Display Full Text | Download Full Text
14.23 MB PDF file

Degree

Master of Music in Music Education, University of Toledo, College of Education, 2011.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine if tonal and rhythm pattern instruction and ear training exercises improve middle school students’ sight-singing ability. Participants (N=73) were designated to a control or experimental group based on class schedule. Both groups received sight-singing instruction using sight-singing examples accompanied by the piano. Additionally, the experimental group was given tonal and rhythm pattern instruction, and ear training activities based on Music Learning Theory. Solfege syllables and hand signs designed by Zoltan Kodály and John Curwen were also incorporated in sight-singing instruction for the experimental group to help with pitch accuracy. Each participant sang the assigned sight-singing test twice with resulting audio samples of 219 pre-test and post-test recordings. The assessment procedures for both tests were identical and the measurement tool’s Cronbach’s Alpha reliability was .88. Evaluation was based on the abilities to sing in tune, sing correct rhythms, and sing correct solfege syllables. Results indicate that after two weeks of instruction, both groups improved their sight-singing ability. The pre-test mean results shows that the control group scored significantly lower than the experimental group. Due to that significance, the post-test improvements in the experimental group did not surpass the gains in the control groups mean scores. Possible time restrictions of the study may have inhibited the improvement of the experimental group’s scores.

Subject Headings

Music Education

Keywords

Sight-Singing; Music Learning theory; Middle School Students

Committee / Advisors

Dr. Timothy Brakel (Committee Chair)
Dr. David Jex (Committee Member)
Dr. Christopher Williams (Committee Member)

Pages

67p.

Document number: toledo1302292848
Permalink: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1302292848

This ETD has been downloaded 132 times (through March 2013)