The comparative effects of the traditional Taiwanese curriculum and a curriculum based on music learning theory on the developmental music aptitudes and singing performance of first-grade students in Taiwan (China)

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of the use of the traditional music instruction and a Music Learning Theory-based instruction on the development of the music aptitudes and singing performance of Taiwanese first grade students. The problems were: (a) to determine whether Taiwanese first grade students who receive a Music Learning Theory-based curriculum will have different tonal aptitude scores on PMMA than students who receive instruction using the traditional Taiwanese curriculum; (b) to determine whether Taiwanese first grade students who receive a Music Learning Theory-based curriculum will have different rhythm aptitude scores on PMMA than students who receive instruction using the traditional Taiwanese curriculum; (c) to determine whether Taiwanese first grade students who receive a Music Learning Theory-based curriculum will demonstrate different levels of singing achievement than students who receive instruction using the traditional Taiwanese curriculum; and (d) to compare Taiwanese first grade students' PMMA scores to those of standardization norms as reported in the PMMA Manual.; Four intact Taiwanese first grade classes were the sample for this study. Two classes were randomly assigned to the control group and the other two to the experimental group. The control group received music instruction primarily based on the traditional Taiwanese curriculum. The experimental group received instruction based on Music Learning Theory. All students were pre- and post-tested using PMMA.; Instruction occurred for 12 weeks and consisted of one 40-minute class period per week. At the end of the instructional period, in addition to the PMMA posttest, students were audio-taped performing one criterion song. Students' singing performances were rated by three independent judges using an investigator-designed rating scale.; Students who received instruction based on Music Learning Theory achieved significantly greater gains in their developmental rhythm aptitude than students who received instruction using the traditional Taiwanese curriculum. There was no significant difference between the control group and the experimental group for developmental tonal aptitude and singing performance. Taiwanese first grade students scored significantly lower on the PMMA tonal subtest than American first grade students, as reported in the PMMA Manual. The developmental rhythm scores for Taiwanese first grade students were lower than American first grade students. However, the difference was not significant.