Automated Aural-Visual Music Theory Instruction for Elementary Education Majors

A self-instructional linear program of 388 frames was constructed to teach music theory skills and knowledge to elementary education majors. Sixty-two elementary education majors, divided equally between the control group and experimental group, participated in the evaluation of the program. Both groups were administered the Aural-Visual Music Theory Test, developed by the experimenter, as pretest and posttest. The control group received no music instruction during the course of the experiment; the self-instructional program was the only music instruction received by the experimental group.

Statistically significant gains by the experimental group from pretest to posttest showed that the self-instructional program was highly effective with elementary education majors. The unique aural-visual format provided immediate application of theory to the sound of music. The study suggests that much can be learned outside of class, permitting greater efficiency and individualization as well as conservation of in-class time for greater stress upon methods for the classroom teacher.