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Introduction: In this study, we examined the cognitive processes and physiological responses involved in learning a flute piece by the composer Charles Koechlin among musicians of different expertise levels. Participants performed the piece four times consecutively, with a 2-min practice interval between the first and the second trial. Methods: Using data obtained from an eye tracker, respiratory sensors, and an audio recorder we assessed short-term improvement and the effect of musical structure and practice on key variables identified through a multivariate approach: eye-hand span (EHS), time index of EHS, thoracic and abdominal amplitude (breathing patterns) and pupil dilation. Results: The analysis revealed two main dimensions: one associated with EHS; and the other with embodied responses to music, closely linked to breathing patterns and pupil dilation. We found an effect of musical structure on all the variables studied, while the EHS improved with practice. Expert musicians demonstrated enhanced EHS and adapted their breathing patterns more effectively to the music's structure. Discussion: These insights support the hypothesis of a coupling between anticipation and breathing, emphasizing the role of perceptual and embodied components in music reading and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to identify the expertise of college students in classical music and evaluate individual prerequisites for listening to classical music and their impact on creative thinking in connection with psychological defence among students. The study involved 200 students from a college in China. The Chinese college students' expertise in music was analysed based on the questionnaire method and the research design. The study revealed the following: prolonged listening to loud music, even classical, develops creative thinking and at the same time can lead to loss of self-control and partial loss of the listener's sense of reality; music volume correlates with the desire to hear the rhythm and the frequency of music listening; there is a correlation between musical rhythm and the psychological defence mechanisms of substitution, regression, compensation, as well as tension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

William Frederick ("Fred") Cardin served as a director of instrumental music in the Reading, Pennsylvania, School District from 1930 until his retirement in June 1960. An accomplished performer and composer, Cardin studied at the Curtis School of Music and the Conservatoire Américaine in Paris, France. He is remembered as an outstanding educator and conductor both in the public schools and with community organizations. Cardin was also known as Pejawah, his Native American name. To gain further insight regarding Cardin's musical legacy and how it reflects his heritage, interviews were conducted with former students and colleagues. Additional artifacts were collected pertaining to his education, influences, and accomplishments. Cardin pursued a focused mission through compositions and performances to promote Native American music and culture while also demonstrating aptitude in music composition, performance, and conducting. Cardin is one individual who pursued a successful career in music and music education while navigating the issues of racial discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Children born preterm are at increased risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. Music and reading activities in childhood could ameliorate these difficulties, as they have shown benefits on both neural and behavioral levels. However, only a few studies have assessed these potential benefits in preterm-born children. We investigated whether music and language activities in early childhood are associated with improved developmental outcomes of preterm-born children. Methods: The cognitive, language, and motor skills of 45 children, born between 24 and 34 gestational weeks, were tested at 23-38 months of corrected age with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition. Background information, including parental education, and the weekly amount of music and language-related activities was collected using parental questionnaires. Results: The amount of singing, playing musical instruments and reading aloud was associated with better language skills. Moreover, children who had participated in a music playschool had better language skills when compared to those children who had not participated in a music playschool. Maternal education was associated with music playschool participation and better language and motor skills in children attending music playschool. Discussion: Interactive music and language activities in early childhood may improve language skills in preterm-born children. Informing and guiding parents at an early stage to integrate these activities into their daily lives could be a one way of supporting the development of preterm-born children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music reading is the key to literacy for musicians in the Western music tradition. This high-level activity requires an efficient extraction of the visual information from the score to the current needs of the execution. Differences in eye movements between expert and non-expert musicians during music reading have been shown. The present study goes further, using a machine learning approach to classify musicians according to their level of expertise in analyzing their eye movements and performance during sight-reading. We used a support vector machine (SVM) technique to (a) investigate whether the underlying expertise in musical reading could be reliably inferred from eye movements, performance, and subjective measures collected across five levels of expertise and (b) determine the best predictors for classifying expertise from 24 visual measures (e.g., the number of progressive fixations, the number of regressive fixations, pupil size, first-pass fixations, and second-pass fixations), 10 performance measures (e.g., eye-hand span, velocity, latency, play duration, tempo, and false notes), and 4 subjective measures (perceived complexity and cognitive skills). Eye movements from 68 pianists at five different levels of music expertise (according to their level in the conservatory of music-from first cycle to professional) were co-registered with their piano performance via a Musical Instrument Digital Interface, while they sight-read classical and contemporary music scores. Results revealed relevant classifications based on the SVM analysis. The model optimally classified the lower levels of expertise (1 and 2) compared to the higher levels (3, 4, and 5) and the medium level (3) compared to higher levels (4 and 5). Furthermore, across a total of 38 measures, the model identified the four best predictors of the level of expertise: the sum of fixations by note, the number of blinks, the number of fixations, and the average fixation duration. Thus, efficiently classifying musical reading expertise from musicians' eye movements and performance using SVM is possible. The results have important theoretical and practical implications for music cognition and pedagogy, enhancing the specialized eye and performance behaviors required for an expert music reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have shown that music expertise relates to the hemispheric lateralization of music reading among musicians and non-musicians. However, it remains unclear that how music expertise modulates the hemispheric lateralization of music reading along the music learning trajectory and how music expertise modulates the hemispheric lateralization of reading different musical elements. This study examined how music expertise modulates the hemispheric lateralization of music reading in pitch elements (e.g., pitch, harmony), temporal elements (e.g., rhythm), and expressive elements (e.g., articulation) among musicians, music learners, and non-musicians. Musicians (n = 38), music learners (n = 26), and non-musicians (n = 33) worked on a set of divided visual field sequential matching tasks with four musical elements, i.e., pitch, harmony, rhythm, and articulation, in separate blocks. An eye-tracker was used to ensure participants' central fixation before each trial. Participants judged whether the first and second target stimuli were the same as quickly and accurately as possible. The findings showed that for musicians, no significant differences were observed between the left visual field (LVF) and the right visual field (RVF), suggesting musicians' bilateral representation in music reading. Music learners had an RVF/LH (left hemisphere) advantage over the LVF/RH (right hemisphere), suggesting music learners tended to be more left-lateralized in music reading. In contrast, non-musicians had an LVF/RH advantage over the RVF/LH, suggesting non-musicians tended to be more right-lateralized in music reading. In addition, music expertise correlates with the laterality index (LI) in music reading, suggesting that the better the overall performance in music expertise task, the greater the tendency to be more left-lateralized in music reading. Nonetheless, musicians, music learners, and non-musicians did not show different visual field effects in any individual musical elements respectively, suggesting the cognitive processes involved might share similar lateralization effects among the three groups when only one particular musical element is examined. In general, this study suggests the effect of music training on brain plasticity along the music learning trajectory. It also highlights the possibilities that bilateral or left hemispheric lateralization may serve as an expertise marker for musical reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This design case describes how the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) informed the development of SpectrumPlay, a digital tool created to support learning and instruction of elementary music literacy and composition in inclusive music classrooms. The learning supports embedded in the tool enable students with visual processing difficulties learn to read music notation and play independently. Informed by Universal Design for Learning and Cognitive Load Theory, SpectrumPlay emerged as a direct response to the needs of diverse students. The tool evolved from a paper prototype that supported independent learning to a digital software that accounts for individual learner needs. In this design case, design judgments and prototype iterations provide precedent to the learning technologies design community for transforming an inclusive instructional design strategy into a digital tool with broad transformational reach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information literacy instruction in the twenty-first century stands at a crossroads of multiple socio-cultural trends, recent technological advances (specifically, artificial intelligence applications and large language models), shifting professional standards, and new developments in local educational settings. It is now necessary for instructors to act as explorers of the information environments in which they live and work, observing and staying cognizant of these developments while utilizing the principles of information ethics as a compass for guiding their work. In this article, the author explains how developments in local settings, combined with the above factors, can serve as an impetus for reinventing information literacy instruction. The author presents a variety of strategies for teaching information literacy in music in both credit-bearing courses and "one shot" instructional sessions that incorporate existing information literacy standards and values in information ethics. Curriculum mapping is highlighted as a strategy for planning and codifying pedagogical strategies while keeping lesson planning adaptable and responsive to specific learning needs. Recommendations for other instructors acknowledge that the process of delivering effective information literacy instruction in music is ongoing; success will depend upon how instructors choose to respond to contemporary societal developments and the educational needs of students and colleagues at their respective institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A research team of five music librarians interviewed twenty-six postsecondary music faculty and instructors to uncover their perceptions of students' information literacy skills, including perceived skill gaps and opportunities for collaboration with librarians. This qualitative study was conducted to inform the creation of the Music Companion to the Framework for Information Literacy but also revealed a number of broader trends and patterns music librarians can use to communicate effectively with music instructors about the scope and value of Framework-based music information literacy instruction. Using a thematic analysis approach, the researchers discuss three major themes that emerged from the interviews: disciplinary value placed on the dispositions of curiosity and intrinsic motivation, understanding of information literacy definitions and associations, and paradigm shifts in the field, all of which suggest avenues for outreach and collaboration with instructors. This paper explains the thematic findings of the study, highlighting music-specific information literacy knowledge and skills as well as attitudes and understandings in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is an introduction to a special double issue on music information literacy and instruction. The author discusses the evolution of music information literacy over the past twenty years and the impact of the 2015 publication of the Framework for Information Literacy. The author also highlights various topics of debate in the field, such as the effectiveness of one-shot library instruction sessions and the best practices for teaching citation skills. The issue features articles that emphasize collaboration between library instructors, faculty, and students. The author concludes by acknowledging the contributions of various library professionals in supporting student learning and discovery. [Extracted from the article]

The present longitudinal study investigated the hypothesis that early musical skills (as measured by melodic and rhythmic perception and memory) predict later literacy development via a mediating effect of phonology. We examined 130 French‐speaking children, 31 of whom with a familial risk for developmental dyslexia (DD). Their abilities in the three domains were assessed longitudinally with a comprehensive battery of behavioral tests in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. Using a structural equation modeling approach, we examined potential longitudinal effects from music to literacy via phonology. We then investigated how familial risk for DD may influence these relationships by testing whether atypical music processing is a risk factor for DD. Results showed that children with a familial risk for DD consistently underperformed children without familial risk in music, phonology, and literacy. A small effect of musical ability on literacy via phonology was observed, but may have been induced by differences in stability across domains over time. Furthermore, early musical skills did not add significant predictive power to later literacy difficulties beyond phonological skills and family risk status. These findings are consistent with the idea that certain key auditory skills are shared between music and speech processing, and between DD and congenital amusia. However, they do not support the notion that music perception and memory skills can serve as a reliable early marker of DD, nor as a valuable target for reading remediation. Research Highlights: Music, phonology, and literacy skills of 130 children, 31 of whom with a familial risk for dyslexia, were examined longitudinally.Children with a familial risk for dyslexia consistently underperformed children without familial risk in musical, phonological, and literacy skills.Structural equation models showed a small effect of musical ability in kindergarten on literacy in second grade, via phonology in first grade.However, early musical skills did not add significant predictive power to later literacy difficulties beyond phonological skills and family risk status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turcology Research is the property of Ataturk University Coordinatorship of Scientific Journals and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This research is a compilation study aimed at identifying information related to the 'Conversational Solfege' method in music education in Turkey and filling the gap in the literature. Developed by Dr. John M. Feierabend in 2001, 'Conversational Solfege' is an instructional method used primarily to enhance music literacy in music education. 'Conversational Solfege' aims to equip students with the ability to communicate in the musical language, allowing them to perceive relationships between notes as naturally as in conversation. By fostering the ability to understand and express music as if speaking, it aims to make music education more interactive and enjoyable. This study aims to introduce the 'Conversational Solfege' method and emphasize its applicability in Turkey. Data were obtained through literature review and compilation study. Searches were conducted on Google Scholar to focus on articles published in English and Turkish that are freely accessible. Full texts were accessed from various sources, including databases such as WOS, SCOPUS, ERIC, among others. The search did not yield any studies on Conversational Solfege in Turkish sources. Therefore, data were directly obtained from the official website of the method's creator, Dr. John M. Feierabend, and English articles. The article discusses how music literacy should be according to the 'Conversational Solfege' method and emphasizes the importance of acquiring this music literacy. Additionally, it provides practical implementation suggestions for educators for each stage of the method, which Dr. John M. Feierabend conducts in 12 steps under four main headings. It is believed that this article is important for providing a new perspective on solfege education in Turkey and therefore music education, introducing it as a method that can enhance music literacy, and serving as a source for future studies.

Numerous studies have explored the effects of background music on reading comprehension, however, little is known about how native language (L1) lyrics and second language (L2) lyrics in background music influence reading comprehension performance for college students. The present study used a mixed experimental design to examine the effects of listening habits (betweenparticipants variable: non-listeners or listeners), music type (betweenparticipants variable: L1 (Mandarin) pop music, L2 (English) pop music or no music) and text language (within-participants variable: L1 or L2) on reading comprehension of college students in East China. A total of 90 participants (50 females) were screened into non- listeners (n = 45) and listeners (n = 45), and then were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Mandarin pop music group (n = 30), English pop music group (n = 30) and no music group (n = 30). The results showed that reading comprehension performance was negatively affected by music with lyrics compared to the no music condition. Furthermore, Chinese/English reading comprehension was reduced more by pop music in the same language as the written texts. As expected, non-listeners were more negatively affected by music with lyrics than listeners. For both listeners and nonlisteners, average reading comprehension accuracy rates were the lowest in the condition of music with native language lyrics. Overall, our research findings indicate that listening to pop music with lyrics reduces reading comprehension performance. However, listening to background music cause much less distraction if the students commonly listen to music while reading. The current study supports the duplex-mechanism account of auditory distraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a new edited collection of essays titled "Sounds, Ecologies, Musics" by Aaron S. Allen and Jeff Todd Titon. The collection explores the intersection between music, sound, and ecology, aiming to clarify the concept of "ecologies" in music studies. The book covers a wide range of topics, including sonic understandings of natural environments, traditional and indigenous ecological knowledge, and interdisciplinary perspectives on music and sound. The collection emphasizes the need for a relational understanding of ecologies and highlights the shift towards environmental and social justice in ecomusicology. Overall, the book offers diverse perspectives and contributions to the field of music studies. [Extracted from the article]

Studies on music reading have provided insights into the cognitive processes in sight singing. However, there has been limited research on sight singing in a group setting. This study aims to assess how choral singers approach music reading as they perform previously unfamiliar choral scores together. We addressed (1) how singers’ gaze direction is distributed over staff systems, and (2) how their gaze behaviour is influenced by note density and repeated practice. Four quartets, a total of sixteen experienced singers, performed eight Baroque music excerpts three times, while the singers’ eye movements were recorded. Eye-movement measures were analysed in conjunction with the singers’ views regarding their music reading, obtained through questionnaires and group discussions. Results reveal that besides reading their own voice lines, singers typically inspected the neighbouring lines, seeking visual cues to coordinate the performance. The results of a generalised linear mixed model analysis underscore the substantial influence of note density on fixation durations on one’s own lines, but not on other voices’ lines. Practice, on the other hand, exhibited effects only on average fixation duration for one’s own lines, with no significant impact observed on other lines. The study provides evidence of coordination between an actual sight-reading process and a parallel information-gathering process that helps singers relate their parts to the overall musical structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As in all developed or institutionalised societies, education is very important for Ancient Greek Civilisation and Spartan Society, which is an important representative of this civilisation. The purpose of women's existence in Spartan society was seen as being the mothers of the future and raising good citizens for the Spartan State, which had a military character. In order to fulfil this expectation, it is seen that they were subjected to both physical and mental education, including different categories, although not at the same level as men. The “Spartan Woman”, who knew how to read and write, was interested in music, received physical education, had skills such as horse riding and weaving, and participated in competitions requiring physical competition, including wrestling, was in a remarkable position with these characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Elementary Education in Theory & Practice is the property of Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Several books, studies and videos are available on the Internet on the importance and role of singing in schools and choral singing, and on effective ways of learning songs and choral works. As a result of technological progress, MIDI recordings and digital choral parts are available to choirs and choir leaders to facilitate the rehearsal and learning process. However, what on the one hand seems modern and innovative (digital pianos, audio and video recordings, easy and fast communication, streaming, virtual choirs) can have a negative impact on the other. At international conferences and symposiums, it is common to see choirmasters making hand gestures to sound one or more parts, as a kind of attraction to show off solfa singing. It is not always clear, however, what the intelligent use of solmization can do beyond the two- (three-)part singing or vocal warm-up. The following chapters will point out why reading music with a relative system of solfa is beneficial, and why learning to sing a part or a choral work with the help of piano is less supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Online Journal of Music Sciences (OJOMUS) is the property of Online Journal of Music Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Previous works have suggested a high prevalence of painkiller intake (PI) among sport students but also improved health literacy (HL) for sports-active students than for sports-inactive students. Since health-related content also forms part of the sport science curriculum, the study focuses on these seemingly paradoxical results. Music students who are also physically active through their instrumental practice, who act in an area with increased PI and who have no health-related teaching content in their curriculum composed the comparison group. Therefore, this study investigated the prevalence of PI and HL in cohorts of sport (n = 222; 54.5% female) and music students (n = 89; 67.4% female) using a cross-sectional online survey in Lower Saxony, Germany. The hypothesis tests were validated by calculating frequentist and Bayesian statistics. The results show that 50.9% of sport and 28.1% of music students exhibit PI concerning their study programs, often for prophylactical purposes and in the presence of low HL levels. The weak negative correlation between PI and HL was not statistically confirmed and requires further research with improved test power. Regarding the possible health consequences of an inconsiderate PI, target group-specific prevention is indicated to increase general health awareness and HL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents new discoveries from a manuscript from the Collegiate Church of St Chad, Shrewsbury, with implications for the circulation of ecclesiastical music, particularly sequences, in twelfth- and thirteenth-century England. It begins with a brief examination of the twelfth-century musical contents of the manuscript, which are shown to hold close scribal affinities: in particular, a 'winged' neume shape is contextualised by contemporaneous musical inscriptions found in a manuscript probably written at Haughmond Abbey. The remainder of the article considers music, mostly sequences, inscribed in a palimpsest gathering at the back of the St Chad's manuscript in the thirteenth century. Two of these are compared for the first time with their concordances, one concordance newly discovered. Examination of the preservation and record of these musical entries (with discussion of contrafacture and marginalia) sheds light on creative practices of citation and intertextuality, performance traditions, and processes of reading and recording music at St Chad's, ultimately illuminating the role the church played within a creative network across England and northern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study's objectives were to compare and contrast the levels of incorporating 21st - century skills into the music curriculum for the basic educational stage in Jordan and Singapore. The study employed the analytical descriptive approach and the comparison approach as a methodology and it used a content analysis that included 13 skills and 52 indicators for data collection, the general framework and general and specific outcomes of the music education curricula for the first six basic grades in Jordan and Singapore which made up the study sample. The results demonstrated that the general structure and learning objectives of Singapore's music education curriculum were highly inclusive of twenty-first century skills except for the skill of media literacy. Communication skills were given a high degree of inclusion in the Jordanian music education curriculum whereas four other skills had medium levels of inclusion and eight had low levels. Comparisons between the two curricula were made to properly understand the results that led to Singapore's music education curriculum being extremely inclusive of abilities essential to the twenty-first century. The study recommends increasing the inclusion of media literacy skills in the music education curriculum of both countries and increasing the inclusion of critical thinking and problem-solving, innovation, creativity, communication, collaboration, leadership and responsibility, flexibility and adaptability, productivity and accountability, information literacy, information communications and technology literacy, social and cross-cultural, and initiative and self-direction skills in the Jordanian curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores some of the intersections and relationships between 'knowledge' and 'social justice' particularly as manifest in the context of English school music education. It takes as its starting point the tensions resulting from different understandings of these terms as revealed in the Society for Music Analysis's (SMA) report 'Questioning the gap in music literacy' (McQueen 2020). Drawing on neo-traditionalist, social realist and constructivist perspectives, different conceptions of musical knowledge and its relationship to social justice are briefly examined. Drawing on the work of John Rawls and Nancy Fraser, the argument is made that socially just approaches to music education are enhanced by going beyond distributive and redistributive paradigms to embrace issues around respect, recognition, and participatory parity. Inter alia, the article examines the challenges resulting from an identity politics approach to social justice, particularly its tendency towards reifying cultural identity and knowledge. The article concludes by suggesting that the tensions around musical knowledge and social justice revealed in the SMA Report might be ameliorated through dialogical approaches to pedagogy that recognise the centrality---but not exclusivity---of the learner's world in endowing meaning on musical knowledge and understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, which is intended as a contribution to wider conversations around music literacy, explores current conceptions of music literacy within the UK, using the area of aural skills training as a focus. Specifically, it considers the nature of music literacy and aural training in secondary (ages 11–18) music curricula and the role of aural training in supporting the development of music literacy. Contemporary secondary music courses now explore a far wider range of musics than their historic counterparts, yet the ways in which these are taught, practised, and assessed continue to be driven by pedagogic models that were designed to develop music literacy within a narrower range of musics associated with a specific tradition. This is compounded by the fact that contemporary secondary music courses have become somewhat diluted in terms of their focus and the main curricular components (performance, composition, and listening/appraising) are unnaturally separated into disconnected areas of practice to conveniently be assessed in isolation. This article concludes by proposing potential enhancements that educators might consider as they look to develop a student-centred approach to aural training and how this might better support the development of multiple forms of music literacy within their curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a report commissioned by the Society for Music Analysis to address a gap in music literacy, McQueen (2020) identified instrumental teachers as an important part of music education both within schools and in the community. This article takes as a starting point McQueen's (2020) proposal that 'it is through instrumental tuition that music literacy in its many forms is likely to develop' (65) to tease through some of the implications it might have for contemporary perspectives on music education. In doing so it assesses the relationship between music literacy and music analysis as a complex one involving professional partnerships which can lead to 'a clash of allegiances' (83) evident in versions of curriculum knowledge and the values underpinning them. My aim is to bring forward discussions surrounding instrumental teaching and school curricula and argue that greater collaboration between all those engaged in music education will address issues arising from and perpetuated by their separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review provides a summary and discussion of the 'Music Literacy' strand (day 1) of the Society for Music Analysis's OxMAC conference (University of Oxford, July 2023). The review highlights how the ever-expanding range of musics currently studied in higher education calls for an increasingly multifaceted understanding of the term 'music literacy'. This was explored at the conference through presentations focusing on diverse aspects of music literacy, including its relationship with music technology, popular music, music pedagogy, musical hermeneutics and musical traditions grounded in the concepts of vibration and timbre. The review contextualises these presentations by outlining how they relate to wider current debates within music education at a variety of levels as well as the agenda of the Society for Music Analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2019 the Society for Music Analysis commissioned a report to find out if stakeholders in music education agreed that knowledge and/or skills in music literacy had declined for those applying to study music at university in England. The ensuing mixed methods study collected data from a range of stakeholders through interviews (N = 33), questionnaires (N = 233), a Music Literacy Study Day and informal observation. The findings showed that many participants thought that music literacy, if defined more narrowly, had declined in recent years. In addition, views on priorities in music education differed considerably, aligning with different forms of social justice. Some participants considered the bar to have been lowered in general music education, leading universities to alter their practices to facilitate access. This article reflects on those findings. The authors conclude that there needs to be careful consideration of curricula to prevent taking knowledge and skills away unnecessarily while ensuring that updated curricula are coherent and relevant to contemporary concerns about music education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Society of Music Analysis report indicated that digital music often sits uncomfortably within a curriculum where the main focus is on the non-digital. This article takes as its starting point a broad definition of digital music as both a type of music and a way that music is represented. It will examine how digital music has altered the music landscape within informal and formal educational settings, and it will explore conflicting notions of music literacy while suggesting that traditional arguments about the value of notation fluency in the digital age may be misdirected. Ultimately, it will propose a definition of 'critical music literacy' in which Western standard music notation is not the crucial consideration, with implications for the design of music curricula and for progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University Journal of Faculty of Education / Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University Journal of Faculty of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Discussing her literary events organized in different countries, Anna Juhász answers the questions of Imre József Balázs, highlighting that the key to her events is the personal involvement. Contemporary authors participating in such events mediate this involvement, but such connection can be developed similarly with classical authors. Events consisting of discussions, readings and music follow the same logic: aiming to ensure that all generations are represented in these programmes, to organize events where high school students, adults and grandparents can all experience art and literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

n accordance with the current Vasiljević method, model songs and songs for special occasions are the starting point in the process of developing students’ music literacy. At the same time, these songs are used for developing students’ voice. In order to investigate the methodological functionality of the model songs and songs for special occasions, we analyzed the textbooks of eight publishing houses (Zavod za udžbenike, Klet, Vulkan, Eduka, Bigz, Novi logos, Freska, Kreativni centar). The results indicate that the textbooks mostly contain the models recommended in the curriculum, but that the models are often composed by the textbook authors themselves with a didactic purpose. It was also observed that the authors in the textbook literature, especially in the first-grade textbooks, do not follow the methodological guidelines of the Vasiljević method in terms of working on the development of the voice volume. In order to point to the ethnomusicological material as a good source for the selection of songs, we first explained the procedures for adapting the songs from the ethnomusicological material, and then provided several models and songs for special occasions. The aim of the research is to improve the lessons of music literacy in primary schools in Serbia using the Vasiljević method and to point out the importance of folk songs as basic and initial music material, both for the music literacy of children and for vocal development. The researchers used the method of theoretical content analysis. The implications of the research refer to raising the professional competence of primary school teachers in the selection of music material for teaching music literacy, the design of operational curricula, familiarization of the wider academic public with the importance of adapting musical material from ethnomusicological collections, the improvement of work in schools and teacher training colleges in terms of an adequate application of the Vasiljević method.

Encouraged by the facts from a segment of an earlier research of music examples according to genre in Music Education textbooks, the authors of the paper decided to analyse the content of the latest editions of textbooks published by different publishers in order to collect the most up-to-date facts and get relevant information about the diversity of music examples according to genre in the process of developing music literacy and multicultural literacy of students in the lower grades of primary school. The research focuses on printed textbook units (N=24) from the latest textbook sets for grades 1-4 of primary school published by six publishing houses (Zavod za udžbenike, Klet, Beogradski izdavačko-grafički zavod, Kreativni centar, Logos, and Vulkan znanje). The research is important not only because of the research instruments used (music genre categorisation and a survey questionnaire ‒ ŽUMK 2022), the obtained results on the usefulness and the level of using music examples according to genre for developing students’ music literacy and multicultural literacy, but also because it was the first time that primary school teachers (N=132) from 10 primary schools in four cities in the territory of South-East Serbia (Novi Pazar, Raška, Sjenica, and Tutin) were included in the research. The results of the combined empirical research: а) аnalysis of printed textbook units of different publishers for the subject Music Education and b) opinions of primary school teachers regarding genre diversity are the same in some segments and different in others. The survey of primary school teachers attitudes was conducted using Google Forms. The aim of the paper is to present, based on the quantitative analysis of the identified music content categorised in terms of genre and the attitudes of the primary school teachers, the facts related to the genre diversity of music examples (rhythmic, melodic, and/or rhythmic-melodic) in the most recent Music Education textbooks which are important not only for developing music literacy by means of activities such as singing/playing an instrument/movement using the method of learning by hearing and/or from music scores, but also for developing students’ multicultural literacy.

Considerable evidence suggests that musical education induces structural and functional neuroplasticity in the brain. This study aimed to explore the potential impact of such changes on word-reading proficiency. We investigated whether musical training promotes the development of uncharted orthographic regions in the right hemisphere leading to better reading abilities. A total of 60 healthy, right-handed culturally matched professional musicians and controls took part in this research. They were categorised as normo-typical readers based on their reading speed (syl/sec) and subdivided into two groups of relatively good and poor readers. High density EEG/ERPs were recorded while participants engaged in a note or letter detection task. Musicians were more fluent in word, non-word and text reading tests, and faster in detecting both notes and words. They also exhibited greater N170 and P300 responses, and target-non target differences for words than controls. Similarly, good readers showed larger N170 and P300 responses than poor readers. Increased reading skills were associated to a bilateral activation of the occipito/temporal cortex, during music and word reading. Source reconstruction also showed a reduced activation of the left fusiform gyrus, and of areas devoted to attentional/ocular shifting in poor vs. good readers, and in controls vs. musicians. Data suggest that music literacy acquired early in time can shape reading circuits by promoting the specialization of a right-sided reading area, whose activity was here associated with enhanced reading proficiency. In conclusion, music literacy induces measurable neuroplastic changes in the left and right OT cortex responsible for improved word reading ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on music education conference regarding the removal of sight-reading from the all-state choir exam and the concept of music literacy. It reports successful support for students in the Northeast All-State Choir through a skills-first approach, debates surrounding the emphasis on music reading and its relation to cultural aspects, and arguments for expanding the definition of music literacy to ensure broader access to music opportunities.

Introduction: In this study, we employed a combined electromagnetic recording technique, i.e., electroencephalogram (EEG)/event-related potentials (ERPs) plus standardized weighted low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (swLORETA), to investigate the neural mechanism subserving the orthographic processing of symbols in language and music. While much is known about word processing, the current literature remains inconclusive regarding music reading, as its mechanisms appear to be left lateralized in some cases (as suggested by music-alexia clinical case reports) and either right-sided or bilateral in others, depending on the study and the methodology used. Methods: In this study, 90 right-handed participants with varyingmusical abilities and sexes performed an attentional selection task that involved the recognition of target letters and musical notes, while their EEG signals were recorded from 128 sites. Results: The occipito/temporal N170 component of ERPs (170-210ms) was found strictly left-sided during letter selection and bilateral (with a right-hemispheric tendency) during note selection. Source reconstruction data indicated the preponderant engagement of the right posterior fusiform gyrus (BA19) for processing musical notes. Also involved were other brain regions belonging to the word reading circuit, including the left-sided visual word form area (VWFA) and frontal eye-fields (FEFs). Discussion: This finding provides an explanation for the infrequent appearance of musical alexia cases (previously observed only in patients with left hemispheric lesions). It also suggests how musical literacy could be a rehabilitative and preventive factor for dyslexia, by promoting neuroplasticity and bilaterality in the reading areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the author's journey to connect music literacy to choral repertoire in her teaching. Topics include strategies for integrating music literacy into choir rehearsals, such as simplifying and controlling what singers see, working from the known to the unknown, and focusing on depth instead of breadth.

The article offers information on recent activities and future plans in the Western Division of the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE). Topics include the successful levels program in Arizona with roughly 20 students in total for Levels 1 and 2, a well-attended fall workshop featuring Carrie Nicholas from the "Music Teacher Coffee Talk" podcast, and the implementation of hybrid options for workshops to accommodate both local and remote attendees.

The aim of this study is to examine the music literacy levels of primary teachers. In line with this objective, it is considered that assessing the music literacy levels of primary teachers according to diverse factors is crucial for enhancing the quality of the education provided. The study employed the relational survey model, which is one of the non-experimental quantitative research methods. The research sample consisted of 337 primary teachers who work in the urban and rural areas of Ağrı, Ardahan, Iğdır, and Kars provinces, located in the Eastern Anatolia region. Data were collected through the "Music Literacy Scale to Preschool and Elementary School Education Department" and a personal information form. The results showed that the music literacy of primary teachers was at an intermediate level. Demographically, the variables of gender, employment province, and the number of semesters involving music education in their undergraduate studies did not make a statistically significant difference. However, the variables of age, seniority, adequacy of music education received in the undergraduate period, having extracurricular music education beyond the undergraduate study, and receiving a music certificate during or after the undergraduate study made significant differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is a review of the book "Music in Colonial Punjab: Courtesans, Bards, and Connoisseurs, 1800-1947" by Radha Kapuria. The book explores the history of musical traditions in Punjab during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It discusses the central role of courtesans and female dancers in the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the impact of colonialism on musical traditions, and the emergence of reformist movements aimed at purifying the earlier musical traditions. The book also examines the patronage of music in the courts of Patiala and Kapurthala. Overall, the book provides critical insights into the colonial, modern, religious, and cultural categories and identities that have shaped Punjab's musical landscape. [Extracted from the article]

Based on the analysis of random phenomena, random variables, and random processes, this paper constructs a Markov chain-based model for evaluating the effectiveness of music teaching using Markov chains. Aiming at the core literacy of college music education, a new education model is proposed to cultivate students’ comprehensive music literacy and transform the method of college music education. Traditional evaluation methods and the Markov chain model are used to analyze data examples for the new model of music education. The probability of transferring the number of students whose first score was on the 89.9-80 scale to the 100-90 scale was 0.5115, greater than the probability value of 0.3650 for those still on the 89.9-80 scale. The transfer matrix of the experimental class was shifted to the left as a whole, indicating a high degree of student progress.

This paper discusses the development of music lessons for adults in a non-professional choir. Based on the Kodály Concept, the lessons took place from April 2019 until March 2020. The singers and conductor engaged in shared research practices, tracking teaching and learning experiences through journaling and sharing our writings. Through this sharing, we have discussed the activities that are most enjoyable, difficulties we have encountered, and ways to overcome these difficulties. The data has important implications for my own practice as a music teacher and conductor, in addition to resonating with topics such as critical geragogy and life-long learning in non-academic contexts. Furthermore, shared research practices give adult learners an opportunity to actively engage in teaching and learning processes, with implications for future projects that include adult music education in nonacademic contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching for musical meaning can be a multifaceted topic, since a universally accepted definition of musical meaning is elusive; yet musical meaning remains at the heart of music literacy. Music literacy is equally complex, as changes in technology constantly reorganize how musical sounds are produced, recorded, and transmitted. Today, musical texts are presented through increasingly diverse, multi-modal forms, and changes in media bring accompanying changes to how we construct musical meaning. In this article, I consider parallels between language and music as they are transmitted through evolving texts and interpreted by a reader to create syntactical, prosodic, and social meaning. These three meaning domains are examined within print and oral cultural ways of knowing since both are present in the current media landscape. Considering notation as a form of externalized cognition, I advance a new music literacy theory that reclaims orality as necessary for active participation in the various music discourses in contemporary society. In the proposed model, students discover musical meaning as they make decisions and formulate beliefs related to musical organization (syntax) and expression (prosody) in relation to a community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Teaching Innovations / Inovacije u Nastavi is the property of University of Belgrade, Faculty of Teacher Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Teaching Innovations / Inovacije u Nastavi is the property of University of Belgrade, Faculty of Teacher Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)