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Research Puzzles
FOR MUSIC TEACHERS
William I. Bauer, PhD FMEA Research Committee Chairman, University of Florida
Aseminal study on various factors that impact the ability to perform music re-creatively (i.e., playing rehearsed music from notation) and creatively (i.e., improvising original music) continues to have curricular and pedagogical implications for music teachers today. Researcher Gary McPherson and colleagues worked with 101 Australian high school students to test a theory regarding the influence of 16 environmental factors that had been identified in previous studies on five different aspects of musical performance. To facilitate the analysis, the 16 environmental factors were collapsed into four categories through factor analysis, a statistical process that allows multiple variables to be condensed into fewer groups, the premise being that the variables that make up these groups have common factors. Factor analysis yielded four categories: (a) early exposure—the quality and quantity of the students’ exposure to music as young children; (b) enriching activities— how frequently students played by ear, improvised, and composed, as well as whether they were enrolled in school music classes that, in Australia, involved composition; (c) length of study—how long a student had been playing their instru-
This on-going column seeks to stimulate awareness of research issues for FMEA teachers and researchers.
ment and whether they took private lessons; and (d) quality of study—students’ interest and participation in singing, the number of ensembles they performed with, and whether they mentally rehearsed music. The five aspects of musical performance that were examined included (a) sight-reading, (b) performing rehearsed music, (c) playing by ear, (d) improvising, and (e) playing from memory.
Data was collected via a battery of tests (see McPherson et. al, 1997, for details). Then, using path analysis, a statistical process that provides a means to examine the effect of multiple predictor variables on several other (dependent) variables of interest, the researchers sought to determine the strength of both direct (an unmediated relationship between variables) and indirect (a third variable exists between a predictor variable and dependent variable, mediating an effect) relationships among the variables. Ultimately, the researchers were interested in seeing to what degree the variables affected re-creative performance (playing rehearsed music from notation) and creative performance (improvising original music).
What was found?
The researchers’ primary findings were: « Early exposure to music had a positive influence on play« ing by ear but no direct influence on sight-reading. Enriching activities had a strong influence on playing by ear and the ability to improvise and a somewhat lesser « influence on sight-reading. Quality of study had a weak influence on playing by ear « and sight-reading. Length of study had a moderate influence on sight-reading and a strong, direct influence on performing rehearsed « music. It had a lesser influence on playing by ear. Four variables had direct effects on performing rehearsed music (i.e., re-creative performance). In order of strength, they were the (a) length of study, (b) ability to sight-read, (c) ability to play by ear, and (d) ability to play from memory. Enriching activities, quality of study, and early expo« sure had weak, indirect effects. Three variables had direct effects, and two other variables had moderate indirect effects on the ability to improvise (i.e., creative performance). In order of strength, the variables with direct effects were (a) ability to play by ear, (b) ability
to sight-read (possibly due to the traditional instruction of the participants and the strong influence of playing by ear on sight-reading), and (c) ability to play from memory. The variables with moderate indirect effects, in order of strength, were (a) enriching activities and (b) length of study. Early exposure and quality of study had weak « indirect effects. The ability to play by ear had a very strong effect on improvisation and a strong effect on the ability to sight« read. A relatively strong effect was found between being able to sight-read and play from memory as well as between the ability to play by ear and play from memory. The authors state that this finding demonstrates the importance of both visual (e.g., reading notation) and aural (e.g., audiation) skills in playing from memory.
Implications
The researchers found that the skill of ear-playing was extremely important as it had a strong direct or indirect influence on the other four aspects of musical performance. In many instrumental music programs, opportunities for students to develop this skill are limited. The authors stated that the ability to play by ear helps students to “learn to coordinate ear, eye, and hand and to perform on their instrument what they see in notation and hear or imagine in their mind. Training programs that do not recognize the importance of aural and creative forms of musical performance may be neglecting an important facet of training that enhances overall musical growth and that provides for more enjoyable and meaningful experiences” (p. 126). A lack of comprehensive educational experiences like those examined in this study may also limit an individual’s capability to perform music from a broad cross section of musical styles, genres, and traditions, reducing opportunities for being an active musical participant throughout their life.
Reference
McPherson, G. E., Bailey, M., & Sinclair, K. E. (1997). Path analysis of a theoretical model to describe the relationship among five types of musical performance. Journal of Research in Music Education, 45(1), 103-129. https://doi.org/10.2307/3345469
Email your questions and feedback to wbauer@ufl.edu with a subject heading Research Puzzles.
