International Journal of Music Education

This article builds an interdisciplinary perspective on the nature of western classical music performance by combining concepts from literary theory, music philosophy and music education philosophy. The article concludes with practical proposals for the education of music performers.

This article reports the findings of a study exploring early-career music teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of their pre-service teacher education programmes in Queensland, Australia. It also explores influences impacting upon early-career music teachers' perceptions of effectiveness and early-career music teachers' perceived needs in relation to their preservice preparation. Findings suggest that pre-service teachers perceive a need for teacher education courses to be contextualized, integrated and allow for the continual development of knowledge and skills throughout their early years in schools. This research provides an empirical basis for reconceptualizing music teacher education courses and raises important issues that music teacher educators need to address in order to ensure that graduates are adequately prepared for classroom music teaching.

Music education does not exist independently, but is influenced by changes in society. Music educators must be responsive to those influences. By relating music education to political, economic, social, cultural and educational developments in the Republic of Korea during the period from 1945 to 2005, this article aims to put that education in a historical and social context. During those 60 years, Korean school music education has changed considerably in response to the development of government, economy, culture and general education in Korean society. Music curricula and textbooks have been transformed seven times in response to changes in Korean public life. The most substantial changes may be summarized as follows: (1) as the political influence on music education lessened, educators deemphasized moral development and stressed the development of aesthetic perception and sensitivity; (2) the nation's economic growth contributed to the provision of adequate music programs; (3) as music education became more receptive to social changes, songs from continents and cultures other than Europe and the USA were included and the use of music technology in the classroom was encouraged; and (4) continuous efforts to encourage reverence for Korean traditions led to a significant increase in the percentage of traditional Korean music included in the curriculum.

This article deals with the educational potential of community music. First, the author introduces the concept of community music and discusses its special position in today's society. Community music can play a significant role in promoting active music-making, particularly for those people who do not make use of standard musical arrangements. Then, the author presents and refutes the case against teaching and music learning in community music practices as presented by the influential community musician Phil Mullen. Next, the author argues that community music naturally accords with innovative concepts of learning such as authentic learning, situated learning and process-directed learning. Thus, it presents an excellent place for developing musical competence. Finally, the various levels at which teaching is relevant to community music are examined.

We investigated effects of legato, staccato and pizzicato articulation styles on the perception of modulated tempos. Seventy-two music majors served as participants. Two solo violin excerpts were chosen with contrasting rhythmic rates and were recorded in all three articulation styles. Examples were presented to listeners in three conditions of tempo modulation: gradual increase, gradual decrease or no change. Tempo changes were produced gradually so that listeners would not notice abrupt changes. Analysis of results showed that articulation style and the direction of modulation affected listeners' perception of tempo, and, importantly, these two factors interacted significantly. Legato examples were judged as increasing in tempo more (and decreasing less) than staccato and pizzicato examples in both excerpts. Differences between articulation styles were not as large in the example with greater rhythmic activity. Listeners preferred the no-change and tempo-increase modulations to the tempo decreases. Implications for further research, performance practice and teaching are discussed.