Reviews Goetze's dissertation investigating two factors that affect accuracy in young children's singing: the presence of other voices in unison singing, compared with individual singing, and the use of text rather than a neutral syllable. States that the research is of high quality leading directly to classroom practice. (LS)

Proposes a reinterpretation of historical periods in U.S. music history for the purpose of organizing research findings and for teaching music history. These suggested periods are: (1) the colonial period; (2) the introduction of music in the schools; (3) curricular development; (4) the expansion of music performance; and (5) aesthetic education.…

Attempts to provide a plausible theory of music's evolutionary development. Speculates that music may have provided survival benefits by helping establish mother/infant bonds, by aiding in the acquisition of knowledge, by providing a unique way of knowing, and by playing important roles in social organization. (LS)

Looks at eighteenth century U.S. tunebooks to discover the philosophies, the instructional materials, and the methods of early music and singing masters. Uses excerpts from tunebooks to illustrate approaches made to music reading and performance practice. (LS)

Reports on a study that investigated curricular patterns in undergraduate music education courses and attempted to determine predictor variables for these patterns. Concludes that although a core content can be identified, data indicates inconsistencies in curricula across institutions and a lack of agreement regarding priorities in some content…

Reports on a study that compared the effects of singing individually and singing in a group on the pitch accuracy of primary grade children. Concludes that, unlike adults, children appear to sing with more accuracy when singing individually, and that group singing ability improves with age. Cautions teachers against premature classification of…

Reviews and critiques a doctoral dissertation that investigated the ability to detect tempo changes. Points out some omissions in the study, suggesting that its brevity caused the author to omit some possible interpretations. Comments that Ellis' research design provides new ideas for research. (LS)

Reports a study that investigates the accuracy of clapping, chanting, and stepping responses among K-three boys and girls in two schools. Concludes that chanting is the most accurate of the three responses and is more influenced by school music training than clapping or stepping. (LS)

Reports on a study which examined the relationship between young children's language development and their tonal and rhythm performance of rote songs with and without words. Suggests that, since no relationship was found, two mental processes may be necessary for learning; one for audiation, and another for learning the words of the song. (LS)

Reviews a doctoral dissertation that used interviews to determine the concepts that musicians have of performance and self. Summarizes Stedman's interview-based observations and commentary. States that the study may be useful in providing insights into what singers believe about themselves and their careers. (LS)

Critiques a doctoral dissertation that examines the possibility of producing a computer-based interactive videodisc from existing instructional resources. States that music educators will find the study has applications for the teaching of music and music skills. (LS)

Reviews a doctoral study which developed and field tested a programed instructional module that presented basic instruction in choral arranging as part of an existing college course. Points out the problem inherent in programed instruction which is moving to a more open-ended, creative level of instruction. (LS)

Evaluates a doctoral dissertation that studied the relationship between song ranges and kindergarten children's singing ability. Rutkowski individually tested the singing ability of 162 kindergarten children. Concluded that the music curricula for kindergarten should be modified to enhance singing voice development. (LS)

Reviews a doctoral dissertation that attempts to identify and analyze the behavior of successful middle school music teachers. Describes the instrument developed to measure these behavioral characteristics. Suggests that the videotapes of class sessions may be the most useful portion of the study. (LS)

Critiques a doctoral dissertation that examined the relationships between out-of-school factors and five musical characteristics. Praises the care taken in research design, data collection and analysis, and writing the paper. Suggests that further research is needed on the design and validation of an instrument for measuring music attitude. (LS)