Effects of Style,Tempo,and Performing Medium on Children' s Music Preference

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of style, tempo, and performing medium on fifth-rade students' expressed music listening preference. A listening test was administered to 107 students in four classes in central Michigan. Test reliability was evaluated in terms of common factor concentration and stability across time, and behavior observation was used to help interpret results. A preference hierarchy emerged in which the popular styles were most favored and correlation analysis indicated that style was most strongly related to preference. A three-way repeated measures analysis of variance disclosed a significant three-way interaction. An examination of charted cell means indicated a strong effect for style, which was notice ably suppressed by performance in the instrumental medium. Across pooled styles there was a slight preference for faster tempos and the instrumental medium.

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