Effects of music notation reinforcement on aural memory for melodies

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of music notation reinforcement on aural memory for melodies. Participants were 41 undergraduate and graduate music majors in a within-subjects design. Experimental trials tested melodic memory through a sequence of target melodies, distraction melodies, and matched and unmatched answer choices. Target melodies were presented either aurally only, or aurally with matching notation. Results of a paired samples t-test revealed no significant difference in experimental test scores based on presentation format, suggesting that music notation reinforcement of melodies does not affect aural memory for those melodies. Recommendations for further research include an aural-visual melodic memory test paired with a survey of participant learning modalities; a survey of successful melodic memory strategies employed by aural skills students; and longitudinal studies of visual imagery applied to aural skills tasks. Implications for music education at all levels center on the need to cultivate strong cognitive relationships between visual and aural aspects of music.

El dictado melódico: análisis del rendimiento de los estudiantes en la prueba de acceso al grado profesional de música en Cataluña

“…El exigente proceso cognitivo que requiere la realización de un dictado melódico (Foulkes-Levy, 1997; Karpinski, 1990Karpinski, , 2000 y los parámetros tanto individuales como musicales que entran en juego en dicho proceso (Baker, 2019) ayudan a explicar el hecho de que esta tarea sea una de las más complejas para los estudiantes (Andreu et al, 2021;Buonviri, 2015b;Cruz de Menezes, 2010;Foulkes-Levy, 1997;Hedges, 1999;Hope, 1991;Moreno & Brauer, 2007). En este sentido, Klonoski (2006) señala que para realizar un dictado melódico se requieren numerosas habilidades de escucha y, además, una clara comprensión de cómo integrarlas para que se apoyen entre ellas con el objetivo final de obtener una experiencia de escucha unificada.…”

“…La importancia otorgada a la realización del dictado melódico dentro de la educación auditiva (p. ej. Karpinski, 2000;Rogers, 1984), su inclusión tanto en los planes de estudio de lenguaje musical en las escuelas y conservatorios profesionales como en la propia prueba de acceso al grado profesional (DEGC, 2021), la dificultad detectada en los estudiantes al realizar dicha actividad (Andreu et al, 2021;Buonviri, 2015b;Cruz de Menezes, 2010;Foulkes-Levy, 1997;Hedges, 1999;Hope, 1991;Moreno & Brauer, 2007) y la ausencia de estudios sobre el rendimiento del dictado melódico en estudiantes de edades comprendidas entre 11 y 13 años, incentivó la necesidad de profundizar en las transcripciones que realizaban en el contexto de la citada prueba de acceso. Se trata de una prueba crucial en la formación musical de los estudiantes ya que, por un lado, es una evaluación final de las competencias musicales adquiridas en los estudios no reglados de nivel elemental y, por el otro, supone una evaluación inicial que permite afrontar con éxito el inicio de los estudios musicales reglados de grado profesional.…”

Musical expression in the training of future primary education teachers in Galicia

“…Considering the importance of listening in overall music training in the context of general education, it should also be part of the musical training of future teachers, as it is part of their teaching knowledge and their personal musical culture. Buonviri (2015) found deficiencies in training of these listening skills, via melody teaching, in schools and universities.…”

“…In this way, this study’s approach mirrors the dominant technical focus in official formal teaching of music in Spain, and it will be in the conclusions where a critical perspective will be included to analyse the results and question the relevance of the content and dominant prevailing processes in teacher training in general and in music teacher training in particular. In any case, many authors have highlighted the value of these components in musical training (Bernabé, 2012; Buonviri, 2015; Trainor & Corrigall, 2010; Vernia, 2016).…”

Learning music theory en passant: a study in an internationally recognised South African University student choir

“…Nevertheless, we would argue that understanding of the theory of music is helpful to choir members, not least for the reason mentioned in the introduction above of improving their musicality and especially in terms of intonation. It does not only relate to 'being a musician in the Western sense', despite Buonviri (2015) noting specifically that 'much Western music requires a synthesis of aural and notational musical fluency' (p. 443).…”