Cardiac-restricted overexpression of the Ca 2+ -binding protein S100A1 has been shown to lead to increased myocardial contractile performance in vitro and in vivo. Since decreased cardiac expression of S100A1 is a characteristic of heart failure, we tested the hypothesis that S100A1 gene transfer could restore contractile function of failing myocardium. Adenoviral S100A1 gene delivery normalized S100A1 protein expression in a postinfarction rat heart failure model and reversed contractile dysfunction of failing myocardium in vivo and in vitro. S100A1 gene transfer to failing cardiomyocytes restored diminished intracellular Ca 2+ transients and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca 2+ load mechanistically due to increased SR Ca 2+ uptake and reduced SR Ca 2+ leak. Moreover, S100A1 gene transfer decreased elevated intracellular Na + concentrations to levels detected in nonfailing cardiomyocytes, reversed reactivated fetal gene expression, and restored energy supply in failing cardiomyocytes. Intracoronary adenovirus-mediated S100A1 gene delivery in vivo to the postinfarcted failing rat heart normalized myocardial contractile function and Ca 2+ handling, which provided support in a physiological context for results found in myocytes. Thus, the present study demonstrates that restoration of S100A1 protein levels in failing myocardium by gene transfer may be a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of heart failure.

Reviews of literature on music preference may provide music educators with a variety of research on information, techniques, and methods to implement in the music classroom. Calls to widen the types of music used in curricula seem to underscore the importance of research exploring preference using music other than, and in addition to, Western art music. The present review of literature explores nonmusical factors, including external characteristics and listener characteristics, as well as musical factors contributing to decisions of musical preference related to popular and world music to aid educators in planning effective and meaningful music activities.

The teaching of error detection is a complicated process, made more so by our evolving understanding of the psychological processes involved with attention itself. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of listener attention on the error detection process. Guiding research questions were as follows: (1) In what ways does directing attention influence one’s ability to detect errors? and (2) Does voicing of error influence participants’ ability to detect the error? Participants ( N = 64) at six universities listened to 40 recorded excerpts of three-part Haydn divertimenti, either focusing on one line or holistically, while marking errors on a printed score. Participants were better able to detect errors in lines of focus than in peripheral lines and were similarly better at detecting errors in an unfocused listening condition versus focusing on any one of the lines. Additionally, participants were most successful in detecting peripheral errors when focusing on the middle staff and were least successful in detecting errors in the bass line, even when focusing on the bass line. Suggestions for future research and implications for music education are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to explore music listening and performance characteristics of middle and high school students. The questions under investigation addressed reasons for liking a favorite piece, time spent listening, media used to listen, ways in which students discovered new music, and the types of music performed as well as the types that students would like to perform. Results indicated that students liked their favorite pieces for musical reasons and reported listening to music roughly 4 hours each day outside of school. Students listened largely through portable devices and streaming technology, and just over half indicated they found new music through the Internet or dedicated apps. Classical, jazz, and rock were the most frequently performed genres, although students indicated greater interest in playing all 11 genres. Overall, the results portray middle and high school students as active consumers and performers of music.

Culturally responsive pedagogy in music education is becoming increasingly crucial for all students, in all types of music programs, and at all levels of education as demographic shifts occur in schools. In music ensembles, the selection of repertoire is a critical component of culturally responsive pedagogy. The purpose of this study was to investigate student perceptions of repertoire in college music ensembles. This study was guided by the following research questions: (a) Do students perceive current ensemble repertoire as representative and supportive of their self-identities? (b) What are these perceptions according to students’ race or ethnicity, gender, and ensemble type? (c) What factors do students consider important in directors’ selection of repertoire? (d) How are directors’ current repertoire selection practices, as experienced by the respondents, informed by or responsive to gender and racial diversity in the ensembles? Respondents ( N = 278) were graduate and undergraduate college students enrolled in band, choir, or orchestra. Data were collected through an online questionnaire. Overall, respondents felt that current repertoire practices were representative and supportive, although male respondents rated composer gender as lower in importance in repertoire selection than both females and those not identifying as male or female. White students indicated that they felt repertoire selection was more representative of their gender than Black, Indigenous, and other students of color. Respondents also indicated a desire for more underrepresented composers in ensemble repertoire. Numerous implications are provided, including the need for an increased focus on culturally responsive repertoire selection processes in teacher preparation programs.