Os equívocos a respeito da Música

This chapter is a translation and update of “The Misunderstanding of Music”. The original text was written in 2001 for an inaugural lecture delivered at the Institute of Education (formerly University of London). The text was reviewed, updated and translated for this book in collaboration with Silvia Sobreira and Marcelo Sampaio. Although not well known in Brazil, Dr. Welch is respected worldwide for his studies on the development of children’s voices. In his text he shows that vocal development is related to the individual’s social context and his/her neuropsychobiological development. He emphasizes that musical behaviour is a characteristic common to all human beings, not just for those considered “talented”

Teachers’ Perceptions about the Use of Background Music in Preschool Free Play Time

The allocation of free-play time in an early childhood curriculum provides opportunities for child-centred learning and gives children a chance to explore safely the world around them. However, previous literature suggests that the beneficial use background music during free-play time is contested and that further research would be useful. A specially designed survey was sent to teachers in Seoul, Kyoung-gi, and Choong-chung provinces in South Korea by e-mail and supplemented post-survey by n=12 in-depth interviews. Data from n=127 surveys were gathered for final analyses. The responses were divided into two main categories: the case for the use of background music during free-play time and the case against. The numbers of teachers in each category were similar. 54% of teachers reported using background music for children’s free-play time and transitions, both in accordance with children’s preferences and also to facilitate a musical sound environment for children’s play; however, 46% of teachers did not use background music because of a perception that it would create noise problems in the classroom. Selected background music tended to be of medium tempi, with or without lyrics, often calm and quiet, with medium or soft dynamics. Music choices related to the perceived mood of the music, children’s perceived preferences, and the music’s relationships to a chosen educational theme. The majority of teachers who used background music during free-play time reported that this was also helpful in the learning of songs or to support content-related curricular themes

Music early learning programs: Enduring outcomes for children and their families

Music early learning programs (MELPs) that provide music services to parents and carers of children aged birth through 8 years are proliferating. Parents make significant financial and social investments in MELPs, yet little is known of their motivations and aspirations nor of the enduring outcomes of participation. This article reports the findings of an interview study with 10 parents, 1 grandparent, and 8 child former participants in a MELP program in regional Australia that investigated perceptions of MELP participation. Findings indicate that parents come from a range of musical backgrounds. Reasons and aspirations for MELP enrolment encompass developing both parents’ and children’s musical skills, providing social benefits for parent and child, exposure to musical experience, value-adding to their child’s education and expanding the family social circle. Enduring outcomes include developed music knowledge and skills, future investments, physical and emotional development, and new patterns of learning that are potentially transferable. Findings suggest that children arrive at formal schooling with a rich repertoire of music, a capacity to engage in embodied musical experience, and a set of expectations concerning their participation in music. Such knowledge holds implications for the ways in which music learning might be structured within the early childhood classroom

"A Bed of Nails": Professional Musicians' Accounts of the Experience of Performance Anxiety From a Phenomenological Perspective

Most investigations of musical performance anxiety have employed quantitative methodologies. Whereas such methodologies can provide useful insights into the measurable aspects of the experience in a larger group of participants, the complexity, subtlety and individuality of the emotional experience and the importance of the individual's interpretation of it are often overlooked. This study employed a phenomenological approach to investigate the lived, subjective experience of performance anxiety, as described in professional musicians' narratives. Semi-structured interviews with four professional musicians (two males, two females) specializing in Western classical and jazz music genres were conducted and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The analysis revealed the presence of four overarching themes: (1) Intensity of performance anxiety experience, (2) perceived effects, (3) development of coping strategies, and (4) achieving release from anxiety. Findings suggest that the lived experience of performance anxiety is multifaceted, characterized by a physical and a psychological dimension. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis is a useful research tool that can facilitate our understanding of the subjective experience of performance anxiety (how it is felt and understood at an individual level) and can thus be useful in the development of tailor-made intervention programs for musicians

A quantitative study of experiences impacting music teacher development

Scholars have asserted for the need for music teachers to be engaged in music-making and have drawn links between performing and music teaching identities. Drawing on a questionnaire study (n = 72), this article reports (a) the impact of music and non-music experiences on specialist music teachers and (b) the associations between experiences, perceived music (teaching) abilities, and their pride as music teachers. Through using a combination of descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, the study found that besides performing abilities positively impacting on music teachers’ perceived teaching abilities and their pride as music teachers, music compositional experiences also significantly impact on music teachers’ perceived teaching abilities. In addition, teachers’ other experiences in the context of their work environment are also significantly associated with their perceived teaching abilities. The implications are that more attention needs to be given to positive music composition experiences and its relationship to music teaching. Moreover, the professional and personal growth of music teachers is constituted by both musical and non-musical development aspects and is impacted by their relationship with their students and their colleagues. Therefore, professional development of music teachers should look beyond their competency development to facilitating and supporting the growth of their music teacher identities

A natureza do feedback no ensino e na aprendizagem de piano com o uso de tecnologia digital no ensino superior [The nature of feedback in higher education studio-based piano learning and teaching with the use of digital technology]

The aim of the current research was to investigate the nature of feedback when a digital technology system was introduced in the higher education (HE) piano studio alongside three teacher and student pairs in Brazil. Data were collected by using video- recorded observations of lessons, participant interviews, and also data related to the use of a specific technology. A thematic analysis of the resultant data suggests that participants used verbal and non-verbal feedback in three areas of lesson focus: music (score), performance (e.g., dynamics, articulation), and technology (Musical Instrument Digital Interface [MIDI] parameters). The application of technology seems to allow the focus of the lesson to become clearer, making students more aware of their performances and their learning processes. Data suggest that the engagement with technology varied across the three observed cases. There seems to be a valuable use for technology-mediated feedback; this could, in turn, optimize more traditional pedagogical approaches in HE piano learning and teaching, and also enrich private practice

How Does Task Presentation Impact Motor Inhibition Performance in Young Children?

Peg tapping tasks are commonly used as a measure of inhibitory skill in young children. However, differences in the way the task is presented may influence children’s performance. For example, if a peg tapping task is presented at regular intervals, children can entrain to the presentation pulse, which may in turn support their performance. This study assessed how speed and regularity of presentation may support or impair children’s responses. An experimenter was filmed delivering the tapping task at two different speeds (120 bpm/3,000 ms per trial and 150 bpm/2,400 ms per trial). Additionally, they were filmed delivering the task at regular intervals (i.e., the onset of each trial was predictable), or at irregular intervals (the onset of each trial was unpredictable). N = 103 children aged between 5 and 6 years old were tested on the task. They completed one block with 20 regular interval trials and another block with 20 irregular interval trials. Block presentation order was randomized. Children who achieved over 90% accuracy on the task were then presented with two more blocks at 150 bpm. Children’s response accuracy was measured. Our results show a difference in children’s accuracy across all conditions with trials presented in an irregular manner producing poorer performance on the task. The study demonstrates how speed and regularity of presentation can affect children’s scores on a tapping task used to measure inhibition. Demands on working memory, motor ability, and speed of processing are all affected by adjustments in presentation. Entrainment to a pulse is also a potential mechanism employed by children to support their performance on this task

Singer identities and educational environments

The human voice is a core component of our identity, both in singing as well as in speech. This is because our vocal utterances intimately reflect our inner physical and psychological health. In singing, our vocal products are closely related to our current phase of musical identity, as well as to the coordination of the voice mechanism. Relative singing mastery and development are nurtured or hindered by experiences in socio-cultural settings, which range from the initial playful explorations of cot-based infancy to making sense and attempting to recreate elements of the glocal (global/local) sung repertoire, as experienced in the home and outside, either virtually (as mediated by media) or directly through contact with another human. Singing skills usually develop over time, relative to the nature and quality of cumulative experience. This includes how others perceive our singing—which, in turn, relates to their own experience of singing, expectations and singer identity. It is normal for singing competency, in relation to the expectations of the local culture, to develop across childhood into adolescence and adulthood. However, where singing skills are not appropriately nurtured and developed, the outcome can be a lifelong mislabelling of negative musical self-efficacy and self-worth. Critical periods for whether or not singer identity emerges as positive or negative have been noted in childhood and adolescence. The chapter explores singer identity by drawing on empirical data from a wide range of studies of children's, adolescents' and adults' singing development in the UK and elsewhere. The chapter also suggests how appropriate educational interventions can address negative singer identity

The Art of Practice – Understanding the process of musical maturation through reflection.

Originally published in Biomedical Optics Express on 01 March 2014 (boe-5-3-832

The Art of Practice – Understanding the process of musical maturation through reflection.

Much has been written in the last 30 years about musical practice and performance, but there is little consensus over what practice really means, or how musicians progress by practising. Researchers tend to focus on specific elements in practice rather than maintaining a more holistic perspective. Whilst academics historically focused on (primarily Western) classical musicians, more recent research has encompassed popular, jazz and folk musicians. The current research project at the University of Liverpool focuses on the practice and performance of both popular and classical musicians as described in students’ reflective essays. We posit a model for musical maturation that incorporates key elements from psychology, epistemology and sociocultural theory. (DIPF/Orig.