Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Notes From The Editor, Bruce Gleason

Research & Issues in Music Education

Along with publishing work of a more traditional vein, one of the goals of RIME is to publish articles that lie somehow outside the parameters of established research—either by research design and approach, or by content and subject matter. I am happy to be presenting the second issue of RIME, and am especially pleased to be publishing four unique articles on diverse aspects of music teaching and learning.

How Composers Compose: In Search Of The Questions, Bernard W. Andrews

Research & Issues in Music Education

The Genesis Project is a multi-phase research project designed for the purpose of developing an in-depth understanding of the nature of musical creativity by investigating how composers compose. In this first phase of the project, an understanding of the four dimensions of musical creativity: 1) the person, 2) the compositional process, 3) the pre-requisite training, emotions and context, and 4) the musical piece itself, provided a theoretical framework for investigating how composers compose new music through expert review. Questions in each of these dimensions were generated from the literature, examined by a panel of composers and educators, and then refined …

Canons In Harmony, Or Canons In Conflict: A Cultural Perspective On The Curriculum And Pedagogy Of Jazz Improvization, Kenneth E. Prouty

Research & Issues in Music Education

This essay examines how jazz educators construct methods for teaching the art of improvisation in institutionalized jazz studies programs. Unlike previous studies of the processes and philosophies of jazz instruction, I examine such processes from a cultural standpoint, to identify why certain methods might be favored over others. Specifically, jazz education is treated as a fusion of two distinct historical and cultural forces: those of musical academia, and of the jazz community. I argue that methods of teaching improvisation reflect a dual identity, in which these two cultural traditions sometimes exert an uneven influence upon the learning environment. Improvisational curricula, …

K-4 Pre-Service Classroom Teachers' Beliefs About Useful Skills, Understandings And Future Practice In Music, Francine Morin

Research & Issues in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate K-4 pre-service classroom teachers’ beliefs about useful skills, understandings, and future practices in music. Questionnaire (N=74) and interview (N=35) data were gathered from teacher candidates enrolled in music methods courses at a large, western Canadian university. Music skills and understandings such as singing, listening, and integrating music across other subject areas were rated as "most useful," indicating a definite valuing of pedagogical content knowledge over content knowledge like music fundamentals, music history, or playing accompaniment instruments. Future music practices discussed by pre-service teachers were closely aligned to the beliefs they hold about …

Comparing Two Approaches For Teaching Rhythm Reading Skills To First-Grade Children: A Pilot Study, Delores Gauthier, Robert E. Dunn

Research & Issues in Music Education

This pilot study compared two approaches for teaching rhythm reading skills to first-grade children. Two intact first-grade classes participated in six lessons focusing on simple rhythms (4 beats using eighth and quarter notes). The lessons were based on the same musical materials; only the approach was varied. After random assignment, Class 1 experienced the “Subdivision Approach” where the quarter note is the beat, and eighth notes are subdivisions of the beat. Class 2 used the “Additive Approach” where, in this case, the eighth note is the “shortest sound” and a quarter note is the equivalent of two short sounds.

Pre- …