Search Results (24)

Inclusive music education refers to the use of musical experiences and practices as tools for promoting participation, equity, and meaningful engagement among all learners, including those with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Music education has long been recognized not only for its value in emotional expression and cultural transmission but also for its cognitive and relational benefits. This entry examines the inclusive and transformative potential of music, highlighting how it can foster equitable, accessible, and culturally relevant learning environments. Drawing from pedagogy, neuroscience, and educational technology, the entry explores how music contributes to cognitive, emotional, and social development, with a focus on learners with SEN. It emphasizes the importance of early exposure to music, the strong connections between music and language acquisition, and the need to challenge persistent misconceptions about innate musical talent. The findings demonstrate that when supported by digital tools and educational games, music education becomes a powerful driver of inclusion, enhancing participation, relational dynamics, and cognitive engagement. The entry concludes by advocating for a reimagining of music not as a secondary subject, but as a foundational component of holistic and inclusive education, capable of building more empathetic, connected, and equitable societies. Full article

In the field of music education, the incorporation of technology originally designed for professionals presents both significant opportunities and challenges. These technologies, although advanced and powerful, are often not adapted to meet the specific needs of the educational environment. Therefore, this study details the design and implementation process of a system consisting of a hardware device called “Play Box” and associated software “Imaginary Play Box”. The design sciences research methodology (DSRM) specifically adapted to software development was used to structure the project. The three phases shown in this study ranged from the conception of an initial prototype to the realisation of working software. During the design phase, a questionnaire was developed to evaluate various aspects of the software, such as the visual interface, the programming of components, and the sound interactivity provided by the Play Box. The technique of panels of experts in music pedagogy and programming in MAX-MSP was used to obtain critical feedback. This expert evaluation was crucial to iterate and polish the process of iteration and refining the software, culminating in a beta version optimised for the creation of electroacoustic music for music education. Full article

First-person VR- and MR-based Action Observation research has thus far yielded both positive and negative findings in studies observing such tools’ potential to teach motor skills. Teaching drumming, particularly polyrhythms, is a challenging motor skill to learn and has remained largely unexplored in the field of Action Observation. In this contribution, a multimodal tool designed to teach rudimental and polyrhythmic drumming was developed and tested in a 20-subject study. The tool presented subjects with a first-person MR perspective via a head-mounted display to provide users with visual exposure to both virtual content and their physical surroundings simultaneously. When compared against a control group practicing via video demonstrations, results showed increased rhythmic accuracy across four exercises. Specifically, a difference of 239 ms (z-ratio = 3.520, p < 0.001) was found between the timing errors of subjects who practiced with our multimodal mixed reality development compared to subjects who practiced with video, demonstrating the potential of such affordances. This research contributes to ongoing work in the fields of Action Observation and Mixed Reality, providing evidence that Action Observation techniques can be an effective practice method for drumming. Full article

This paper presents the results of a Participatory Action Research, whose main objective was to validate a pedagogical intervention characterized by adopting an inquiry-based learning methodology (IBL), and the paradigm of Practice as Research focused on musical performativity. This intervention sought to foster autonomy, the relationship between theory and practice, and the development of critical reflexive skills in professional music students. The co-participants (12 students in the first cycle and 9 in the second) belonged to university training programs in vocal and instrumental interpretation, composition, and music pedagogy at different levels. In the intervention cycles, students were able to organize themselves collaboratively to achieve the learning objectives and research products designed in the intervention. During the process, they redefined research as a tool for professional development in their discipline. This empowered the participants, as they became aware that they themselves could build knowledge in their field. The intervention was validated, and the results highlight the potential of inquiry activities focused on musical performativity and Practice as Research in the context of higher music education, playing an integrating role in the construction of knowledge by and for practitioners. Full article

Festivals have emerged as a compelling subject of study within the realm of the social sciences, with disciplines like popular musicology showcasing festivals as a prominent area of investigation. These cultural events have demonstrated a profound and enduring impact on various generations, solidifying their significance in contemporary history. In the ever-evolving landscape of rapid social change, festivals have evolved into both traditions and heritage. Our research centered on the musical landscape in the city of Cáceres has culminated in the creation of a Festival Route rooted in the pertinent facets of its history and unique sociocultural context. The methodology employed in this study revolves around the development of comprehensive databases that encompass various parameters, principles, and elements. These databases are instrumental in crafting adaptable musical itineraries tailored to the individual participant’s characteristics, including age, educational background, place of origin, and explicit or intrinsic interests. Moreover, they factor into the duration of the route. These databases draw upon the findings of historiographic and ethnographic research, shedding light on the music performed and cherished within the city of Cáceres throughout its rich history. This paper primarily delves into the educational aspects derived from the socio-cultural phenomenon of festivals, specifically in the realms of music pedagogy and value-based education. Our Festival Route is designed with a particular focus on youth engagement, weaving together key locales within the city to create an enriching and educational experience. Full article

Embodiment lies at the core of music cognition, prompting recent pedagogical shifts towards a multi-sensory, whole-body approach. However, the education of oral music genres that rely exclusively on direct teacher–disciple transmission through live demonstration and imitation is now undergoing a transformation by rapidly adapting to technology-mediated platforms. This paper examines challenges in embodied facets of video-mediated synchronous distance Hindustani music pedagogy. For this, it takes an ethnomusicological stance and showcases a thematic analysis of interviews featuring Dhrupad music practitioners. The analysis is driven and organized by the 4E Cognition principles, which stress the intimate relationship between body, mind, and environment. Findings indicate that while this adaptation aims to make music content more widely accessible, it comes at the cost of reducing opportunities for multi-modal engagement and interaction among participants. Results reveal limitations in transmitting non-verbal, embodied, multi-sensory cues, along with visual and acoustic disruptions of a sense of shared spatial and physical context, that hinder effective interaction and a sense of immersion, elements that are deemed vital in music education. They prompt concerns about the suitability of conventional videoconferencing platforms and offer key insights for the development of alternative technologies that can better assist embodied demands of the pedagogical practices involved. Full article

Music viewed from the real praxis could trigger positive religious emotions as the path of beauty in those searching for the meaning of life or the higher one in God. The article aims to encourage interdisciplinarity in teaching Catholic RE in Croatia, presenting many benefits of music and examples of positive practices that music can encourage in students. The main purpose of this paper, after recognizing the needs and difficulties of interdisciplinary teaching primarily for teachers in Croatia, is to create a model of implementing music content efficiently in Catholic religious education (RE) in Croatia. The research finds the necessity to unite experts from three fields to make interdisciplinary teaching efficient and progressively constructive: religious education pedagogy and music pedagogy combined with music practice itself through professional conductors. Nevertheless, the text seeks to expose an easily applicable model that leads to efficient and progressive interdisciplinary teaching, which is also the main aim of the work. The research is significant as this model could be examined in different subject areas, highlighting that singing in class could encourage religious sensibility and help improve spiritual and religious competencies. The research findings showed that the advantages and specifics of choral singing could be integrated into the religious education curriculum, making RE more dynamic and challenging for students. The research is based on a literature review, a data analysis, as well as participant observation (teacher and conductor) as methods to prove advantages and possibilities of how to implement music into the RE curriculum. Full article

Virtual Co-embodiment (vc) is a relatively new field of VR, enabling a user to share control of an avatar with other users or entities. According to a recent study, vc was shown to have the highest motor skill learning efficiency out of three VR-based methods. This contribution expands on these findings, as well as previous work relating to Action Observation (ao) and drumming, to realize a new concept to teach drumming. Users “duet” with an exemplar half in a virtual scene with concurrent feedback to learn rudiments and polyrhythms. We call this puppet avatar controlled by both a user and separate processes a “halvatar”. The development is based on body-part-segmented vc techniques and uses programmed animation, electromechanical drum strike detection, and optical bimanual hand-tracking informed by head-tracking. A pilot study was conducted with primarily non-musicians showing the potential effectiveness of this tool and approach. Full article

Self-efficacy and perfectionism play an important role in high-performance activities. This cross-sectional study analyzes the relationship between these constructs and resilience in a sample of 145 music students (57.9% female) with a mean age of 27.77 years. Perfectionism was assessed using the Multidimensional Inventory of Perfectionism in Sport; resilience, using the Resilience Scale; and self-efficacy, using the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Females, compared to males, are more perfectionist, both on the adaptive (Cohen’s d = 0.41) and maladaptive scales (Cohen’s d = 0.70). However, no gender differences were found in self-efficacy or resilience scores. Music students categorized as highly resilient obtained significantly higher self-efficacy scores (Cohen’s d = 1.30). However, no differences were found between high- and low-resilience students in perfectionism scores, the total scale scores, or its adaptive or functional factor (striving for perfection). Differences were found for the maladaptive factor, negative reactions to imperfection, where low-resilience students scored higher on negative reactions to imperfection (Cohen’s d = 0.49). Self-efficacy shows significant predictive power for resilience (β = 0.525, p < 0.001). Although functional perfectionism did not significantly predict resilience, a marginal negative relationship was found between dysfunctional perfectionism and resilience (β = −0.156, p = 0.063). The results are discussed concerning their implications for music pedagogy and teacher intervention. Full article

Actor training in Western culture evolved as an oral tradition. Formal education appeared in the late-nineteenth century with the work of Konstantin Stanislavski. Despite its relatively brief history, the family tree of theatre pedagogy now consists of many contrasting branches. Several branches contain the creative and educational DNA of an approach to Western music education known as Dalcroze Eurhythmics. Emile Jaques-Dalcroze was a Swiss pianist and composer whose work at the Hellerau Institute near Dresden in Germany had a significant impact on the Modernist movements in theatre and dance, 1911–1914. Historical records show that this embodied method of music learning was disseminated by Hellerau graduates in drama schools and theatre companies around the world. This essay traces four branches on the family tree of theatre pedagogy that are directly influenced by Dalcroze Eurhythmics. These branches include the legacies of Stanislavski in Russia; Jacques Copeau and Suzanne Bing in France; Rudolph Laban and Yat Malmgren in Germany and England; and Sanford Meisner and Anne Bogart in the United States of America. This essay is written from the author’s perspective as an actor trainer and music educator in a higher education conservatoire. It offers historical contexts for contemporary pedagogies in actor training. Full article

Integrative community therapy (ICT) is a methodology used in the public health arena to deal with problems facing communities such as depression, substance abuse, and stress. This approach is unique as it builds on critical pedagogy, cultural anthropology, communication, resilience, and systems theory. Additionally, creative arts therapies point to the utility of music as a therapeutic tool. This study employed ICT and a music workshop with domestic violence survivors in Quito, Ecuador, via a pre-post comparison group design. A total of 87 women completed the six-week study—49 in the intervention group and 38 in the comparison group. Measures were taken on self-esteem, general health, resilience, dating violence attitudes, and social support. Additionally, the intervention group answered open-ended questions about their experience, and some participated in a focus group (n = 21). The quantitative results indicated that there was improvement in the domains of general health, self-esteem, and social support for the intervention group compared to the comparison group. Themes from the qualitative responses indicated changes in the relationship with the aggressor, psychological and emotional changes, changes in feelings of social support, and changes for the future. The study found promising results for this approach with domestic violence survivors, possibly leading to a community-grounded, non-hierarchical, culturally-responsive intervention for this population. Full article

Researchers and practitioners increasingly emphasise the need to complement dominant external, technological approaches with an internal focus to support transformation toward sustainability. However, knowledge on how this internal human dimension can support transformation across individual, collective, and systems levels is limited. Our study addresses this gap. We examined the narratives of participants in the sustainability course “One Year in Transition”, using micro-phenomenology and thematic analysis. Our results shed light on the dynamics of inner–outer change and action and the necessary capacities to support them. This related to changes regarding participants’ perspectives, which became more relational and interconnected. We also showed that participants increasingly seek an inner space that provides direction and freedom to act. The data suggested that this, over time, leads to increasing internalisation, and the embodiment of a personal identity as a courageous and principled change agent for sustainability. Our results complement extant quantitative research in the field by offering a nuanced picture of the entangled nature of inner–outer transformation processes and associated influencing factors. In addition, they point towards ways in which inner dimensions can be leveraged to achieve change, thus filling existing knowledge gaps for reaching sustainability and associated goals across all levels. Full article

It is reasonable to assume that emotional processes are involved in creative tasks and the generation of creative ideas. In this pilot study, we investigate the emotional correlates in professional drummers during different degrees of creative music playing. Ten participants performed three tasks: repetitive rhythmic drum playing, pattern-based improvisation, and attention-intensive free improvisation, while their EEG activity was recorded. Arousal and valence levels were estimated from the EEG data at baseline and for the three tasks. Results show significantly increased levels of valence (i.e., increased prefrontal right alpha power compared to prefrontal left alpha power) during pattern-based and free improvisation relative to baseline, and significantly increased levels of valence during free improvisation relative to pattern-based improvisation. These results seem to indicate that positive emotion (characterized as increased valence) is associated with the creation of original ideas in drum playing and that the freer the creative process, the greater the positive effect. The implication of these results may be of particular relevance in the fields of music-based therapeutic interventions and music pedagogy. Full article

Singing pedagogy has increasingly adopted guide awareness through the use of meaningful real-time visual feedback. Technology typically used to study the voice can also be applied in a singing lesson, aiming at facilitating students’ awareness of the three subsystems involved in voice production—breathing, oscillatory and resonatory—and their underlying physiological, aerodynamical and acoustical mechanisms. Given the variety of real-time visual feedback tools, this article provides a comprehensive overview of such tools and their current and future pedagogical applications in the voice studio. The rationale for using real-time visual feedback is discussed, including both the theoretical and practical applications of visualizing physiological, aerodynamical and acoustical aspects of voice production. The monitorization of breathing patterns is presented, displaying lung volume as the sum of abdominal and ribcage movements signals. In addition, estimates of subglottal pressure are visually displayed using a subglottal pressure meter to assist with the shaping of musical phrases in singing. As to what concerns vibratory patterns of the vocal folds and phonatory airflow, the use of electroglottography and inverse filters is applied to monitor the phonation types, voice breaks, pitch and intensity range of singers of different music genres. These vocal features, together with intentional voice distortions and intonation adjustments, are also displayed using spectrographs. As the voice is invisible to the eye, the use of real-time visual feedback is proposed as a key pedagogical approach in current and future singing lessons. The use of such an approach corroborates the current trend of developing evidence-based practices in voice education. Full article

Transition to sustainability is a process that requires change on all levels of society from the physical to the psychological. This review takes an interdisciplinary view of the landscapes of research that contribute to the development of pro-social behaviors that align with sustainability goals, or what we call ‘inner sustainability’. Engaging in musical and dance activities can make people feel trust and connectedness, promote prosocial behavior within a group, and also reduce prejudices between groups. Sustained engagement in these art forms brings change in a matter of seconds (such as hormonal changes and associated stress relief), months (such as improved emotional wellbeing and learning outcomes), and decades (such as structural changes to the brains of musicians and dancers and superior skills in expressing and understanding emotion). In this review, we bridge the often-separate domains of the arts and sciences by presenting evidence that suggests music and dance promote self-awareness, learning, care for others and wellbeing at individual and group levels. In doing so, we argue that artistic practices have a key role to play in leading the transformations necessary for a sustainable society. We require a movement of action that provides dance and music within a constructive framework for stimulating social sustainability. Full article