using an existing internal definition of musical tension. This existing internal definition is probably applied to a variety of musical styles, including jazz. This study also seemed to indicate a definite order effect in the presentation of the stimuli, which may relate to the way listeners put what they hear into a musical context.


1995 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth V. Brittin

In this investigation, we compared listeners' preferential ratings of art music, derived by conventional static ratings taken through 10-point Likert-type scales, and continuous ratings taken throughout the duration of each excerpt with a Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI). Music majors (n = 100) and non-music majors (n − 100) rated twelve excerpts of Western art music, including three substyles (Baroque, Romantic, and 20th-century) and three performance media (strings, keyboard, and winds). Music majors' preference ratings were significantly higher than were nonmusic majors' preference ratings. Although no significant effect was found due to using the CRDI or static rating scale, there was a significant interaction between type of measurement and major. Music majors' static and continuous ratings were similar; however, nonmusic majors' continuous ratings were noticeably higher than were static ratings. Nonmusic majors using the CRDI averaged almost one Likert-scale rating higher than those using the static measure.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002242942198999
Author(s):  
Rebecca B. MacLeod ◽  
John M. Geringer ◽  
David S. Miller

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of wearing earplugs on classical musicians’ pitch perception across three experimental conditions: no earplugs, foam earplugs, and Etymotic earplugs. Participants were graduate and undergraduate music majors attending a large school of music in the southeastern United States ( N = 72). Participants adjusted the pitch of five complex stimulus tones (C#4, C#5, C#3, G#4, and F#3) using a continuous response digital interface until they believed the interval was in tune with an oboe (C#4) reference tone. Participants tended to tune flat when the stimulus tone was presented flat and to tune sharp when it was presented sharp across all three earplug conditions. Overall cent deviation in tuning responses showed that in both directional and absolute deviation analyses, listeners were most accurate when tuning without earplugs, then when using Etymotic earplugs, and least accurate with foam earplugs. Significant differences, however, were limited to specific intervals and in magnitudes not likely to be perceived. Although more research is needed, the use of Etymotic earplugs may provide valuable protection against noise-induced hearing loss with negligible effects on pitch perception. Implications for musicians and recommendations for future research are discussed.


1996 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Johnson

The purpose of this study was to investigate musicians' and nonmusicians' assessment of perceived rubato in musical performance. Music majors ( n = 48) and nonmusic majors ( n = 48) listened to four different soloists' performances of the development section of Mozart's Concerto for Horn and Orchestra No. 2, movement 1. Subjects evaluated the degree of appropriateness/inappropriateness of each soloist's use of rubato using the Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI), an instrument that allows ongoing evaluation of specified performance variables. Using a Likert-type scale, subjects also assessed soloists with regard to musicianship, expression, tone quality, and tempo. Results indicated significant differences for musicians compared to nonmusicians regarding rubato assessments. Musicians agreed with expert assessments, whereas non-musicians' scores seemed haphazard. When musicians were separated into two groups based on musical skill level, results from the “more proficient” musicians were in direct agreement with the panel of experts' evaluations. The “less proficient” musicians were much less discriminating across all dependent measures; rubato assessments disagreed substantially with those of experts. This study suggests that rubato is an extremely subtle musical nuance. Though nonmusicians and less proficient musicians seem to be able to assess performances on somewhat more obvious variables, it seems that only the most proficient musicians can evaluate the usage of rubato in performance. Based on the data from this study, it appears that a relationship exists between musicianship and the use of rubato and that use of rubato might well be one element that separates the very finest performance from the simply ordinary.


Author(s):  
John Rine A. Zabanal

The purpose of this study was to examine invited orchestras and their selected repertoire at the Midwest Clinic from 1990 through 2019. A majority of invited orchestras ( N = 261) were from the United States and primarily consisted of high school musicians. The most performed piece for full orchestra was Symphony No. 8, op. 88 by Dvořák and for string orchestra was Serenade, op. 48 by Tchaikovsky. The most performed full orchestra composer was Dvořák and string orchestra composer was Balmages. The most performed arranger for full orchestra was Meyer and for string orchestra was Dackow. Female composers and arrangers were vastly underrepresented compared with males and a majority of performed pieces conformed to the Western European music tradition. Orchestra directors may use findings from this study as a reference list of the most performed full and string orchestra pieces as well as popular composers and arrangers.


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