Elementary directed listening to music: A singing approach versus a nonsinging approach

The basic purpose of this study was to compare a singing approach to a nons inging approach with regard to aural thematic recognition and thematic pref erence. The sample consisted of 241 students in Grades 5 and 6. Upon comple tion of the reseacher-developed art music listening program, participating teachers administered the Thematic Aural Perception Test and Musical Themat ic Preference Questionnaire. These researcher-generated tests had reliabili ty coefficients of .84 and .87, respectively. Analyses of variance indicate d that subjects who sang thematic material had a significantly higher rate of aural recall (p < .05) than subjects who did not sing. There was no sign ificant difference with regard to preference. Evaluative comments from the participating teachers were valuable in formulating suggestions for teachin g and further research.