Engagement and skill development through an innovative classroom music program

Abstract

Rates of music participation are low in developed nations. This may be attributed in part to the failure of school music to engage children sufficiently to motivate them to continue learning and participating in music. We tested the Harmonix program of classroom music education, which is currently being designed to maximize engagement in music learning. The program employs a set of new, harmonically tuned percussion instruments, using cyclical, self-cuing patterns, and hierarchical rhythmic structures that match complexity with ability. Graphical scores reduce cognitive load, and assist students to compose music from the first class. Cooperative learning activities consolidate learning and further stimulate engagement through personal and group expression. Using a combination of timely self-report and objective measurement, we found that student learning and skill acquisition increased over the six-week program while high engagement was maintained. Engagement measures also increased within each session. Over the six weeks of the program no significant changes were observed in attitudes toward music.

Musical expression in the training of future primary education teachers in Galicia

“…They also reported very low levels of attendance at music schools, conservatories or individual classes. Richmond et al. (2016), referring to this reality, said ‘this pattern of non-participation in musical production seems to be a Western phenomenon’ (p. 144), based on the low levels of involvement in musical activities in the United States and the United Kingdom.…”

Ejecución de un instrumento musical y actitudes hacia la escuela en una muestra de estudiantes rumanos

“…(Hopkins et al, 2017) mostró la relación entre un alto nivel de logro musical, mayores oportunidades de aprendizaje y la promoción de valores como la disciplina, la perseverancia y las actitudes positivas hacia el trabajo en un grupo de estudiantes de quinto grado. Por otro lado, se encontró que el programa de educación musical de Harmonix Music Systems ayuda a los estudiantes a componer musica y promueve el aprendizaje cooperativo en el aula (Richmond et al, 2016).…”

On the importance of the combination of theoretical knowledge and skill learning in music classroom

“…In the music classroom, the theory of knowledge and skills learning with each other can make teachers more professional, more comprehensive, also can let the students learn the degree of relaxation, without changing their music class mentality, but also allow them to learn more, study more efficiently. [1] 2. It is good for students to study independently Music learning not only classroom learning, students also need to continue to learn in class, if students are not related to professional music may be okay, if this is professional, so the students in the class to pay must be more than the class, if the teacher in the classroom teaching did not give them a good based on their learning in the class will also have a variety of problems, their autonomous learning will be frustrated, gradually lose power, facing the students in the class when the problem is mainly divided into two categories, one is the only theory of accumulation, but the memory theory is not profound enough time to learn look at the constant search for knowledge, and skills can be said to be utterly ignorant of, have no idea, so it will rush, I do not know where to start, there is a root of the teachers This is not to teach students knowledge, only teach them the skills they are learning, only through their own practice their memory skills, so repeated mechanical exercises, one hand will not let the students make a breakthrough in this aspect.…”