Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview AvailableNELLI SHKOLNIKOVA 1928-2010(Newsquest Media Group, 2010-09-01)The great Russian violinist and pedagogue died early in 2010. Curt Thompson, one of her former students, looks back on her life and examines her teaching methods.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableRespiratory muscle training for cervical spinal cord injury (Protocol)(Cochrane Collaboration, 2010)This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of respiratory muscle training on function for people with cervical spinal cord injury.
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ItemMusic Therapy with Bereaved Teenagers: A Mixed Methods Perspective(ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2010)Qualitative investigations have indicated that music therapy groups may be beneficial for bereaved teenagers. The existing relationship between young people and music serves as a platform for connectedness and emotional expression that is utilised within a therapeutic, support group format. This investigation confirms this suggestion through grounded theory analysis of focus group interviews. Changes in self-perception were not found as a result of participation, however practically significant results were found on adolescent coping. These cannot be generalized because of the small sample size. Grief specific tools are recommended for use in future investigations in order to capture the emotional impact of music therapy grief work with adolescents.
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ItemThe Effect of Visual Cues on Auditory Stream Segregation in Musicians and Non-Musicians(PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE, 2010-06-23)BACKGROUND: The ability to separate two interleaved melodies is an important factor in music appreciation. This ability is greatly reduced in people with hearing impairment, contributing to difficulties in music appreciation. The aim of this study was to assess whether visual cues, musical training or musical context could have an effect on this ability, and potentially improve music appreciation for the hearing impaired. METHODS: Musicians (N = 18) and non-musicians (N = 19) were asked to rate the difficulty of segregating a four-note repeating melody from interleaved random distracter notes. Visual cues were provided on half the blocks, and two musical contexts were tested, with the overlap between melody and distracter notes either gradually increasing or decreasing. CONCLUSIONS: Visual cues, musical training, and musical context all affected the difficulty of extracting the melody from a background of interleaved random distracter notes. Visual cues were effective in reducing the difficulty of segregating the melody from distracter notes, even in individuals with no musical training. These results are consistent with theories that indicate an important role for central (top-down) processes in auditory streaming mechanisms, and suggest that visual cues may help the hearing-impaired enjoy music.
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Item'For whom the bell tolls': Listening and its Implications(ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2010)ABSTRACT This response highlights the cultural specificity of the ‘work-concept’ and questions the tripartite scheme of listening proposed by John Butt. It offers an alternative set of listening categories, and makes reference to the issues of early-modern class structures and the role of music in religious devotions. The argument is supported by critiques of historical vignettes that include the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's transcription of Gregorio Allegri's Miserere and Jean Joseph Marie Amiot's demonstration of French music to a Chinese audience in the mid-eighteenth century.
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ItemThe value of data mining in music education research and some findings from its application to a study of instrumental learning during childhood(SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD, 2010-08)The use of data mining for the analysis of data collected in natural settings is increasingly recognized as a legitimate mode of enquiry. This rule-inductive paradigm is an effective means of discovering relationships within large datasets — especially in research that has limited experimental design — and for the subsequent formulation of predictions and rules. The method is dramatically under-used in education research in general, and is hardly represented in music education, if at all. The present article reports on several decision trees that emerged from mining for knowledge in datasets constructed from the musical journeys, experiences and abilities of 157 young people in Australia from the outset of instrumental tuition in primary school and for the following 12 years. This article illustrates the validity of knowledge discovery in databases for forecasting outcomes and behaviours in educational settings generally and, more specifically, it considers early predictors of students’ short- and long-term commitment to instrument learning. This machine-learnt knowledge provides music educators with useful information about the relationship between various attributes of student experience. Within months of beginning instrumental tuition, reported levels of self-regulation, practice on Sundays, parental reminders and self-efficacy beliefs emerge as potentially predictive of students’ ongoing musical engagement. Findings are discussed in relation to self-regulation and motivation theories.
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ItemStudents' motivation in studying music: The Hong Kong context(SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD, 2010-12)Studying music in schools has not been regarded to be important for Hong Kong students and parents. Similar to many other countries and regions, music is marginalized in the school curriculum. However, facing the 21st century, the Hong Kong government regards arts education to be an important contribution to the creative industries. The motivation of students in learning music thus becomes more critical. This article reports data drawn from an international study that examined students’ motivation to study music as compared to other school subjects across the school grades. A total of 4495 students from 23 primary and 20 secondary schools participated in a survey. Results indicate a significant decline in competence beliefs and values ( p < .001) and a significant increase in task difficulty for music and other school subjects across the school levels. Compared with Chinese, mathematics, visual arts and physical education (PE), music was ranked rather low in terms of competence beliefs and values, and task difficulty. In addition, there is a trend towards many secondary students learning instruments outside schools. Results may be attributed to a range of factors including a utilitarian view of education held by parents and students and the overall business-oriented atmosphere of the society, in that people focus on financial success rather than a holistic human development.
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ItemStudents' motivation to study music: The United States of America(SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD, 2010-12)As a part of a larger international mapping exercise to examine students’ motivation to study music as compared to other school subjects, this article draws upon data from a sample of 3037 students in the USA to observe perceptions of values, competence and interest in music study (in school versus outside of school) among music learners and non-music learners. Students were grouped into three grade levels: (a) 6, (b) 7—9, and (c) 10—12. Music learners in the USA had significantly higher motivational profiles for music and some other school subjects as compared to non-music learners. Music interest inside of school was ranked significantly lower than for any other subject, while music interest outside of school was ranked second highest for any subject in grades 6 and 7—9, and highest of all subjects in grades 10—12. This article addresses cultural and contextual issues in the USA to consider how music advocates might better demonstrate the importance and usefulness of music study as an academic course. Practical recommendations include encouraging a broader emphasis beyond performance and competition, and promoting opportunities for autonomous music learning within the school setting.
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ItemStudents' motivation to study music as compared to other school subjects: A comparison of eight countries(SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD, 2010-12)This study draws on an expectancy-value theoretical framework to examine the motivation (competence beliefs, values and task difficulty) of 24,143 students (11,909 females and 10,066 males, aged 9 to 21 years) from eight countries (Brazil n = 1848; China n = 3049; Finland n = 1654; Hong Kong n = 6179; Israel n = 2257; Korea n = 2671; Mexico n = 3613; USA n = 3072). Music was studied in comparison to five other school subjects (art, mother tongue, physical education, mathematics, science) across three school grade levels that included the key transition from elementary to secondary school. Results indicated that music as a school subject was valued less and received lower task difficulty ratings than other school subjects with the exception of art. Students reported higher competence beliefs for physical education and mother tongue compared to music and lower competence beliefs for mathematics and art. There was an overall decline in students’ competence beliefs and values across the school grade levels for all countries except Brazil. Females reported higher competence beliefs and values and lower task difficulty ratings for music, art and mother tongue than males. Males reported higher competence beliefs and lower task difficulty ratings for physical education and mathematics. There were no gender differences for values in mathematics. Music learners reported higher competence beliefs and values and lower task difficulty across school subjects than non-music learners. Secondary analyses were used to further explore differences within each of the eight countries. Findings suggest that once students have experienced learning to play an instrument or voice, they become more motivated towards other school subjects. Implications of the findings suggest that advocacy aimed at increasing the values that students attach to music as a school subject may encourage more students to become music learners across a wide range of countries.