A Systematic Approach to Aural-Visual Identification Instruction in Music for Young Children

This study investigated the functional nature of a model for aural-visual identification instruction (AVII) to design effective instruction for musical concept development in young children. The purpose of the study was to compare achievement gain of second-grade children of high, middle, and low musical aptitude on three tasks in the area of pitch concept development and three tasks in the area of timbre concept development. The instructors in the study were experienced music specialists, first-year music specialists, student teacher music specialists, and experienced classroom teachers using AVII model materials. Subjects were 203 children in intact second-grade music classes in eight urban elementary schools. Results indicated that there was a significant mean achievement gain for subjects in this sample. Teacher experience was a main effect in the amount of gain. There was a significant interaction between teacher type and musical task. Musical aptitude, musical task, and other interactions were not significant.