Factors Influencing the Choice of Music Studies in Malaysian Public Universities

Introducing music in the early childhood can help influence students to have a positive attitude in pursuing music in a higher level of education. Examining the developmental aspects of the decision to continue music studies among undergraduate music students is necessary in order to determine which factors had the most influences. This study investigates factors influencing choice of music studies among undergraduate music students in Malaysian public universities namely institutional factors, academic factors, financial factors, and personal/social factors. A survey method was adopted, and 489 respondents were chosen using proportionate stratified random sampling to answer the questionnaire. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The finding showed that academic factors was ranked as the most influential factor on choice of music studies among music students. The results on inferential statistical analysis using independent-samples t-test and the One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test showed that there were significant differences on factors influencing choice of music studies between ethnicities, universities attended, and instruments played. It is hoped that the findings will be beneficial to students, educators, and the university music programmes. Educators will also have access to the most up-to-date information in order to come up with strategies in encouraging students to study music.

Adaptation and Validation of Short Test of Music Preference Scale for Students With Music and Non-Music Majors

Music is a universal phenomenon however, despite its unified properties, the taste and preference of music may still vary as a function of ethnicity and culture. So, the present study aimed to adapt and validate the short test of music preference scale for music and non-music Pakistani students. In Phase I, the cultural adaption of the scale was carried out while the content validity index (Lawshe, 1975) was also established. However, in phase II, the Short test of Music Scale (STOMP) was validated, yielding confirmatory factor analysis. For the empirical evaluation, a sample of 561 students, including both 286 music and 275 non-music students of undergraduate level with the age range of 18-26 years were recruited. The psychometric evolution of STOMP turned into excellent validity and reliability estimates for first-order constructs. Moreover, strict measurement invariance was established for STOMP across music and non-music students. The validation of this scale would be a little effort to pave the way for music psychology to make research available to measure the construct indigenously.

Rakenteiden törmäys. Taiteellinen toimintatutkimus Teatterikorkeakoulun ja Sibelius-Akatemian yleisökontaktikurssista

Colliding structures: Artistic action research on audience contact course at the Sibelius and Theatre Academies. This article focuses on a period between 2018–2019 when students from the Sibelius Academy were invited to take part in an audience contact course offered by the Theatre Academy. The experiment was carried out as an artistic activity analysis. During the course, theatre and music students formed working groups which encountered people from different habitation units and organized art workshops for them. Based on their experiences, the groups prepared performances which they performed in the health care and social security units as well as in prisons. We focus especially on what we term ‘structural collisions’ taking place between different practices: firstly, we examine the collision between Uniarts students and reception center workers in organizing art workshops. Another structural collision we discuss rose from the collaboration between different academies. We consider how representatives of different art genres discuss the work concept of a collaboration-based performance and how different work concepts define the agency of the artists within a work-group-based artistic process. The aim is to offer visions on how the Theatre Academy and the Sibelius Academy might develop collaborative communal art education at the Uniarts Helsinki.

Educação Musical e Autorregulação da Aprendizagem no Ensino Básico e Superior / Music Education and Self-Regulation of Learning in Basic and Higher Education

Resumo: A busca por formas de ensino aprendizagem em música, apontam a cada dia para modelos distantes do modelo conservatorial (PENNA; SOBREIRA,2020). Dentre as novas abordagens propostas, destaca-se o autogerenciamento cognitivo, atitude relacionadas a autorregulação da aprendizagem. Esta revisão de literatura, realizada no período de julho de 2018 a julho de 2019, teve como objetivo buscar na literatura disponível, pesquisas que identificam comportamentos de Autorregulação da Aprendizagem em alunos de música no Ensino Básico e Superior. Foram analisados trabalhos nos últimos 10 anos voltados para o ensino da música e estratégias de autorregulação da aprendizagem. Os resultados encontrados apontam os comportamentos autorregulados dos alunos e demonstram que aprendizes autorregulados tendem a desenvolver melhor suas atividades de aquisição do conhecimento e aqueles que não tem esse perfil, podem desenvolvê-lo a partir da adoção de práticas de ensino propostas pelo professor que estimulem atitudes e estratégias autorregulatórias.Palavras-chave: Autorregulação; ensino; aprendizagem; Educação musical.Abstract: The search for ways of teaching and learning in music point each day to models that are far from the conservative model (PENNA; SOBREIRA, 2020). Among the new approaches proposed, cognitive self-management stands out, an attitude related to self-regulation of learning. This literature review, carried out from July 2018 to July 2019, aimed to search the available literature for research that identify Self-Regulation Learning behaviors in music students in Basic and Higher Education. Works in the last 10 years focused on music teaching and self-regulation learning strategies were analyzed. The results found indicate the self-regulated behaviors of students and demonstrate that self-regulated learners tend to better develop their knowledge acquisition activities and those who do not have this profile can develop it based on the adoption of teaching practices proposed by the teacher that encourage attitudes and self-regulatory strategies.Keywords: Self-regulation; teaching; learning; musical education.

Examining Piano Playing Proficiency among Selected Music Students in a Ghanaian Public University

Piano instruction—composition, arrangement and tutoring has been a pivotal part of music education. Several countries across the globe have encapsulated it into curriculums and syllabi. Its benefits span several genres of music. It has been part of music education at the tertiary level in Ghana but has not received enough attention and is also faced with several challenges. The study sought to examine the piano playing proficiency among tertiary students within the Ghanaian context and the various factors responsible for the challenges faced and propose contextual interventions to address the issue. The study made use of the qualitative methodology. The instruments used for data collection were semi-structured interviews and participant observations. It was evident that piano playing among tertiary students needs rapt attention in terms of tutorials, well-equipped studio space and competent personnel to handle the tutelage. It is recommended that stakeholders shift the focal lens to piano playing proficiency in music education students as one of the requirements for graduation.

Considerations With Virtual Secondary Music Students

The global COVID-19 pandemic disrupted learning environments, adding significantly to an already-challenging time for adolescents. In many cases, students and teachers have abruptly shifted to online learning platforms that may occur entirely in a home environment. Music often plays a significant role in adolescents’ processes of identity-building and social connection. Music classes might play an important role in coping during these times, even when learning is virtual. Music teachers may question students’ well-being and their own mentorship roles. This article includes concerns about teaching music with adolescents, specifically when adapted to virtual technologies. Considerations are detailed for pedagogical care and possible benefits of at-home learning that might enhance students’ music learning experiences.

Intercultural Development Among Music Students and Teachers: A Literature Review

In a diverse society, it is crucial to transform one’s attitudes from ethnocentric to ethnorelative to deeply engage in, negotiate, and reconcile various cultural manifestations. Using the umbrella term of intercultural development, I reviewed empirical studies of cross-cultural endeavors, contexts, and outcomes among music students and teachers in K–12 and higher education settings. Intercultural development takes place in various contexts, including classroom projects, university partnerships, service learning, and professional development. According to the literature, music students and teachers working in intercultural settings have elicited learning outcomes related to their intercultural development. The outcomes included intercultural competence and sensitivity, musical and pedagogical understanding, and critical awareness of power dynamics. Based on the literature review, I provide implications for intercultural development in music teaching and learning, and suggest future research directions for scholars.

MusicCohort: Pilot feasibility of a protocol to assess students’ physical and mental health in a Canadian post-secondary school of music

Objective Music-related physical and mental health conditions are common among post-secondary music students, with many studies reporting a prevalence greater than 70%. However, there is currently no consensus on appropriate, validated assessments for this population. The aim of this pilot study was to test the feasibility of an assessment protocol developed for a German longitudinal study with Canadian post-secondary music students, and to compare the health of music students to non-music students. Using a cross-sectional design, first-semester music and non-music control students were recruited at two campuses at the same university. Both groups completed questionnaires and physical testing, including range of motion, core strength, and pressure pain threshold. Nineteen music students and 50 non-music student controls participated in this study. Results The German protocol is feasible in a Canadian post-secondary setting. Canadian music students demonstrated similar health outcomes to those in the parent study. All participants demonstrated poorer mental and physical quality of life than the Canadian norms, though this was not statistically significant. The results of this study should be confirmed in a larger study. Future studies with larger sample sizes can provide further insight into the health of Canadian music students, providing a basis for prevention and intervention.

Physical health status of music students in a post-secondary institution: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Musicians’ health is an essential field of healthcare that is specifically tailored to the needs of musicians, which encompasses multiple facets of health. OBJECTIVE: The research seeks to determine the prevalence of physical injuries in music students and musicians, and to identify possible causes. METHODS: A previously unvalidated 42-item survey was distributed to music students, non-music students, and professional musicians. The questions addressed demographics, physical health, mental health, medication use, and interest in musicians’ health. The study was conducted from Fall semester 2017 to Winter semester 2019 at McGill University, with analysis completed in August 2019. RESULTS: A total of 585 complete responses were obtained. Music students (35%) had higher prevalence of physical injuries than non-music students (18%), and professional musicians had the highest prevalence (56%). Multiple factors dictate the prevalence of physical injuries among musicians, including gender, age, program of enrollment, and instrument of choice. Of note, daily duration of practice was not one of these factors. CONCLUSIONS: Several factors were identified through this cross-sectional analysis to be associated with musicians’ physical injuries. These findings can serve as a foundation through which physicians and post-secondary institutions may implement changes to better enhance the physical health of musicians. It also cast doubts on previous assumptions associated with physical injury of musicians.

Sibelius as a Tool to Improve Student’s Ability of Making Counterpoint Melody

As a subject for music students, counterpoint contributes to the ability to create a melody. The melody in counterpoint usually consists of two or more layers. In order to make a counterpoint melody, students must acknowledge the rules to construct the counterpoint melody. A good counterpoint melody involves two important things: the flow of the melody in a vertical and horizontal in vertical line (interval) and the musical texture of the melody. As a beginner in learning counterpoint, writing a counterpoint melody might be difficult at first. Learning counterpoint investigation was found that students spent a lot of their time following the counterpoint rules. They particularly did not focus on the musical sense of the counterpoint melody causing the melody loses its musical senses. Sibelius was used here as a tool to solve the problem. Sibelius is a music software which commonly used in writing musical scores. This study examined Sibelius in making a counterpoint melody in learning counterpoint. The data were gathered through observation and interviews with students during learning counterpoint course. The result showed that by using Sibelius, making counterpoint melody more efficient, and it helped student not only focused on the counterpoint rules but also the musical senses of the counterpoint melody. Furthermore, students also showed the improvement of their skills in making a counterpoint melody.