Relation of Literacy and Music Literacy to Dementia in Older Black and White Brazilians

Background: Literacy is more consistently reported than education as protective against dementia in developing regions. Objective: To study the association of verbal literacy, numeracy, and music literacy with dementia in older Black and White Brazilians with a broad spectrum of education. Methods: We studied 1,818 Black, Mixed-race, and White deceased Brazilians 65 years or older at death (mean = 79.64). Data were retrospectively obtained within 36 hours after death in a face-to-face interview with an informant, usually a family member. Dementia was classified using the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale. Three forms of literacy were ascertained: verbal literacy (10 questions: reading and writing), numeracy (3 questions: multiplication, percentages, and use of a calculator), and music literacy (1 question: reading music). Black (11%) and Mixed-race (23%) older adults were combined in analyses. Models adjusted for age and sex. Results: Dementia was identified in 531 people. Participants had 0 to 25 years of education (median = 4). More literacy was associated with lower odds of dementia (all p≤0.039). Participants that read music had about half the odds of having dementia. Participants in the highest quartile of numeracy and verbal literacy had respectively 27%and 15%lower odds of having dementia compared to the lowest quartile. Literacy was lower in Blacks (p < 0.001, except music p = 0.894) but the effect of literacy on dementia was similar (interaction p > 0.237). In secondary analyses, playing instruments without reading music was not associated with dementia (p = 0.887). Conclusion: In a large sample of Brazilians, verbal literacy, numeracy, and music literacy were associated with lower odds of dementia. The effect was similar across races.

The Status Quo and Promotion Strategy of Music Score Literacy of Junior School Students

Understanding the music score is a fundamental skill in Music learning. It used to be the training of basic skills in the music class before the curriculum reform. However, this skill was gradually marginalized in the initial stage of curriculum reform in that it is too difficult for students to have a delightful learning experience. Since the publication of Criterion for music Curriculum 2011, music score literacy has gained a foothold again. Its theory stage is higher than before. Owing to various causes, teaching this skill is still in a dilemma in practice. With the improvement of compulsory education quality, reading music score as a necessary music skill becomes a vital position again. However, current teaching conditions cannot meet this task. Therefore, this paper chose the music proficiency test of junior school students in an area to analyze the current condition of reading music score and develop the proper improving strategies.

Learning to Play the Piano Whilst Reading Music: Short-Term School-Based Piano Instruction Improves Memory and Word Recognition in Children

There is a substantial body of evidence that demonstrates links between language and music and between music and improved cognitive ability, particularly with regard to verbal and working memory, in both adults and children. However, there is often a mix of type of musical training and instrument used and use of musical notation. The research reported here uses a randomised controlled trial with 32 novice children, aged seven, learning to play the piano with both hands whilst reading music notation. The intervention was conducted in a school setting, each child receiving in total four hours of instruction. Results confirm previous findings that short-term music instruction improves working memory. Results also demonstrated that children with this musical training outperformed controls on a word identification measure. Overall, the results show evidence for a causal relationship between music learning and improvements in verbal skills. The significant differences occurred after only one term of instruction and were stable 3 months post-intervention.

2 “Colored girls under the control of colored teachers”

Most modern research into the musical experiences of women of color has been confined to oral traditions: Black women in the South sang spirituals, work songs, and other genres not associated with reading music. That situation does not mean, however, that women of color did not learn to read music even if the evidence countering this narrative remains largely hidden....

Penyuluhan Seni Gamelan Dukuh Kadireso

Berawal dari pelaksanaan KKN, penulis menjumpai dan merintis terbentuknya kelompok gamelan di Dukuh Kadireso. Pada pengabdian ini, penulis berfokus pada kurangnya apresiasi pada warisan budaya dan kembali melakukan penyuluhan dengan metode pembelajaran langsung: teknik tiap ricikan, membaca notasi, dan praktik bersama. Materi yang diberikan diharapkan dapat membantu konsistensi kelompok gamelan ini untuk dapat beraktivitas secara mandiri. Hasil dari pengabdian ini adalah tercapainya penguasaan materi pada Gangsaran dan Lancaran "Ayo Kanca Nabuh Gamelan" serta terbentuknya komunitas diskusi kesenian di Karang Taruna Dukuh Kadireso.The writer is exposed to the community of Kadireso village started from an undergraduate field program, in which the writer met and started a gamelan (traditional Javanese music instrument) group. In this opportunity, the writer focuses in the community’s lack of appreciation for the cultural heritage and reintroduces the gamelan workshop through an intensive teaching sessions: technique in each ricikan (stanza), reading music notes, and communal practices. The material given are hoped to be able to lead them into consistency and to engage in the activity independently. Results of this workshop shows that the group is now able to master the beginner drill of Gangsaran and Lancaran: “Ayo KancaNabuh Gamelan” and is able to solidify the arts discussion community in Kadireso village youth community.

What is your thought process during sight-reading? Advanced sight-readers’ strategies across different tonal environments

Sight-reading strategies used for reading music in different tonal environments are critical for musicians to perform accurately. We investigated the strategies advanced sight-readers utilize when they encounter different tonal environments. After a brief study period, six advanced sight-readers performed a through-composed piece that included tonal, non-tonal, and ambiguously tonal music. Immediately following the performance, participants went back through the music and described their thought process and strategies. Participants reported different strategies from one another to play accurately, but there were also common strategies used for different tonal environments. We found verbal reports of critical and relevant strategies of advanced sight-readers were categorized as attention, static analysis, informed intuition, and performer’s analysis. The sight-readers executed their performance interacting with static analysis, informed intuition, and performer’ s analysis. Most importantly, participants relied heavily on performer’s analysis for the expressive performance in the tonal section, followed by the non-tonal and ambiguously tonal sections. Findings imply that advanced sight-readers’ strategies moved back and forth between attention, intuition, and analytical strategies based on the demands in each tonal environment.