Effects of Temporal Sequencing and Auditory Discrimination on Children's Memory Patterns for Tones, Numbers, and Nonsense Words

The purpose of this study was to determine whether children's recall of tones, numbers, and words was supported by a common temporal sequencing mechanism; whether children's patterns of memory for tones, numbers, and nonsense words were the same despite differences in symbol systems; and whether children's recall of tones, numbers, and nonsense words was related to their aural discrimination ability. Participants ( N = 74) were children enrolled in grades 1 through 3, drawn from an urban magnet school. On the basis of U-shaped performance profiles, the authors concluded that a common temporal sequencing mechanism may undergird children's recall of tones and nonsense words; thus, these domains may be linked at some basic level. Based on intraclass correlations that compared children's patterns of memory for tones, numbers, and nonsense words, the authors found that children's memory for information varied by symbol system and according to the characteristics of patterns within each symbol system. Finally, they found that aural discrimination skill contributed to children's recall despite differences in symbol systems.

Relationships among Young Children's Aural Perception, Listening Condition, and Accurate Reading of Graphic Listening Maps

The purpose of our study was to explore relationships among children's aural perception, music listening condition, and the accuracy of children's reading of listening maps. The aural discrimination skills of 41 elementary children were tested using the Intermediate Measures of Musical Audiation (IMMA). The children were then systematically assigned to one of three listening conditions: passive, unstructured active, or structured active. After listening to European art music according to their assigned condition, every child traced a graphic listening map while listening to the music a second time. Results of an ANCOVA with accuracy of map reading as the dependent variable, listening condition as factor, and IMMA as covariate, showed a significant effect for the IMMA [F (1, 37) = 8.86, p < .01], but no significant effect for listening condition. In a separate analysis, IMMA scores were shown to be related to piano experience. When group means for accuracy of map reading were compared by piano experience, children with piano experience had a significantly higher mean accuracy score of 48.25, SD = 18.75 (n = 16) compared to children with no piano experience, M = 32.44, SD = 17.39 (n = 25), t = 2.76, p < .01. Our results support previous research in which investigators found that music experience explained accuracy of music-reading ability in children and adults.

The Effects of a Creative-Comprehensive Approach and a Performance Approach on Acquisition of Music Fundamentals by College Students

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a creative-comprehensive approach (CCA) when compared with a performance approach (PA) on the acquisition of basic music concepts and skills by general college students. In the CCA, students were directly involved in the process of creating original music by assuming the roles of composer, performer, and analytic listener. Students in the PA were engaged in the performance and aural analysis of preselected folk and traditional music. A pretest-posttest design involving intact groups was used as the method of research. The resulting effects of the two instructional modes on three dependent variables revealed no difference in achievement on aural discrimination competence from pretest to post-test in the sampled groups. There was, however, evidence suggesting that the CCA was superior to the PA in developing students' self-confidence in dealing with basic music concepts and skills. Additional data indicated a slight, but not significant, difference in performance achievement between the two groups in favor of the CCA.