An investigation of the feasibility of employing scores on tests of musical aptitude, academic achievement, intelligence, and selected psychomotor proficiencies as prognosticators of success in beginning instrumental music

Abstract

It was the purpose of this study to investigate the possibility of using scores on tests of musical aptitude, academic achievement, intelligence, and selected psychomotor abilities as predictors of success in beginning instrumental music. The null hypothesis was that there would be no difference between the scores of successful and less successful beginning instrumental students on the above mentioned independent variables. The subjects were thirty-four beginning instrumental music students. The two groups of subjects--highly successful and less successful--were selected from the instrumental programs in the Greensboro City Schools. Each of the students was given a musical aptitude test and selected psychomotor tests. Scores for the intelligence and academic achievement tests were taken from the permanent records of the students. The data were analyzed through the use of a discriminant function analysis. It was found that the computed discriminant function equation was significant at the .05 level. The percentage of variability accounted for by using the discriminant function equation was found to be 37.2%. All the variables were found to make a unique contribution to the differentiation of groups; the more important variables seemed to be intelligence, musical aptitude, and academic achievement. Overall, 85% of the a priori group subjects were classified correctly by the use of the computed discriminant function equation