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Objective: Adolescents frequently experience mental distress. However, there is little research on community activities that help adolescents recover from depression and anxiety. This study investigated the outcomes and experiences of music workshops for helping adolescents overcome anxiety and/or depression. Results: Thirty-four participants aged 15 and 16 years were recruited from a cohort study of adolescents with symptoms of anxiety and/or depression and invited to participate in a musical education and practice workshop consisting of five weekly sessions. At the beginning and end of the workshops, symptoms of anxiety and depression were self-rated on the GAD-7 and PHQ-8. Experiences were assessed on a brief questionnaire with open-ended questions. The average attendance of groups was 86%, but only 56% of participants attended all five sessions of the workshops. The symptom levels did not significantly change during the intervention. Experiences were largely positive. Participants appreciated the interactions in the group and the learning of new skills. Some criticized the workshops as too short and found the logistics of attending difficult. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN50583823. Date Applied 18/03/2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective Adolescents frequently experience mental distress. However, there is little research on community activities that help adolescents recover from depression and anxiety. This study investigated the outcomes and experiences of music workshops for helping adolescents overcome anxiety and/or depression. Results Thirty-four participants aged 15 and 16 years were recruited from a cohort study of adolescents with symptoms of anxiety and/or depression and invited to participate in a musical education and practice workshop consisting of five weekly sessions. At the beginning and end of the workshops, symptoms of anxiety and depression were self-rated on the GAD-7 and PHQ-8. Experiences were assessed on a brief questionnaire with open-ended questions. The average attendance of groups was 86%, but only 56% of participants attended all five sessions of the workshops. The symptom levels did not significantly change during the intervention. Experiences were largely positive. Participants appreciated the interactions in the group and the learning of new skills. Some criticized the workshops as too short and found the logistics of attending difficult. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN50583823. Date Applied 18/03/2022.

In England, music education policy is deeply rooted in neoliberal ideologies, shaping classroom practice and assessments. This paper presents findings from a four-year funded longitudinal project exploring the impact of musical partnerships on young people at risk of educational exclusion. Through a posthuman lens, the researchers made a methodological shift, acknowledging the agency of non-human elements and physical spaces in musical interactions. Posthumanism offered alternative insights, challenging traditional notions of music education practice and extended human-centric perspectives and school assessment metrics. It expanded our understanding of what it means to be a musician and pedagogue. This paper proposes that posthumanism can challenge existing notions of music education practice while simultaneously moving the discussion of important matters in music education research into new areas of thinking, doing, and being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Aula Abierta. Revista de Investigación, Formación e Innovación en Educación (RIFIE) is the property of Universidad de Oviedo, Servicio de Publicaciones 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 small-scale mixed methods study sought to explore the nature of the musical learning in the Reception year. Research data from the questionnaires (n = 39) provide some evidence that little has changed over the last two decades in some aspects of the music provision for children aged 4 and 5 years. However, interviews with eight Reception teachers revealed some unexpected findings on account of some contemporary barriers. Qualitative data suggest that children's entitlement to develop their innate musicality within the Foundation stage curriculum may be at risk, as some teachers find the challenges of 'fitting it all' is difficult to accomplish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Plurentes is the property of Universidad Nacional de La Plata 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.)

Mismatch negativity (MMN) studies were initiated as part of a well-controlled experimental research tradition with the aim to identify some key principles of auditory processing and memory. During the past two decades, empirical paradigms have moved toward more ecologically valid ones while retaining rigid experimental control. In this paper, I will introduce this development of MMN stimulation paradigms starting from the paradigms used in basic science and then moving to paradigms that have been particularly relevant for studies on music learning and musical expertise. Via these historical and thematic perspectives, I wish to stimulate paradigm development further to meet the demands of naturalistic ecologically valid studies also when using MMN in the context of event-related potential technique that necessarily requires averaging across several stimulus presentations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Aula Abierta. Revista de Investigación, Formación e Innovación en Educación (RIFIE) is the property of Universidad de Oviedo, Servicio de Publicaciones 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.)

Mismatch negativity (MMN) studies were initiated as part of a well-controlled experimental research tradition with the aim to identify some key principles of auditory processing and memory. During the past two decades, empirical paradigms have moved toward more ecologically valid ones while retaining rigid experimental control. In this paper, I will introduce this development of MMN stimulation paradigms starting from the paradigms used in basic science and then moving to paradigms that have been particularly relevant for studies on music learning and musical expertise. Via these historical and thematic perspectives, I wish to stimulate paradigm development further to meet the demands of naturalistic ecologically valid studies also when using MMN in the context of event-related potential technique that necessarily requires averaging across several stimulus presentations.

Copyright of ouvirOUver is the property of ouvirOUver 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.)

The presented work is devoted to the disclosing the meaning of the liturgy singing in the context of an integrated approach to the study of the activities of Moscow theological schools (seminaries and academies) in the preparation of future clergy in the second half of the 20th century. This topic is of high scientific value, since for many decades the church singing in Orthodox educational institutions has been maintained at a high professional level. Here lies a paradox: higher schools are not specialized musical institutions and do not train specialists in church singing. However, in the field of solo performance (deacon art) and also of choral performance (student liturgical choirs) the schools serve as a model for many theological educational organizations and parish choirs of the Russian Orthodox Church. We applied an integrative approach in order to understand how the central educational institution managed to maintain its high church singing status for a long period of time. Our study consecutively examines: the teaching staff of the discipline “Liturgy Singing”, the principles and methods of teaching; optional music lessons; organization of the general routine of life of theological schools and the implementation of integrative education; general cultural and general music education of students; participation of students in musical and educational events. Finally, the conclusion is made about the importance of the general theological atmosphere of the institution, the special way of life and activities of students, the pedagogical rational of the leadership in the implementation of measures aimed at the development, training and education of future clergy.

The primary objective of this study is to review and characterize research-based music assessments that might be used to guide and assist teachers and students in transforming their attitudes and perceptions, ability to express their ideas and concepts during the assessment process openly. This study employed descriptive and autoethnographic methods to elicit information about current conditions and practices through the library approach and literature review. The identified music assessment techniques were used to determine how well students comprehend important points in a session. It includes the Music Concept Memory Exercise and Instrumental and Vocal Schematic Processing for music lesson instructions and the Five-Letter Name Pitch Memory Test and Three-Chord Familiarization Assessment for basic instrumental music instructions. They are used as a core component deliberately designed to expose classroom teachers and prospective teachers to the essentials for effective instructional practices. Effective evaluation ensures that learners' knowledge, understanding, and skills are transferred effectively in future contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Networking in current music education and models, projects and platforms are a means for recovering the importance of music education as a part of artistic education. Music education has value in itself, both in the international and European context, not only from an instrumental or interdisciplinary perspective, but also as a critical reflection on reality, forming an integral part of society which cannot be removed. Art, due to its non-instrumental nature, constitutes a source of living standards and allows the development of the human sensibility which contributes to the acquisition of skills related with perception, and which make up valuable tools for the cognitive process of the science. Networking projects through music education contribute to diverse cultural thought, which places value on European cultural heterogeneity through music, promotes cultural integration and diversity of tastes beyond prevailing and homogenising musical trends.

Current neural network based algorithmic composition methods are very different compared to human brain's composition process, while the biological plausibility of composition and generative models are essential for the future of Artificial Intelligence. To explore this problem, this paper presents a spiking neural network based on the inspiration from brain structures and musical information processing mechanisms at multiple scales. Unlike previous methods, our model has three novel characteristics: (1) Inspired by brain structures, multiple brain regions with different cognitive functions, including musical memory and knowledge learning, are simulated and cooperated to generate stylistic melodies. A hierarchical neural network is constructed to formulate musical knowledge. (2) Biologically plausible neural model is employed to construct the network and synaptic connections are modulated using spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) learning rule. Besides, brain oscillation activities with different frequencies perform importantly during the learning and generating process. (3) Based on significant musical memory and knowledge learning, genre-based and composer-based melody composition can be achieved by different neural circuits, the experiments show that the model can compose melodies with different styles of composers or genres.

Current neural network based algorithmic composition methods are very different compared to human brain's composition process, while the biological plausibility of composition and generative models are essential for the future of Artificial Intelligence. To explore this problem, this paper presents a spiking neural network based on the inspiration from brain structures and musical information processing mechanisms at multiple scales. Unlike previous methods, our model has three novel characteristics: (1) Inspired by brain structures, multiple brain regions with different cognitive functions, including musical memory and knowledge learning, are simulated and cooperated to generate stylistic melodies. A hierarchical neural network is constructed to formulate musical knowledge. (2) Biologically plausible neural model is employed to construct the network and synaptic connections are modulated using spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) learning rule. Besides, brain oscillation activities with different frequencies perform importantly during the learning and generating process. (3) Based on significant musical memory and knowledge learning, genre-based and composer-based melody composition can be achieved by different neural circuits, the experiments show that the model can compose melodies with different styles of composers or genres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sequence learning is a fundamental cognitive function of the brain. However, the ways in which sequential information is represented and memorized are not dealt with satisfactorily by existing models. To overcome this deficiency, this paper introduces a spiking neural network based on psychological and neurobiological findings at multiple scales. Compared with existing methods, our model has four novel features: (1) It contains several collaborative subnetworks similar to those in brain regions with different cognitive functions. The individual building blocks of the simulated areas are neural functional minicolumns composed of biologically plausible neurons. Both excitatory and inhibitory connections between neurons are modulated dynamically using a spike-timing-dependent plasticity learning rule. (2) Inspired by the mechanisms of the brain's cortical-striatal loop, a dependent timing module is constructed to encode temporal information, which is essential in sequence learning but has not been processed well by traditional algorithms. (3) Goal-based and episodic retrievals can be achieved at different time scales. (4) Musical memory is used as an application to validate the model. Experiments show that the model can store a huge amount of data on melodies and recall them with high accuracy. In addition, it can remember the entirety of a melody given only an episode or the melody played at different paces.

In this article, we report data from two survey studies administered to expert music teachers. Both questionnaires aimed to explore teachers’ pedagogical and performative practice and included open questions elucidating musical skills emerging in groups. The first study focuses on collective teaching settings offered to amateurs, jazz musicians, and university students with various levels of musical expertise. The second reports data from teachers based at the Royal College of Music, London, where the main emphasis is on Western classical repertoire. We integrate both studies and discuss overlapping findings. Despite intrinsic differences concerning the general goals of their teaching and the educational systems in which they operate, our data indicate the ability to “listen and respond to others” as the most important ensemble skill, whereas “time management,” “comparing yourself to the class,” and the “development of responsible ways of learning” emerged as main learning skills. We discuss results and suggestions for future research in teaching and learning music in different contexts in the light of recent theoretical research in the cognitive sciences, considering implications for educators interested in diverse skill levels.

In the current study, 11 expert music teachers were asked to reflect on their own practice and compare their experience of individual and collective teaching settings. Adopting an approach based on grounded theory, two interrelated themes were identified in the raw data: teaching issues and professional development. In both categories, the notion of 'presence' emerged as a defining feature of the comparison. Teachers reported to be less present in collective settings, whereas one would expect that the higher (cognitive, teaching, etc.) demands associated with more learners would result in teachers being instead more involved in the unfolding dynamics of the lesson. Inspired by the conceptual tools offered by the Extended Mind (ExM) approach, we suggest that in collective settings teachers feel less present because they can offload the cognitive role of 'teacher' onto the learners, giving rise to a hybrid extended system that fosters a shared sense of responsibility, where pedagogical dynamics are functionally distributed across the whole group. In reporting excepts from music teachers, and adopting a novel perspective to frame our discussion, our research may contribute to existing literature in (collective) music pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expert musical memory has been the fundamental focus of research in the field of musical memory, and this line of research has demonstrably informed the ways memory is understood by the current generation of music professionals. In this theoretical inquiry, we draw on Foucault to first argue that the dominant Western classical music expert gaze in music and memory studies can be seen as a form of ocularcentrism. Second, due to this narrow gaze, the field also fails to recognise that the human memory system is characterised by a unique symbiosis of not just learning and remembering, but also forgetting, a potentially powerful theoretical aspect of memory in music education. Third, we argue that the recent 'genetification' of musical memory, together with the narrow expert gaze, may further reinforce old dichotomies between the talented and untalented, abled and non-abled. Through a critical lens towards the politics of knowledge production in memory studies, we argue that there is a need for a more critical, holistic and ethically reflexive understanding of memory in professional education in music and music education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sequence learning is a fundamental cognitive function of the brain. However, the ways in which sequential information is represented and memorized are not dealt with satisfactorily by existing models. To overcome this deficiency, this paper introduces a spiking neural network based on psychological and neurobiological findings at multiple scales. Compared with existing methods, our model has four novel features: (1) It contains several collaborative subnetworks similar to those in brain regions with different cognitive functions. The individual building blocks of the simulated areas are neural functional minicolumns composed of biologically plausible neurons. Both excitatory and inhibitory connections between neurons are modulated dynamically using a spike-timing-dependent plasticity learning rule. (2) Inspired by the mechanisms of the brain's cortical-striatal loop, a dependent timing module is constructed to encode temporal information, which is essential in sequence learning but has not been processed well by traditional algorithms. (3) Goal-based and episodic retrievals can be achieved at different time scales. (4) Musical memory is used as an application to validate the model. Experiments show that the model can store a huge amount of data on melodies and recall them with high accuracy. In addition, it can remember the entirety of a melody given only an episode or the melody played at different paces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we report data from two survey studies administered to expert music teachers. Both questionnaires aimed to explore teachers' pedagogical and performative practice and included open questions elucidating musical skills emerging in groups. The first study focuses on collective teaching settings offered to amateurs, jazz musicians, and university students with various levels of musical expertise. The second reports data from teachers based at the Royal College of Music, London, where the main emphasis is on Western classical repertoire. We integrate both studies and discuss overlapping findings. Despite intrinsic differences concerning the general goals of their teaching and the educational systems in which they operate, our data indicate the ability to "listen and respond to others" as the most important ensemble skill, whereas "time management," "comparing yourself to the class," and the "development of responsible ways of learning" emerged as main learning skills. We discuss results and suggestions for future research in teaching and learning music in different contexts in the light of recent theoretical research in the cognitive sciences, considering implications for educators interested in diverse skill levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Plurentes is the property of Universidad Nacional de La Plata 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.)

In this paper, we present a qualitative study comparing individual and collective music pedagogies from the point of view of the learner. In doing so, we discuss how the theoretical tools of embodied cognitive science (ECS) can provide adequate resources to capture the main properties of both contexts. We begin by outlining the core principles of ECS, describing how it emerged in response to the information-processing approach to mind, which dominated the cognitive sciences for the latter half of the 20th century. We then consider the orientation offered by ECS and its relevance for music education. We do this by identifying overlapping principles between three tenets of ECS, and three aspects of pedagogical practice. This results in the categories of “instrumental technique,” “expressivity,” and “communication,” which we adopted to examine and categorize the data emerging from our study. In conclusion, we consider the results of our study in light of ECS, discussing what implications can emerge for concrete pedagogical practices in both individual and collective settings.

Challenges are a constant across all kinds of musical contexts, and teachers are always looking for ways to help students overcome them. While there are many technical and pedagogical approaches to helping students achieve in music, psychology also plays a significant role in the struggles that students face. Counteractive optimism, the act of predicting success in preparation for completing a difficult task, improves performance in the face of challenge and serves as a vehicle for the development of self-efficacy, which has a powerful direct effect on overall performance outcomes. In this article, I explain counteractive optimism and self-efficacy, their benefits, and their direct applications to music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Epistemus. Journal of Music, Cognition & Culture Research is the property of Facultad de Psicologia Universidad Autonoma de Madrid 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.)

We examined the degree of loudness constancy using two methods of adjustment. One was "sound production," by which listeners played a musical instrument as loudly as a model player. The other was "sound level adjustment," by which listeners adjusted the loudness of the sound produced by a loudspeaker. The target sound was produced by the actual musical instrument performance. Sound pressure levels of the stimuli were approximately 60, 75, and 86 dB(A). The distances between the performer and the participant were 2, 8, and 32 m. In both conditions, participants were asked to produce the level of sound pressure matching the stimulus. Results show that when visual cues of musical performance are available, sound production had more robust loudness constancy than the sound level adjustment method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a qualitative study comparing individual and collective music pedagogies from the point of view of the learner. In doing so, we discuss how the theoretical tools of embodied cognitive science (ECS) can provide adequate resources to capture the main properties of both contexts. We begin by outlining the core principles of ECS, describing how it emerged in response to the information-processing approach to mind, which dominated the cognitive sciences for the latter half of the 20th century. We then consider the orientation offered by ECS and its relevance for music education. We do this by identifying overlapping principles between three tenets of ECS, and three aspects of pedagogical practice. This results in the categories of "instrumental technique," "expressivity," and "communication," which we adopted to examine and categorize the data emerging from our study. In conclusion, we consider the results of our study in light of ECS, discussing what implications can emerge for concrete pedagogical practices in both individual and collective settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Online Journal of Design, Art & Communication is the property of Turkish Online Journal of Design, Art & Communication 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.)

The purpose of musical learning in elementary school is to create and develop students’ personality. In musical learning at school, students have to get musical experience through listening activity, playing music, singing a song, reading music, and dancing to follow the music, so students get intact and comprehensive description about that song. In order to create a qualified music, so that could be realized only by a professional teacher who could create fun and creative learning. Thus, this article aimed to reveal: 1) how is the musical teacher’s role in elementary learning process, 2) how are the ways of elementary musical teacher to improve his/her professionality in developing musical skill mastery, and 3) how is the learning implementation through musical learning approach based creativity in elementary school.

This article explores concepts and practices of improvisation in traditional music making, presenting an analysis of two recorded reels by the Irish fiddler Frankie Gavin. This case study exemplifies the phenomenon of paraphrase improvisation: on-the-spot creation of a continuous stream of melodic-rhythmic variations without compromising the identity of the tune in question. My analysis interrogates the implications of these observations for understanding the generative mechanisms of improvisation, drawing on Dreyfus and Dreyfus’ phenomenology of expertise to account for how expert performers perceive and respond to multidimensional configurations of musical stimuli. Particular emphasis is placed on how different aspects of skill formation overlap and interrelate, promoting the view of melodic-rhythmic variability as intrinsic to the technical/stylistic practice of playing tunes, as opposed to being a separate layer of performance action. I further discuss how improvisational practices are constitutively framed within a particular culture of musical mediation and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Norwegian Academy of Music (NMH) has been involved in a community music project for children in the Palestinian refugee camp, Rashedieh, in South Lebanon since 2003. This has grown into a larger music project where local instructors now run music activities and teach music as a permanent weekly activity. Three issues will be discussed in the article, based on perspectives within the field of community music. The first issue concerns how aiming for a culture of equality and cultural democracy can conflict with the ideology of the local culture and social structures. The role of learning and teaching within a community music project is the focus of the second issue. Finally, the role of formalized organizational structures will be evaluated with regard to fostering participation in music activities within the Lebanon project. Hopefully, presenting these perspectives and holding a discussion thereon will contribute to the ability to nuance and challenge underlying ideologies and common practises within the field of community music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Der Beitrag versucht auf systemtheoretischer bzw. unterscheidungstheoretischer Grundlage die Frage zu beantworten, welche Parameter bei der Erstellung einer musikbezogenen Bedeutungstheorie welchen Zusammenhang ausbilden müssen. Auf die Bestimmung des Gegenstandes der Theorie folgen zeichentheoretisch orientierte Überlegungen im Anschluss an Charles S. Peirce, die dessen triadischen Zeichenbegriff um die Dimension der musikbezogenen Interaktion erweitern. Es wird begründet, warum die in den Dimensionen ›musikalische Bedeutung‹, ›nicht-musikalische Bedeutsamkeit‹, ›Interpretant‹ und ›Interaktion‹ zweiwertig Unterscheidungen getroffen werden. Den Kern der Erörterungen bildet eine Typologie der Zuweisung musikalischer Bedeutung und nicht-musikalischer Bedeutsamkeit, die zwischen deren ›Quasi-Identität‹, ›Ähnlichkeit von Verhältnissen‹ und ›Trennung‹ unterscheidet und diesen Fällen drei – bereits bei Thomas von Aquin respektive Kardinal Thomas de Vio Caietan genannte – Arten der Analogiebildung zuordnet: ›Attributionsanalogie‹, ›Proportionalitätsanalogie‹ und ›Analogie der Ungleichheit‹. Dabei wird zwischen ganzen Musikstücken und ›Stellen‹ als ›Objekten‹ der Zuweisung von ›Bedeutung‹ und ›Bedeutsamkeit‹ unterschieden. Abschließend wird der Geltungsbereich der Theorie diskutiert.

THE PRESENT STUDY INVESTIGATED THE ROLE OF motor and audiovisual learning in the memorization of four tonally ambiguous melodies for piano. A total of one hundred and twenty participants divided into three groups -- pianists, other musicians (i.e., not pianists), and nonmusicians -- learned the melodies through either playing them on a keyboard (playing condition), through performing the melodies on a piano without auditory feedback (silent playing condition), through watching a video with a performer playing the melodies (?seeing condition), or through listening to them (control condition). Participants were exposed to each melody four times during the learning phase (in additional to hearing it once during a familiarization phase). This exposure consisted of an alternation between hearing the melody and engaging with the melody in the way determined by the learning condition. Participants in the control group only received the auditory aspect of the learning phase and listened to each melody twice. Memory of the melodies was tested after a 10-minute break. Our results indicate a benefit of motor learning for all groups of participants, suggesting that active sensorimotor experience plays a key role in musical skill acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and attention deficit disorder (ADD) show distinct clinical profiles that may include auditory and language-related impairments. Currently, an objective brain-based diagnosis of these developmental disorders is still unavailable. We investigated the neuro-auditory systems of dyslexic, ADHD, ADD, and age-matched control children (N = 147) using neuroimaging, magnetencephalography and psychoacoustics. All disorder subgroups exhibited an oversized left planum temporale and an abnormal interhemispheric asynchrony (10-40 ms) of the primary auditory evoked P1-response. Considering right auditory cortex morphology, bilateral P1 source waveform shapes, and auditory performance, the three disorder subgroups could be reliably differentiated with outstanding accuracies of 89- 98%. We therefore for the first time provide differential biomarkers for a brain-based diagnosis of dyslexia, ADHD, and ADD. The method allowed not only allowed for clear discrimination between two subtypes of attentional disorders (ADHD and ADD), a topic controversially discussed for decades in the scientific community, but also revealed the potential for objectively identifying comorbid cases. Noteworthy, in children playing a musical instrument, after three and a half years of training the observed interhemispheric asynchronies were reduced by about 2/3, thus suggesting a strong beneficial influence of music experience on brain development. These findings might have far-reaching implications for both research and practice and enable a profound understanding of the brain-related etiology, diagnosis, and musically based therapy of common auditory-related developmental disorders and learning disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the discourse of musicians from three different cultures of musical learning, ranging from the more formal classical European culture, through the jazz culture, to the less formal flamenco culture in Roma communities. It is based on cultural studies of learning and education and the implicit conceptions theory. Thirty-one semi-professional guitarists were interviewed about learning and teaching music. We applied the lexicometrical method using correspondence analysis. We found significant lexical differences among the three cultures for all the three educational dimensions analyzed (teaching, learning, and evaluation). We describe literal answers from the most representative participants from each culture (using the automatic selection of modal response procedure according to χ2 distance) and a qualitative analysis of their full answers. Finally, we project a distribution of the three cultures of learning onto a factorial plane, which summarizes distribution of the three cultures of learning according to two axes that we have interpreted in terms of (a) locus of control (self-others) and (b) phenomenology (analytical–emotional distance–conceptual–explicit knowledge/sensory–involvement–embodied–implicit knowledge), respectively. The discourse of classical and flamenco participants expressed other-regulated learning, although classical participants were closer to an explicit, conceptual pole, whereas flamenco participants were closer to an implicit, embodied pole. The discourse of jazz participants lay in between the other two, closer to the explicit pole, but including characteristic language about self-regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a study investigating how adolescents from Sweden and the Gambia learned music while interacting with each other in a concert project conducted in the Gambia. The main aim is to explore in what ways adolescents acquire music and to analyse it in a context of cultural identity. A sociocultural and ethnomusicological approach was employed, drawing on field studies and interviews with the adolescents. The results demonstrate that the students' musical and cultural backgrounds strongly influence the ways in which they learn and how they teach others. Their cultural backgrounds also affect their choice of tools for learning and teaching. The adolescents appear to be more inclined to change their ways of teaching others than to change the methods of their own musical learning. The results suggest that teachers ought not to always use the same methods in teaching their students as they experienced when learning themselves, and that teachers need an ability to identify the learning styles of their students and to create a learning environment that corresponds to this variety. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Teachers’ communication of musical knowledge through physical gesture represents a valuable pedagogical field in need of investigation. This exploratory case study compares the gestural behaviour of three piano teachers while giving individual lessons to students who differed according to piano proficiency levels. The data was collected by video recordings of one-to-one piano lessons and gestures were categorized using two gesture classifications: the spontaneous co-verbal gesture classification (McNeill, 1992; 2005) and spontaneous co-musical gesture classification (Simones, Schroeder & Rodger, 2013). Poisson regression analysis and qualitative observation suggest a relationship between teachers’ didactic intentions and the types of gesture they produced while teaching, as shown by differences in gestural category frequency between teaching students of higher and lower levels of proficiency. Such reported agreement between teachers’ gestural approach in relation to student proficiency levels indicates a teachers’ gestural scaffolding approach whereby teachers adapted gestural communicative channels to suit students’ specific conceptual skill levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]