Education Reform and Quality Training of Music Majors From the Perspective of Entrepreneurial Education

Art major graduates are facing more severe employment pressure. Based on entrepreneurial education, the reform of entrepreneurship education and quality training of music majors in colleges and universities are analyzed. First, the relevant theories of entrepreneurship education are introduced and the advantages of advanced entrepreneurship education in foreign countries are analyzed. Second, the music majors in a university are selected as the subjects to analyze the current situation of entrepreneurship of music majors. Finally, new strategies are put forward for the reform of entrepreneurship education of music majors. The research shows that the number of music majors who are very interested in entrepreneurship accounts for 22.2%. In terms of the music majors’ understanding of entrepreneurship policies, the proportion of students with less understanding accounts for 40.1%. As for the ways of music majors to acquire entrepreneurship knowledge, 8.00% usually turn to books and networks. Music majors hope to get support from the government and schools in the cultivation of entrepreneurship. In entrepreneurship, music majors who intend to start a business according to their interests account for 40.8%. The variance of eigenvalues of the four main factors is 19.49, 12.96, 10.75, and 8.39%, respectively, and their contribution value is 51.58%. The four research aspects of entrepreneurship education are music majors’ entrepreneurship policy, entrepreneurship desire, and entrepreneurship quality and entrepreneurship education practice. The entrepreneurship education system is to arouse interest, improve entrepreneurial ability, and form entrepreneurial personality. This paper proposes good entrepreneurship education strategies.

Differences in instrumental practice time and strategies among Chinese music majors

The purpose of this study was to explore differences in time spent practicing and the practice strategies used by Chinese music majors according to university location, instrument played, and participant gender. A total of 154 participants who played string, woodwind, brass, and keyboard instruments, including 103 participants attending Chinese universities and 51 Chinese participants pursuing degrees abroad (in the United States, Russia, and Great Britain) completed a Likert-type scale questionnaire. Findings indicated that students studying abroad spent more hours on weekly practice and had more years of instrumental study than students studying in China, but their responses also indicated they were less organized about their practice and had more difficulty concentrating while practicing than students in China. According to the analyses by instrument, woodwind and brass players were more likely to organize their practice than keyboard players; string, woodwind, and brass players were more likely to use recordings and metronomes than keyboard players; and brass players reported concentrating better than keyboard players. Regarding gender differences, the only significant difference was that female participants had spent more years studying their instruments than males. Identified differences can help instrumental instructors better understand students’ practice habits and tailor their teaching to fit the needs of students in response to individual differences.

The Perceptual Attraction of Pre-Dominant Chords

Among the three primary tonal functions described in modern theory textbooks, the pre-dominant has the highest number of representative chords. We posit that one unifying feature of the pre-dominant function is its attraction to V, and the experiment reported here investigates factors that may contribute to this perception. Participants were junior/senior music majors, freshman music majors, and people from the general population recruited on Prolific.co. In each trial, four Shepard-tone sounds in the key of C were presented: 1) the tonic note, 2) one of 31 different chords, 3) the dominant triad, and 4) the tonic note. Participants rated the strength of attraction between the second and third chords. Across all individuals, diatonic and chromatic pre-dominant chords were rated significantly higher than non-pre-dominant chords and bridge chords. Further, music theory training moderated this relationship, with individuals with more theory training rating pre-dominant chords as being more attracted to the dominant. A final data analysis modeled the role of empirical features of the chords preceding the V chord, finding that chords with roots moving to V down by fifth, chords with less acoustical roughness, and chords with more semitones adjacent to V were all significant predictors of attraction ratings.

Analysis of the Current Situation of Piano Education in Colleges and Universities in the Information Age and Research on Countermeasures

In view of the low application ability of piano improvisational accompaniment of music majors, this paper proposes a method of big data combined with MIDI keyboard and Kinect depth sensor to achieve the purpose of recognizing chord progression and judging fingering when students perform, and realizes the auxiliary teaching system. Firstly, the information of color and depth images is obtained, and the state transition diagram of chord transposition and chord gesture template library are constructed as the system initialization conditions. Secondly, using the traditional skin color modeling and background difference method as well as the current depth data, the gesture recognition is realized by template matching. Finally, the correctness of chord progression is judged, and comprehensive fingering application is used to score and evaluate. The experimental results show that the system has high robustness and can be effectively applied to piano teaching.

Superior pitch identification ability is associated with better mental rotation performance

Musicians with absolute pitch ability show better spatial ability, but little is known about whether non-musicians’ pitch identification (PI) ability is associated with their spatial ability. In the present study, a PI test, two mental rotation (MR) tests (Three-Dimensional Mental Rotation [3DMR] and Spatial Relationship [SR]), and eight executive function (EF) tests were administered to a large sample ( N = 525) of Chinese college students who were non-music majors. A subsample with superior PI ability ( n = 42) was identified and compared with a sample with average PI ability matched in age and IQ ( n = 42). Two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) (PI ability x musical training, with gender as a covariate due to a minor difference in matching by gender) revealed that superior PI ability was associated with better performance on MR and various EF tests. Musical training was associated with performance on select visual and EF tests (i.e., visual perception, working memory, and executive attention control), but not with MR performance. Additional ANCOVA showed that PI ability was significantly associated with 3DMR, but not SR, even after scores on EF tests were included as covariates. These results indicate a unique association between PI ability and 3DMR, which helps shed light on the cognitive mechanisms related to PI ability.

Irish Fiddle and Western Classical Violin: Listener Perceptions and Acoustical Differences

This report is a summary of two studies. In the first, we compared examples of Irish fiddle performances with Western classical violin performances. Acoustical analyses showed that both classical examples produced average spectral centroids higher in frequency, higher harmonic to noise ratios, more use of vibrato, more disjunct intervals, and less ornamentation. Expert listeners described the classical examples as resonant, ringing, and brighter. Tone in the Irish examples was characterized as varied, gritty, and full-bodied. In the second study, we asked 72 music majors to listen to different recordings and respond in two ways. The first section consisted of extremely brief examples of four different solo violin styles: classical, jazz, old-time fiddle, and Irish. The second section consisted of longer examples of either Irish or classical performances. The listeners were asked to describe salient features of each. They frequently identified the following characteristics of the Irish excerpts: grace notes, double stops, ornamentation, and dance-like. In contrast, classical extracts were described using the terms: vibrato, melody, intervals, and extended technique. Implications for music listening are discussed.

A Comparison of Self-Reported Anxiety and Depression Among Undergraduate Music Majors and Nonmusic Majors

The purpose of this exploratory research study was to compare anxiety and depression levels reported by music majors and nonmajors at a small, private liberal arts university. Study participants completed the Burns Anxiety Inventory and Burns Depression Checklist. Anxiety and depression levels were significantly higher among music majors, and there was a strong, positive relationship between anxiety and depression. Regardless of major, self-reports were not affected by year in school. Implications for additional mental health resources and strategies for improving music major health and self-care are discussed, along with a need for increased music faculty awareness of perceived anxiety and depression leading to modified programs of study.

Reconstruction of College Piano Teaching Model from the Perspective of "Internet+"

As an important course for music majors in colleges and universities, piano lessons need to enable students to master the theoretical knowledge of piano and form certain playing skills.Relying on the Internet+, reconstructing the piano teaching mode will help improve teaching efficiency and quality.This article first discusses the connotation characteristics and teaching functions of internet+, and then examines the current deficiencies in piano teaching from the perspective of internet+. Finally, it proposes strategies for restructuring the piano teaching model, hoping to provide reference for college piano teachers.