This study examined the effects of aural and visual approaches to rhythm reading and short-term retention. Second- and sixth-grade students were presented with two-measure rhythm patterns in four modes: (1) audio-rhythm, (2) audio-mnemonics, (3) (audio) visual-rhythm, and (4) (audio) visual-mnemonics. Raw data consisted of the number of trials necessary for the correct performance of the rhythms on a woodblock. Results indicated that the simultaneous use of auditory and visual channels facilitates learning and retention of rhythms at both grade levels. Maturation is significant in the acquisition of rhythms, in that older students learned the patterns twice as quickly as the younger children, regardless of presentation mode. Factors concerning the mnemonics, short-term memory, and the development of music literacy were discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bebeau, M. J. (1982). Effects of traditional and simplified methods of rhythm-reading instruction. Journal of Research in Music Education, 30(2), 107–119.
2.
Booth, G. D. (1983). The teaching of North Indian Music: Three case studies. Contributions to Music Education10, 1–8.
3.
Boyle, J. D. (1970). The effect of prescribed rhythmical movements on the ability to read music at sight. Journal of Research in Music Education, 18(4), 307–318.
4.
Cudjoe, S. D. (1953). The techniques of Ewe drumming and the social importance of music in Africa. Phylon, 14, 280–91.
5.
Dickel, M. J. (1983). Principles of encoding mnemonics. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 57, 111–118.
6.
Gordon, E. E. (1984). Learning sequences and patterns in music. Chicago: G.I.A. Publications.
7.
Higbee, K. L. (1977). Your memory: How it works and how to improve it. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
8.
Jaques-Dalcroze, E. (1967). Rhythm, music and education. Translated by Harold F. Rubenstein. London and Whitstable: Riverside Press.
9.
Kintsch, W. (1970). Learning, memory, and conceptual processes. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
10.
Leafblad, W. J. (1982). The effect of the use of music speed reading on the sightreading ability of senior and junior high school instrumentalists. PMEA Bulletin of Research in Music Education, 13, 20–25.
11.
Malm, W. P. (1986). Six hidden views of Japanese music. Berkeley: University of California Press.
12.
Neisser, U. (1969). The role of rhythm in active verbal memory: Serial intrusions. American Journal of Psychology, 82, 540–546.
13.
Palmer, M. (1976). Relative effectiveness of two approaches to rhythm reading for fourth grade students. Journal of Research in Music Education, 24(3), 110–118.
14.
Postman, L., & Keppel, G. (Eds.). (1969), Verbal Learning and Memory.Baltimore: Penguin Press.
15.
Prickett, C. A. (1974). A comparison of two rhythm patterns as aids to digit recall. Unpublished master's thesis, Florida State University, Tallahassee.
16.
Radocy, R. E., & Boyle, J. D. (1979). Psychological Foundations of Musical Behavior. Springfield, IL.: Charles C Thomas.
17.
Reck, D. B. (1984). India/South India. In Titon, J. (Ed.) Worlds of Music. New York: Schirmer.
18.
Ryan, J. (1969). Grouping and short-term memory: Different means and patterns of grouping. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 21, 137–147.
19.
Shaffer, L. H. (1976). Intention and performance. Psychological Review, 83, 375–393.
20.
Shehan, P. K. (1981). A comparison of mediation strategies in paired-associate learning for children with learning disabilities. Journal of Music Therapy18, 120–127.
21.
Siegel, E., & Allik, J. (1971). The effect of modality on recall cue. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 22, 224–237.
22.
Slak, S. (1970). Phonemic recording of digital information. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 86, 398–406.
23.
Sloboda, J. (1974). The hand-span: An approach to the study of sight reading. Psychology of Music, 2, 4–10.
24.
Sloboda, J. (1978). The psychology of music reading. Psychology of Music, 6, 3–20.
25.
Stockton, J. L. (1982). An experimental study of two approaches to the development of aural meter discrimination among students in a college introductory class. Dissertation Abstracts International, 43, 718 A. (University Microfilms No. DA8217805).
26.
Van Nuys, K., & Weaver, H. E. (1943). Memory span and visual pauses in reading rhythms and melodies. Psychological Monographs, 55, (1, Whole No. 249).
27.
Waugh, R. (1973). Relationship between modality preference and performance. Exceptional Children, 39, 365–369.
28.
Winer, B. J. (1971). Statistical Principles in Experimental Design. New York: McGraw-Hill.
