A questionnaire regarding music classroom activity preferences was administered to 2,251 kindergarten through fifth-grade students. Students stated whether they liked to participate in 13 traditional music-classroom activities and eight music-programrelated activities, and they identified theirfavorite activity among six. Students preferred playing instruments above all other activities within and across grade levels, and 50% reported instrument playing as theirfavorite activity. Singing and listening were about equally liked within and across grades. Students preferred creative movement over dance within and across grades; first graders responded less positively to dance than to any other activity. Positive attitude toward composing declined with advancing grade level. Eighty-one percent liked to perform in music programs, and more than half liked to perform in small ensembles. Students responded very positively to attending concerts and having performers come to the classroom, but were less positive about participating in music contests. Chelcy L. Bowles, University of Wisconsin-Madison Music Activity Preferences of Elementary StudentsEducators have long realized the importance of engaging students in highly interesting activities to motivate learning. Music educators have considered the role of initial student interest in motivating students to learn skills and concepts that are considered primary music objectives but may or may not be valued by the student. At the 1981 Ann Arbor Symposium on the Applications of Psychology to the Teaching and Learning of Music, educators discussed the application of motivation theory to music teaching and learning. In the documen- tary of Session III of the Symposium, Motivation and Creativity, Raynor (1983) states that teachers "can influence intrinsic motivation bychoosing the tasks and materials for learning or performance that have been found to provide substantial inherent interest for the particular persons in question" (p. 18). Raynor further states that it is the responsibility of the teacher to discover those activities that are of high intrinsic value and to involve students in these activities. Eccles (1983) suggests that the music educator should find out what students like to do and should use preferred activities to help build a sense of mastery over material to be learned. Chelcy L. Bowles is an assistant professor of music in the Department of Liberal Studies and the Arts,In comparing the attitudes of teachers and students toward selected music objectives, Murphy and Brown (1986) found significant differences between students and teachers for 10 of 20 proposed objectives. The authors suggest that student rating seemed to reflect the attitudes toward the music activity ("methods of implementation") rather than toward mastery of the concept proposed in the objective. The results of this study imply that students have preferences for particular music classroom activities and that objectives may be achieved more readily by engaging students in activities they prefe...
This study assessed self-expressed music education interests and described the music experiences of prospective participants in adult music education. Questionnaires were mailed to a sample of 800 music-performance attenders. Of the 275 people who returned questionnaires, 183 indicated positive responses toward participation and 92 indicated negative responses. Among adults who expressed interest in music participation, piano was the instrument most frequently chosen for private study, followed by voice and guitar. Choral organizations ranked highest among preferred performance organizations, and aural analysis and introductory music history courses ranked highest among preferred areas of academic study.Most of the previous formal experiences of prospective participants comprised pinvate lessons and participation in performance organizations; a surprising amount of self-directed music experience and learning was reported. Results indicated several significant relationships between course preferences and prior experiences with similar music activities. Positive attitude toward participation was found to be significantly related both to current involvement and to early participation in classroom general music. Parents and home were the most frequently cited positive influences in developing music interests. Participation in adult education is on the rise. Currently, 14% of the adult population (23 million adults) is enrolled in adult education courses. This figure represents an increase in adult education participation of 79% since 1969, while the adult population has increased only 33% over the same period (National Center for Education Statistics, 1986).In research reporting adult education participation rates, courses associated with the arts are most often subsumed under the general subject-matter area of leisure and recreation (Carp, Peterson, & Roelfs, 1974; National Center for Education Statistics, 1978). Data from these reports indicate that participation in courses in the arts is rather low compared with other courses in the leisure and recreation areas. In 1981, during the peak percentage of participation in courses taken for nonoccupational reasons within the last 15 years, only 16% of the courses were in the visual and performing arts (National Center for Education Statistics, 1982). The low level of interest in arts education seems inconsistent with the general attitude expressed by adults toward participation in the arts. The
This study investigated characteristics and experiences of teachers of adult music learners, instructional aspects they perceive to be unique to teaching adults, and their self-perceived needs in providing quality experiences for adult learners. A 25-item questionnaire investigating the topics of preparation, goals, methodology, materials, evaluation, behavior management, and attitudes was distributed to instructors with 2 or more years of experience teaching adult learners. Most of the 66 respondents were highly experienced (74% having taught adults 6 or more years), and they provided information about issues unique to teaching adults or that might be similar for teaching music at any age level. Respondents indicated that methodologies should be flexible and individualized, expressed a desire for age-appropriate materials, and said that training specific to adult teaching is advantageous. The longevity and breadth of teaching experience and consistency of responses across demographic variables are indicative of issues that have implications for the profession.
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