Creating the environment in which students are capable of acquiring the relevant skills in a manner as expeditious and efficient as possible is the ultimate goal of any educator. In light of the fact that the contemporary environment can be defined as very diverse, there is an urge for a teacher to make sure that the unique needs of each student is taken into account when designing the teaching strategy.
I believe that teaching students to be culturally responsive in studying music, as well as having any related experience, be it listening to music or making it, is crucial to fostering the development of the skills that will help promote diversity in class. As a result are premises for enhancing cross-cultural communication among the learners so that they could understand the nature of music and the way in which the identified art form evolved can be created (Lind and McKoy 102).
Similarly, I believe that, in teaching music, a very strong emphasis must be placed on the role of the community in the students’ lives and their aesthetic and cultural development. One might argue that there is no tangible connection between developing music skills and strengthening the link between the learner and his/her community. However, a closer look at the subject matter will reveal that the support of friends and family members is likely to have an astonishingly positive effect on the learners’ performance (Mark and Madura 233). Furthermore, the students will gain an opportunity to consider the history of music once the subject matter is tied to the analysis of the community, its development, and the role that music has played in it (Reiber and Teachout 28).
The issue of distanced learning also deserves to be touched upon as one of the areas on which I would like to focus in the course of my teaching practice. Although the phenomenon has been explored extensively over the past few decades, its role has been downplayed significantly in the area of teaching music, which is a shame as distanced learning (DL) provides a plethora of opportunities for students and teachers (Barrett and Webster 170). For example, the flexibility that the participants can enjoy when exploring the theoretical and the practical aspects of music deserves being mentioned as one of the primary advantages of the DL approach. It should be noted, though, that the promotion of DL will require active integration of the latest technological advances in the learning process. Therefore, a heavy emphasis must be placed on the development of IT tools that will help engage learners and allow them to arrange their learning process, as well as communicate with the tutor successfully to receive feedback and instructions (Bowman 17).
It is also my belief that the inclusion of the serious leisure perspective (SLP) will enable the students to learn basic music skills more actively. I presume that a combination of serious, causal, and project-based leisure types will help increase motivation rates among the target audience (Stebbins 23). As a result, they will be able to engage in an independent study of music, developing a responsible attitude toward the learning process. Finally, the significance of informal learning needs to be mentioned. Games as a tool for helping learners to acquire the relevant skills are not to be dismissed – quite on the contrary, they must be incorporated into the learning process so that the learners are able to apply their newly acquired knowledge to solve practical tasks.
It is the responsibility as a teacher to create the environment in which the learner will feel motivated to engage in the required activities. By incorporating the principles of the SLP into the process and providing the learners with a chance to build a link between music and the community, a teacher will be able to make the students more enthusiastic. Therefore, exploring new opportunities is the first step toward a successful teaching process.
References
Barrett, Jane R., and Peter R. Webster. The Musical Experience: Rethinking Music Teaching and Learning. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2014. Print.
Bowman, Judith. Online Learning in Music: Foundations, Frameworks, and Practices. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2014. Print.
Lind, Vicki R., and Constance McKoy. Culturally Responsive Teaching in Music Education: From Understanding to Application. New York, NY: Routledge, 2016. Print.
Mark, Michael L., and Patrice Madura. Contemporary Music Education. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.
Reiber, Michael, and David Teachout. The Journey from Music Student to Teacher: A Professional Approach. New York, NY: Routledge, 2014. Print.
Stebbins, Robert A. Serious Leisure: A Perspective for Our Time. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2015. Print.
Nowadays, the importance and role of music as an essential part of the education system are underestimated both by authorities and parents. STEM subjects currently feel supremacy over arts and humanities in terms of neoliberal development of the world. Recent Covid-19 outburst and its preventive measures’ consequences make music education to come to the forefront. Music plays an essential role during that challenging time, as it distracts from anxiety, stress, and decreases the chance of falling into depression. Parents should commend music educators who still accomplish their job via distance learning instead of criticizing them for overloading their children with “unnecessary” tasks.
This essay is aimed to present the actual influence of music on the students and explain why music educators should remain leaders who encourage students to hold on. Despite the lack of appreciation, every child needs a proper delivery of music education in the time of Covid-19, as it also helps to deal with other classes.
In general, music is the form of expression that binding those who create it and those who listen to it with the help of spiritual connection. Music is believed for a long time to induce emotions and recall feelings experienced in the past (Colling & Thompson, 2013).
According to the research of Scherer and Coutinho (2013), music can evoke various affective states within utilitarian, aesthetic, and epistemic sets of emotions. The authors also highlighted the psychobiological routes that involve different subsystems of the central nervous system (Scherer & Coutinho, 2013). Music characteristics, the way it is performed, and the condition of the listener are essential elements to be considered. By targeting such routes, as the appraisal, memory association, and entertainment, music educators apply different genres and songs for emotional regulation of their students, their cognitive enhancement, and physical resumption.
Moreover, more evidence-based studies prove the influence of music on listeners’ mental state. Colling and Thompson (2013) presented a theoretical framework of visual, bodily, and acoustic dimensions of music interconnection that leads to a complex of psychological and social effects. It argues that composers can control the arousal element of the listener’s emotional experience by managing how goals are achieved and the level of synchronization between them.
Furthermore, nerve terminals in different parts of the brain have a responsibility to decode and interpret the different properties of music, ranging from tone and melody to rhythm and its emotional content (Laracuente, 2020). It means that music has the potential to improve not only the conditions of the individual’s soul but also the health. Other studies on music therapy reveal that it helps older people with dementia, depression, and patients with other serious diseases to cope with anxiety and disruptive behavior (Laracuente, 2020). Music can make people of all ages feel happy, energetic, and alert. Therefore, it exerts a powerful effect not only physically, but also emotionally, and helps listeners to focus on the here and now, and feed their spirit.
Considering earlier presented information, it becomes clear that music in the hands of professional educators can become a powerful tool that restores joy and provides stability even during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Pitts (2017), music education improves psychological well-being, school engagement, language and literacy, empathy, creativity, and many other students’ qualities. Despite the modern “supplementary” role imposed by governments, music courses should be enforced by educators’ leadership in order to foster the life-long musical engagement of students that will enable them to live creative and fulfilling lives.
The pandemic highlights the importance of music activities and their influence on the emotional state of people. Social distancing and quarantine require isolation and the lockdown of all educational institutions and entertainment sites. The majority of high school students express their disappointment with music and art events being canceled or postponed (Scott, 2020). Many of them claim that they are gradually losing motivation to improve their skills and to study while being exposed to boredom and anxiety. Currently, the main task of educators is to utilize the power of music to nourish their students emotionally and socially.
Rehearsals of chorus or ensemble are not possible to replicate online for technical reasons, but teachers are able to establish a special communication space using online tools. Such space enables students to express their anxiety and receive a piece of advice from their teachers. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) should be implemented to encourage students to improve their self-monitoring and self-perception skills (Scott et al., 2020). Remote instructions also should require individual reflection on the challenges and successes. Moreover, with the help of an asynchronous type of learning music, educators can encourage their students to fulfill practical but straightforward tasks, such as making presentations on a given topic or recording video performing musical exercises.
Another current issue that can be successfully addressed by music teachers is that children lose their social circles, peer connections, mentors, and routines. Online music lessons and some tasks that encourage group collaboration can relieve the adverse effects of long-lasting isolation. Music improves the mood of students, while group assignments help to maintain peer connections. In general, music has the power to build bridges not only between peers in schools or universities but also around the world (Lee et al., 2020). Although live music events have been canceled, social media platforms witnessed an unprecedented increase in the volume of music content.
Many famous musicians, such as John Legend, Pink, Miley Cyrus, and Diplo, delighted their fans with live stream concerts on Instagram instead of traditional ones. People in Italy turned to music as a symbol of hope and harmony and sang national songs on their balconies. Those examples point to the importance of music in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic seemingly plays the role of a cultural propagation catalyst that can enhance the diffusion of different cultures around the world. Online music sharing was believed to create a monoculture based on American consumerism and eliminate isolated micro-cultures (Lee et al., 2020). However, this accelerated music sharing shows that its long-term outcome may be opposite with small music cultures reaching geographically dispersed audiences.
Furthermore, music is one of the ways that helps to mobilize social capital, which is essential for a sound society. Camlin (2020) states that “musicking” is a simultaneously relational and musical activity, which makes it capable of bolstering ties between involved people. The musical “moment” is usually accompanied by neurohormonal activations and interpersonal neurobiology caused by musical entertainment. These kinds of interactions make people feel happy because they are socially connected. Music enhances social ties through cooperation and contact between individuals, with the help of empathy, cohesion, or a sense of social belonging, and by increasing the secretion of the oxytocin, what is the hormone of happiness.
To conclude, the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of music education in dealing with its adverse consequences, such as anxiety and stress. Music is capable of distracting people from negative thoughts and inducing pleasurable ones. The power of music also enables educators to address social problems that their students face with the help of the asymmetric teaching approach. Music is binding children and helps them to be socially connected with others. Despite the inability to hold proper rehearsals and concerts, music teachers continue to play an essential role in bringing positivity and joy for the learners whom they serve.
Colling, L. J., & Thompson, W. F. (2013). Music, action, affect. In T. Cohrane, B. Fantini & K. R. Scherer (Eds.), The emotional power of music: Multidisciplinary perspectives on musical arousal, expression, and social control (pp.197-212). Oxford University Press.
Laracuente, L. A. (2020) La música como pasatiempo para el alma y otros beneficios [Music as a hobby for the soul and other benefits]. El Nuevo Día. Web.
Pitts, S. E. (2017). What is music education for? Understanding and fostering routes into lifelong musical engagement. Music Education Research, 19(2), 160-168.
Scherer, K. R., & Coutinho, E. (2013). How music creates emotion: A multifactorial process approach. In T. Cohrane, B. Fantini & K. R. Scherer (Eds.), The emotional power of music: Multidisciplinary perspectives on musical arousal, expression, and social control (pp. 121-145). Oxford University Press.
Interaction strategies depend on institution’s technology.
Technologies can be synchronous or asynchronous.
The technologies create flexible learning environment.
Interaction occurs when students access graphic representations.
Interaction with learners in groups promotes cooperative learning.
Technology should be aligned with the task.
Effective communication is required in distance learning.
Interactions with technology manipulation of electronic tools.
Learners should bring experiences to the course content.
An Overview of the Topic
Distance learning began in 1700s.
It was conducted through mail services.
In 1800s, women obtained education at homes.
With advancement of technology, distance learning flourished.
With computer development the internet was born.
Today, technology plays a crucial role in distance learning.
Pedagogy involves learning content and environment.
Self-study is not a new practice.
Distance learning systems compensate lack of student supervision.
Teachers used lesson materials in early years of distance learning.
The acceptance of distance learning has indicated its success.
In informal education, distance learning delivered several educational subjects.
Rationale for the Study
Distance learning allows study without traveling to the campus.
The conventional methods have been in a singular classroom environment.
Distance learning is employed in a variety of education settings.
However, technological learning is new in the U.S. music program.
Patterns of learning have changed due to occupational practice.
This study contributes to the existing literature about distance learning.
In-service music teachers have limited time for on-campus learning.
They also have limited financial resources.
Distance learning students encounter poor instructional delivery.
Understanding of in-service teachers in distance learning is explained.
This research is significant for graduate students.
It is focused on online degree programs.
Purpose and Need
The study explores the experiences of in-service music teachers in distance learning.
This paper examines the motivations of in-service teachers in distance learning.
Also, benefits experiences, and challenges have been explored.
This study considered the current skepticism toward distance learning in music education.
Results of this study help understand the experiences of students in distance learning master’s programs.
Further investigation into the experiences of students engaged in distance learning was requested by researchers.
No previous studies have explored experiences of students in distance learning.
This research assist instructors in improving curriculum content
Also, strategies for teaching and learning are enriched.
Research Questions
What motivations do in-service music teachers cite for choosing to pursue a master’s degree in music education through distance learning?
What benefits do in-service music teachers report as a result of enrolling in a master of education distance learning program?
What challenges do in-service music teachers report facing when studying in an online graduate distance learning program?
What learning experiences do in-service music teachers in a graduate distance learning program find significant for their profession and teaching environments?
Procedures
Teachers enrolled in an online master’s degree program in music education were interviewed.
Insight to their experiences was gained.
An interview protocol that contained a set of predetermined open-ended questions was used.
This was used to ensure consistency across all interviews.
Interviews were audio-recorded, and transcripts were prepared.
Assumptions, Scope, Limitations and Delimitations
The in-service music teachers interviewed were highly qualified.
The interviews revealed a common area of knowledge about graduate level online music education.
Being in-service teachers, most participants were deeply engrossed in career development and professional activities.
This left little time for participation in such research.
The study was limited to data collected from one academic institution that offers a master’s degree in music education through distance learning.
The scope of the research results was within the educational circles of in-service teachers enrolled in distance learning master’s programs.
It was limited to participants from online music education at the master’s degree level.
Theoretical Framework
Advancements in technology has facilitated learning permeated.
This is achieved by computers, modems, and software.
Thereby, transcending the structural margins of traditionally learning.
Educational foundations are challenged by the globalization, industrialization and technology
Regeneration of education is imperative.
Postmodern perspectives can cast light on where education might be heading.
Postmodernism provides the foundational theoretical framework for this dissertation.
A literal translation of the term postmodernism may mean “beyond now”.
Postmodernism refers to the initial or concrete termination of social forms attached to modernity.
Principles of modernity assume the natural world can be transformed to benefit individuals through use of scientific thinking.
Globalization suggests a higher performance of economy, politics, and science in the “modern” society in relation to “traditional” societies.
The important features of modernity are to develop objective science, universal morality and law and autonomous art.
Modern sociologist view globalization as economic, technological, and cultural changes.
For some these trends represent a condition of postmodernity due to the failure of modernity to fulfill its aspirations.
According to scholars there are no universal truths all investigations are grounded in human society.
In contrast, postmodernism is associated with ideas emerging from philosophy and theory in relation to aesthetic construction.
Postmodernity usually pertains to a cultural situation or state of being.
While postmodernism emphasizes cultural changes.
Literature review
In the past decades, various scholars attempted to theorize frameworks associated with their comprehension of distance learning.
The role of technology is teaching as a model of imparting knowledge through technical media.
Theories of distance learning are independence and autonomy, of industrialization, and interaction/communication.
Distance learning is composed of two main elements: “the dialog,” and “the structure.”
This theory is known as “transactional distance,” which is a “typology of all education programs.
The advent of online education has filled obvious gaps in traditional face-to-face education.
Distance learning does not allow immediate answers to questions from the instructors which is a disadvantage.
In a study of in-service teachers, subjects had unique motivating factors, perceptions, and challenges related to experiences with distance learning.
The study showed how one teacher never expected this learning experience to influence her teaching life but eventually recognized the existing distinctions between the different spheres of life.
Defining and communicating to students what is to be taught about each participant’s role and responsibility.
Methodology
A qualitative approach was deemed appropriate because the inquiry is useful for understanding the phenomenon described in Chapter 1.
A quantitative research method focuses on human social issues through testable predictions based on variables.
The choice of qualitative or quantitative study is based upon the state of knowledge and the researcher’s position regarding a topic.
A qualitative approach is suitable for the present study because it provides a representation of the true experience of participants.
Qualitative researchers argue that, in the absence of the close connection with the object of study, results will be distorted”
Thus, the present study incorporated face-to-face interviews.
The sample group for the study consisted of in-service music teachers who used distance learning methods.
A list of students from distance learning master’s program was compiled from the 2008 Alumni Directory of Cambridge College.
In special situations, the use of a purposive sample is chosen as the form of data collection .
The interview schedule was intended to maximize the target population’s ability to share lived experiences.
For maximum validity, the questions were designed to request in-depth information about the main research areas of the study.
NVivo software was used to analyze the data collected as an appropriate tool for qualitative analysis.
Results and analysis interpretation
Of the respondents (10 of 12) described their experience as “Good Learning Option”.
This indicate that they were satisfied with the experience.
But a minority (2 of 12) of the respondents described it as “Bad Learning Option,”.
This indicate that they were dissatisfied.
The results showed that majority of the students were satisfied with the experience.
Analysis of the expectations/ suggested they were the main factors that affected distance learning experience.
Almost half of the respondents (5 of 12) joined the online program.
They had a desire to excel in their career and become better teachers.
Those who cited convenience as an advantage, felt that the acquisition of increased knowledge was the most valuable benefit gained from the program.
The results of the study showed the various experiences that participants gained while pursuing their master’s degree.
Discussion
Relatively, results were evaluated according to the implications that they contain.
This was in relation to the current educational setting of the participants in relation to postmodernism.
Experiences did not differ much and leaned towards increased capacity and ability and in handling aspects of education.
Reasons of the participants were varied, personal enhancement and financial motivation were the common factors.
Participants strongly preferred the convenience and flexibility of online degrees which allowed them to study at home.
Respondents benefited from distance learning mostly in the enhancement of their teaching skills and capabilities.
Distance learning programs bring in the elements of inquiry-based learning and liberal education patterns.
The programs assist in the expression of better academic ideas.
Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations
The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of in-service teachers who pursue a master’s degree through distance learning.
This research examined the motivations of in-service teachers for pursuing a master’s degree through distance learning and the benefits reported.
Understanding of distance education learning is explored through the lens of postmodernism.
The concept of contemporary professionalism demands multidisciplinary approaches to create a positive impact through professionals.
The pursuit of contemporary learning environment that provides solution for concerns in accessibility, funding, and quality learning.
The ability to organize material within the system on a platform such as a PC.
This will aid students in the continuation of course work when connectivity to the server is not available.
This paper contains a copy of the lesson plan for teaching classical music in a higher education setting. Key issues that will be highlighted in the document include the approach chosen to implement the lesson plan, a rationale for the selection of key components of the lesson plan, as well as a reflective report highlighting my experiences working on the project.
Learning Approach
An effective lesson plan is expected to maximize the chances of teachers having a meaningful learning experience with students. The present lesson plan is aimed at achieving the same goal by teaching students about western classical music. The students were taught about this subject area by studying two periods of classical music development – Renaissance and the Middle Ages. Given that the main objective of the lesson plan was to enrich student’s learning experiences, the learning approach combined digital and non-digital techniques. This means that part of the lesson plan was implemented using the digital learning model, while non-digital learning techniques played a supplementary role.
The digital learning approach stems from the e-learning trend, which is synonymous with higher education learning. This is why Razzaque (2020) points out that the higher education sector is one of the earliest adopters of technology-based tools in education. In it, the adoption of the digital learning approach is founded on a strong history of proven success in the adoption of e-learning techniques (Alfelaij, 2016). Furthermore, due to current restrictions on in-person learning brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital learning approach comes as a natural selection for the implementation of the lesson plan. In this framework, the use of non-digital means of implementing the lesson plan complements the implementation of the lesson plan itself. Particularly, it is meant to appeal to the needs of students who could not immediately transition into the digital learning model.
The digital learning approach involved the use of various technology-centered tools of learning, including web-based methods, software development, virtual connectivity platforms, and Webinars (Demir, 2020; Sk, Jana and Khatun, 2021). These tools of communication acted as invaluable resources for the implementation of the overall lesson plan. Particularly, they were useful in conveying important information among groups of students through links that could easily be sent from one email account to another to enable students to access learning resources.
In this regard, the lesson plan was designed to fit the digital learning space by allowing for the automation of education resources into files, which could be easily sent to students via the above-mentioned links and other digital platforms.
Group discussions were also undertaken on the virtual learning platform, with digital media sharing services, such as Skype and Zoom, playing a central role in facilitating collective learning across various educational segments. The digital learning approach is unique to this context of analysis in the present circumstances facing learners where in-person learning has been limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, digital learning has its benefits, including self-paced learning which will allow students to interact with the learning content at their pace (Chernikova et al., 2020; Kummitha et al., 2021). Conversations with their teachers were also facilitated at the convenience of the students, thereby providing them with an opportunity to integrate learning content at their own pace.
The student’s subject, which is music, also plays a critical role in the selection of digital learning as the main learning approach because there are immense digital resources on music and they can be accessed from anywhere. The ubiquitous nature of music also merges with that of technology to create a perfect synergy of implementing the lesson plan, in the sense that both of them are unlimited by traditional barriers to knowledge creation, sharing, and development (Baumgartner and Councill, 2019; Wolfe, 2020; Morrison, 2017; Wotto, 2020). Therefore, the learning approach and the subject matter share a unique relationship because they complement each other.
Lesson Plan
The overall goal of the lesson plan is to structure learning activities to achieve optimum educational outcomes. The current lesson plan is confined to a one-hour learning session. It contains several opportunities that can be used to convey learning content with specific recommendations for integrating feedback into the original plan to create superior knowledge, as described by Banegas and del Pozo Beamud (2020). Key sections of the lesson plan include a description of the learning objectives, timings for implementing different phases, provisions for group interactions, instructions for activities, and explicit links to materials. The lesson plan was also developed after integrating several pieces of information obtained from a review of historical records. The information is contained in multiple copies of the teacher’s.
Rationale
The rationale for selecting the digital and non-digital learning approach is described in the form of content description and they should be aligned with the learning setting as well as the subject being taught in the manner described below.
Content Description
The effectiveness of a lesson plan depends on the context of the application. Differences between various social contexts explain why effectiveness may vary across jurisdictions and contexts, based on how students perceive information (Kihara et al., 2021). This fact is presented by notable scholars in the education sector, such as Paulo Friere, Dewey, and Confucius (Khandekar, 2021). These personalities have opined that there needs to be a sound interface for integrating theory and practice in lesson planning. In their analysis, the social context is defined as the main framework of integration and a basis for teachers to learn about improving the teaching process. The effects of this process on lesson planning can only be seen through reflective learning (Lamb and King, 2021), thereby making it an agent of social transformation.
The development of useful content for designing effective lesson plans is accentuated through the meaningful learning theory, which outlines conditions that knowledge can be acquired, disseminated, and shared. The context of applying the proposed lesson plan follows this model because it is aimed at having a meaningful impact on the student’s learning outcome (Melguizo and Coates, 2017). The decision to choose the digital model for delivering the teaching plan is largely informed by this fact because it is based on the higher learning setting, which portends unique attributes that support the digital-based lesson plan (Arimoto, 2016). This educational environment has an impact on how students receive the learning content. For example, most higher education students are conversant with digital learning technologies, which have been developed through e-learning. This means that they have a common understanding of e-learning, which may enable them to embrace digital learning tools and approaches that will allow them to interact with their instructors more effectively than traditional modes of engagement. At the same time, the lesson planning process may benefit from improved efficiency through the adoption of advanced data analysis techniques that are part of the e-learning profile. The proposed learning model is designed to appeal to the learning context in question.
It is also projected that the implementation of the blended learning approach will help to transition students from a point of no knowledge to a collaborative platform for sharing ideas and knowledge. The materials selected for the lesson plan also fit within the learning context because university students have been using these kinds of resources to complete their online learning courses (Guilherme and de Freitas, 2017). Therefore, students have developed unique experiences in the online learning environment that they could then transfer to absorbing the digital-based knowledge presented in the lesson plan. This link is true for various types of digital learning resources presented in the lesson plan, including simulation, electronic textbooks, and learning objects.
The use of digital learning resources is also appropriate for the age of the learners because most of them are young and experienced with technological tools of learning. Most of these students are aged between 18 and 35 years, which represents unique demography of learners that have had immense experience with the internet and digital learning tools. Furthermore, their social and academic networks are already linked to the virtual platform through online accounts managed by the university and available for students’ use, especially in accessing learning resources.
Explanation and Justification
The activities involved in a lesson plan largely dictate its success because they direct students’ efforts towards the accomplishment of specific objectives. Active learning approaches are expected to be used in the current lesson plan because student engagement is desired in the educational setting. Active learning activities are especially celebrated in the higher education sector because reports show that they could improve performance by up to 6% (Moore, 2018). At the same time, it was observed that students who are in traditional learning settings were 1.5 more likely to fail the course compared to those who engaged in digital learning (Dean and Forray, 2019). Based on these statistics, the lesson plan activities should not only be focused on knowledge creation but also on fostering interactions that would enable students to develop a holistic understanding of their learning processes.
The use of the dual learning approach involving the use of offline and online techniques of implementing the lesson plan will be useful in developing useful activities for improving students’ learning outcomes. This mixed approach for understanding learning activities includes a mix of both digital and non-digital approaches to learning. The goal of adopting this blended model of education is to enrich the student’s learning experiences, improve their learning outcomes, widen their participation in school activities, and foster inclusion. The multiplicity of these benefits to the learning process makes the adoption of the two learning approaches more effective in changing learning outcomes.
The inclusion of digital learning tools in lesson planning is informed by the fact that every student can take part in educational activities so long as they have a stable internet connection. These digital learning activities are also centrally included in the review because all students can access the platform from wherever they are. Zoom will be the preferred digital learning tool for implementing the lesson plan because it allows for multiple groups of students to be engaged at the same time (Wiyono and Rasyad, 2021). This learning tool is justifiably selected for use because of its high engagement value.
Overall, although digital learning tools have been selected for use in implementing the lesson plan, skeptics are still adamant that these resources, if not used well, cannot make any positive impact on learning (Guilherme and de Freitas, 2017). Others say that digital learning promotes an individualistic learning experience, but this style of learning contradicts the supportive and collaborative nature of education (Wiyono and Rasyad, 2021). However, when digital learning approaches are blended with non-traditional modes, the two techniques counterbalance each other, thereby providing a reliable basis for assessing progress.
Reflective Report
Developing this lesson plan broadened my understanding of the multiplicity of factors impacting student learning. Particularly, I found it difficult to balance different responsibilities and tasks that had to be completed within a short time, thereby forcing me to be unavailable and overwhelmed at times. At the time, while developing the lesson plan, I had a lot of faith in my ability to deliver multiple deliverables within a short time, but when it came to the implementation part, I had a difficult time keeping up with the tight schedules. This challenge prompted me to think that it is important to give extra room to accommodate for “unknowns” when designing the lesson plan. Stated differently, I believe that making the lesson plan less rigid would have improved productivity to some degree.
Four key areas of implementation emerged as being of noticeable impact on the overall effectiveness of the lesson plan. They included communication, teacher-student relationships, participation, and skills development. These aspects of learning were related to each other to an extent because they focused on improving the relationship between researchers and learners. As Rao and Meo (2016) point out, this type of union is important in improving the effectiveness of lesson plan implementation. Indeed, the structure of the lesson plan is designed to improve students’ understanding of the learning content. Therefore, the views of authors who mention the centrality of the teacher-student relationship in improving the efficacy of lesson planning are consistent with those that have highlighted its importance in improving learning outcomes (Khan et al., 2019).
Communication
Communication is a key part of lesson planning because it helps teachers to convey educational content to students effectively and efficiently. Particularly, the inclusion of feedback loops within the lesson planning process helped to cement the messages conveyed to students because their views were included in the development of subsequent phases of the lesson plan (Hardin et al., 2019). There were at least two instances that I remember where I had to modify certain aspects of the educational content based on the data I received through the feedback process of the lesson plan, as recommended by Yates et al. (2020). Therefore, this attribute of the planning process strengthened the overall lesson plan.
Given that the lesson plan was founded on a digital learning platform, incidences of communication redundancy emerged in several instances where I had to communicate with learners remotely. This attribute of the lesson planning process impacted my effectiveness in communicating with students because there were lapses in message delivery in more cases than I can remember. For example, our Skype and Zoom communications were strained by this problem, thereby forcing some students to log out of the platform due to slow internet connections or any other reason, while others expressed frustration using some of these platforms when they could not communicate as effectively as would be the case in face-to-face communications. I suspect that most of these issues stemmed from variations in internet connectivity speeds in some jurisdictions, while others could be simply caused by low-quality equipment.
The relationship between students and teachers also emerged as a central concept in the development of the lesson plan. Student behavior emerged as a function of this relationship and it is partly explored by notable pedagogy scholars including Paulo Freire who says that student-teacher interactions should be cordial and mutual by helping in nurturing the growth and development of the interests of both parties in the learning setting (Suzina, Tufte and Jiménez-Martínez, 2020; Suzina and Tufte, 2020). In other words, genuine learning occurs when there is trust and commitment among the parties involved (Kavanagh and Danielson, 2020; Chen, 2018). Therefore, central to the development and implementation of the lesson plan is the existence of good relationships between teachers and students.
Skills and knowledge
In the areas of skill development and knowledge acquisition, I learned that learning is a constantly evolving concept defined by one’s quest to improve his or her impact on students and teachers. This concept can be explained through the theory of learning, which is defined by various schools of thought aimed at predicting behaviors in the learning setting, including behavioralism, constructivism, humanism, and experiential learning (Ramsay-Jordan, 2020). The experiential learning approach, defined by David Kolb, was particularly relevant to the development of the current lesson plan because it allowed me to recognize lessons from my failures and use them to better improve future approaches to learning (Vrydagh and Jiménez-Martínez, 2020). While the experiential learning theory was more relevant to my lesson planning experience, Chien (2020) says that the application of different theoretical frameworks in learning is influenced by the type of subject involved. However, based on the findings derived from this review, contextual factors and the types of teachers who will implement the overall plan also play a critical role in defining the future direction of learning outcomes. Overall, these insights were developed through an influx of ideas explained in the mind.
Summary
This paper highlights several considerations for the preparation and improvement of a lesson plan due for implementation in the higher education setting. The insights highlighted could be useful in further improving the relationship between students and learners through structural improvements of the overall plan to make communication easier and more seamless. The digital learning approach provides a valuable approach for making this goal a reality.
Reference List
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Assessment and specific application of three methods in children’s music teaching by Suzuki, Orff, and Kodály investigating their history, content, and implementation by professionals and assessing their application in primary school music teaching.
The key research questions are focused on the most suitable method for teaching singing and playing instrumental music; the application of the methods in the middle and lower grades of primary school; a comparison of the Suzuki and the Orff methods; finding involving pedagogy for pupils; evaluating the significance of the methods.
The methodology used while creating the paper is the assessment of literature connected with the main topic.
Introduction
In this paper, the specific application of three methods of elementary school music teaching will be estimated: Suzuki, Orff, and Kodály. The main goal of the investigation is to study the historical origins of these methods, their specific content, their implementation by professionals in current times. Another aim of this assignment is to assess the methods in terms of the application of various programmes of music teaching in primary schools. The key research questions helping to reach the aims of the project are presented below. What is the best suitable method for teaching singing, playing instrumental music in elementary schools? Which method suits students in the middle and lower grades of primary school? What are the major similarities and differences between the Suzuki method and the Orff method? Which pedagogy can better enhance pupils’ interest in music? What is the significance of these three methods for primary school teaching?
The methodology used while creating the paper is the assessment of literature connected with the main topic. Throughout the research, both primary and secondary sources were used. Primary sources are the initial works by Shinichi Suzuki (Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education; Suzuki Violin Method), Carl Orff (The Schulwerk), and Zoltán Kodály (The Selected Writings of Zoltán Kodály). Primary sources of information were used as the basement for comprehending the content and specialties of the methods, authors’ approaches, and main thoughts. The main purpose of studying the initial works was to get access to the initial data to provide trustworthy information in the paper.
Secondary sources include scholarly journal articles from pedagogues estimating teaching techniques, researchers evaluating the positive impacts of the methods on children’s abilities, and interviewers. The list of sources also includes academic books on the history of western music, materials from professional websites involving the site of the European Suzuki Association and the American Orff Schulwerk Association (AOSA). Some secondary data was used from theses and dissertations relevant to the main topic of the paper. Secondary works helped evaluate the usage of the methods worldwide, the modifications of the philosophies, critics on several aspects, and perception of the methods by other music professionals. All sources in the list are reliable and possess trustworthy information representing mostly objective content. All scholarly journal articles used were published either online or offline. The data used from primary and secondary sources provides an adequate observation on the topic and is fully assessed before being included in the assignment.
The paper organises the exploration of the topic into four chapters. The first chapter discusses the Suzuki method involving the origins of the approach, its contents, assessments from later people, and its implementation by professionals. The second chapter focuses on the Orff method and explains similar aspects. The third chapter is devoted to Kodály’s method disclosing it from similar sides. Chapter four unites the approaches, compares Suzuki and Orff methods, and represents the specific application of all methods answering the key research questions of the project.
Keywords: Vocal Music Teaching, Instrumental Music Teaching, Suzuki Method, Orff Method, Kodály Method, Primary School Music Teaching.
Suzuki method analysis
The Suzuki method of music education, also known as Talent Education or the Mother Tongue Method, is a worldwide spread technique of teaching young children to play musical instruments. The author of it is Shinichi Suzuki, a Japanese violinist, philosopher, and creator of the various programmes of musical instruments education. Suzuki learned western music in Germany in the 1920s and after that, in the 1930s and post-war times, stepped on rich with thoughts and creativity path of a pedagogue. Suzuki distinguishes from other music teachers with a unique approach to education and an ability to perceive children as young brilliant talents. Dr. Suzuki learned to play violin by himself at the age of seventeen. That is how a Japanese musician took into consideration the exceptional capacity of babies to absorb and reproduce their mother tongue with the help of intuition. He developed the idea of native language learning being similar to any process of education, including playing musical instruments.
According to Shinichi, people possess natural learning skills from birth, and anyone can develop talent if he is constantly trained and surrounded by the proper environment. Moreover, Suzuki believed that environment concedes possibilities, teacher’s, and parent’s involvement in the studying process. One of the central philosophies claimed by Suzuki during the interview in 1991 was that all children are talented and intelligent from birth, and their progress relies on the teachers’ ability to develop them. The teaching programme of Suzuki is proved to be efficient, smart, and is successfully used all over the world. Moreover, parent’s active participation in the enhancement of their child’s skill is one of the major factors that leads to effective outcomes. Oftentimes, children do not receive the needed attention level at an early age as parents can be occupied with work, cannot take an action in the decision-making of their child’s activities.
The latter seems neither positive nor negative. From one side, developing high-level skills in early childhood broadcasts the human mind, leads to new opportunities, and a life level. Growing in a musical environment, a child can develop a sense of rhythm, harmony, attentiveness to details, better memory, and many other talents. On the other side, involving a child in the musical sphere at the age of 2-3 might interrupt his individuality, personal development, and decision-making. It is essential to give a specific amount of freedom to the child so he can feel confident and free to make his statements and assessments.
Despite all the factors mentioned above, the Suzuki method of music education is efficient and well-programmed for young children at 2-3 years old and primary school. The approach receives positive reviews and is widely used in various countries nowadays. Andrew Pudewa, a student of Shinichi Suzuki, remembers his pedagogue as a spiritual master that could spread enormous energy and pure belief to any child’s potential. Pedagogues working with children successfully implement the Suzuki method in their teaching using it as a whole or inserting it in their plans adding personal ideas.
Alison Maerker Garner, a teacher in primary school, considers the Suzuki model to be the best-matched with young children and claims the method of Japanese violinist to be the cornerstone of her pedagogics. The phases proposed by Suzuki: repetition, memorising, positive learning, and skill development, Garner uses in noninstrumental spheres of education, involving games, art, and other activities.
In the US, the interest in the technique started raising in the 1960s when the first qualified teachers in the Suzuki method started accepting students. However, Lois Peak emphasises the implementation of the programme in the US had a certain number of modifications as the original technique reflects Japanese original beliefs and practices. Indeed, in Japan, it is standard to educate children at a young age, and the participation of family, parent’s involvement as teachers are experienced via generations. Similarly, as in the US, it is more common to wait for the interest and motivation of any individual to come spontaneously and free willingly, same distinguishes can be met in other cultures. That is why implementing a certain number of changes into the programme should not be perceived as negative. Adapting the method to other cultures is one of the necessary steps in its progression and spread.
The method can be summarized into several aspects Suzuki found major in music education that are useful working altogether. Organising the domestic environment to provide ongoing contact to the child with the learning subject is one of the prior aspects. The second important step is to increase the complication of the tasks within time, starting from the easiest exercises with constant repetition. For instance, in the second volume of the violin manual, Suzuki starts the practice with simple exercises, compositions as “Chorus from Judas Maccabaeus” by G.F. Handel. Then, Suzuki gradually increases the level of tasks ending the manual with “Minuet” by L. Boccherini. A third aspect of the method is daily practices that enhance skills and make the child feel more confident and natural whilst playing the instrument. After maintaining the ability to play by ear, Suzuki proposes to start teaching children learning by rote which distinguishes his philosophy from many other pedagogues. An aural approach requires a special level of attention and makes a child perceive and reproduce music variously; it also develops the sense of music and intuition.
The participation of the family, more importantly of the mother, is the fourth key factor of the programme. Family can involve a child in the learning process, contribute and help in harsh periods, and provide the needed level of encouragement. Suzuki recommends the mother start the learning process with her child from an early age, comprehend the basics of instrument usage, and be the first child’s teacher on the way to acquaintance with it. The last aspect of the method is the attitude to the learning that should be interesting, involving, and entertaining so that the child associates playing on a musical instrument with positive emotions. Kara Eubanks called Suzuki’s main aim in the learning progression was to develop happiness, reasoning thinking, and character. Japanese composer also designed smaller versions of violins for children to make their daily practices more comfortable.
Thus, the Suzuki method of music teaching is a decent programme for elementary and primary school children concentrating mostly on an aural approach with a substantial number of practices, parent’s participation, proper learning environment, and entertaining learning process. Developing learning by ear and then inserting musical grammar is a smart tactic for young people that prepares their abilities to enhance music knowledge later. Initially, Suzuki created the violin practices, and in modern days a variety of methods propose piano, guitar, and other instruments learning practices. The method fits elementary school education with possible modifications to modern societies as school programme cannot track the daily routines at home or parent’s involvement in the studying process. Apart from that, the Suzuki method can enhance pupil’s interest in music and provide the proper environment for education.
Orff method analysis
The Orff method, also called the Orff-Schulwerk approach, is a method of music education involving games, poems, movement, and other various activities. The author of the programme is a German composer, Carl Orff, that developed his philosophy in the 1920s. Carl was born in Munich in a military and music family: both of his parents played the piano, and the most significant part of Orff’s music education refers to his mother that taught him music grammar, harmony, and piano technique. Orff became a conductor of several orchestra houses in Munich, and soon after he achieved great success with works as Carmina Burana (1937), Der Mond (1938), Die Kluge (1942). Even though Carmina Burana as the first impressive work was not positively assessed by the Nazi press, Carl Orff remained the only internationally known German composer of Nazi times. The composer became famous for uniting in his works orchestra and text, rhythm, and dance harmonically.
In the 1920s, Orff together with Gunild Keetman, a skilled musician, a dancer, and one of his students, created a school accepting young females from eighteen to twenty-two years old. The school was based on principles of uniting music, dancing, and language into one art. Orff believed that music education for young children should be natural, easy, and simple. Even though the school was closed because of political pressure in 1944, after World War II Carl Orff continued his pedagogy releasing series of broadcasts on Bavarian radio. In 1950-154, he also finished writing a five-volume book called Music for Children. The human body, according to Carl, is a unique instrument that has an innate rhythm sense, that can create music and be easily involved in creativity. Orff’s main goal was to educate people via music and activities but never turn the process of studying into a special topic.
According to Özevin, Orff’s approach is hard to call a method as it does not have a specific number of aspects needed to be followed consequently. However, philosophy still has essential basic meanings, models, and processes. The fact the philosophy does not have any strict borders and rules should be perceived as positive as it can be easily integrated into any culture and society. There is no need for Orff’s approach adaptation as it allows to improvise and variate the programme whilst following it. That distinguishes Orff from other traditional methods of music education as it does not provide teachers the exact algorithm of actions remaining an efficient strategy or an approach.
Carl Orff’s fundamental educational principles are built on the main thought of uniting music, dance, and language. One of the philosophy’s major aspects is the intensification of children’s knowledge by allowing them to explore, create, improvise, compose, and invent. Orff’s method inevitable part is including the periods for self-study and communication with peers after the music has been taught through imitation. This gives students the possibility to process learned material and spend time alone or in discussion reflecting on the new information.
Movement and dance activities lead to further improvisation and learning. Children’s imitating the sounds and movements after teachers can enhance critical listening, allow them to develop improvising abilities, physical and cognitive skills. Feeling no borders for improvising leads to another essential aspect as free self-expression. Children, especially reaching adolescent age, often face difficulties with unrestricted opinion-sharing as teenagers easily judge and tease each other. Self-expression and confidence can help smoothen the sharp edges of this period and educate an individual with strong opinions, promising goals, and successful outcomes.
In 1950 and 1954, five basic volumes of “Music for children” by Orff and Keetman were published, and each of the books focuses on various musical aspects. Songs, dances, rhythm-melodic exercises, speech recitations, instrumentalised plays are included in each volume. The first volume is including simple melodies consisting of five notes, also called pentatonic. The first exercises in the first volume begin with only two notes usage: sol and mi. The second and third volumes mostly focus on major tonalities with drone bass and triads, dominants, and subdominants. The fourth and fifth volumes focus primarily on minor tonalities with similar aspects. The bodrun, or drone, is an open fifth on the first and fifth scale degrees. In Orff’s exercises, bass xylophone or bass metallophone generally play the bodrun to keep harmonic stability.
The exercises increase in difficulty and are planned to be done using Orff instruments. To make it more comfortable and accessible for children to play musical instruments, Orff designed smaller versions of them. Children-sized versions made them more portable, easily transported, and flexible with varying musical necessities. For instance, the easy removal of bars allows students to arrange the instrument into pentatonic, major, or minor scales. Orff instrument collection includes pitched wooden or metal instruments that allow children to play melodies, accompaniments, and ostinatos. Unpitched percussion instruments are usually used to play rhythmic patterns.
Body percussion is another key component of Orff’s approach that includes snaps, claps, pats, and stamps while teaching a phrase, a song, a rhythm, or a highlight of particular words. Such tactile movements allow students to physically perform a piece of music before transferring it on instruments. Body percussion also develops a sense of rhythm, attention to detail, and coordination. Speech is another unique feature of Carl Orff’s method of music education. One of the most frequent examples of using speech is an ostinato which represents a short pattern that repeats itself again and again. Usually, the ostinato is attached to some poem or a song and may be transferred to instruments.
A great number of professionals use Orff’s approach in their pedagogy, and nowadays, it is perceived as a classic technique. In the US, music educators can achieve a special level of certification by joining and going through the programme at the American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA). The AOSA releases a quarterly journal called The Orff Echo and holds professional conferences for its members yearly. Certification for trainees in the Orff-Schulwerk method has three levels: the first is available for young music teachers that are in the process of getting an education. It is recommended to complete all three levels within three to seven years to make the education continuous, and if the dates are expired, the teachers are recommended to repeat the course of the level. A thesis by Angqian Li emphasised the possibility of transforming, reforming, and implementing Orff’s philosophy in piano teaching. Li did empiric research in a school lesson, assessed scientific literature on the topic, and interviewed a teacher that experienced Orff’s method in his piano classes.
Several studies used Orff’s approach assessing and implementing it for enhancement of children’s disabilities. The results are impressive as several studies have shown promising improvements in young people’s coordination, cognitive abilities, auditory, and language skills. Research by Marta Martins et al. has proven that Orff-based music practice improved children’s manual dexterity and bimanual coordination. Before the training, pupils had their eye-hand coordination, motor speed, and bimanual coordination measured with the Purdue pegboard test and manipulative dexterity measured with the Grooved pegboard test. Throughout the studying year, students had the music training practices according to the Orff method and sports training. The music routines eventually showed better results in coordination and manual dexterity improvement than sports or no training conditions.
Another study by Senkal and Muhtar emphasised the positive impact of Orff’s music therapy on auditory processing, cognitive abilities, and language skills in children with intellectual disorders. The outcomes proved that Orff music therapy sessions 45 minutes long performed twice per week for 6 weeks improved the sensory awareness and sensory-motor integration with language and noticeably expanded children’s potential. The authors of the study proposed the method to be used with children under the risk of developing auditory processing disorders.
Hence, Carl Orff’s method of music education is a unique approach to children cumulating the use of instruments, movements, and music. German composer and pedagogue turned out to create the best philosophy that repeats children’s nature, makes the process of education easy, entertaining, and memorisable. Using Orff’s method, teachers allow young musicians to stay free at self-expression, creativity, and responsibility for their decision-making. Moreover, the approach develops the physical and cognitive abilities of children and helps them prevent or treat several disorders. Orff’s method can be implemented in playing various instruments or combined with other approaches as it is a flexible philosophy that is suitable for different cultures and societies.
Kodály method analysis
Kodály method is an approach to music education created by Hungarian composer and pedagogue, Zoltán Kodály. Some people call Kodály an ethnomusicologist as he took Hungarian folk music as a basement for creating a new music style. Today, the method of Hungarian composer is known worldwide, perceived as classics, and is used by a significant number of music teachers. Zoltán Kodály was born in a music family: his father was an unprofessional violinist, and his mother amateur pianist and singer, spread the atmosphere of music harmony to every corner of their home. The future basis for Zoltán’s philosophy takes roots from the thesis he wrote in the university which was about Hungarian folk songs. Since 1905, Kodály together with Béla Bartók continued investigation of Hungarian folk music and created a collection consisting of more than three thousand songs.
In 1906, Kodály began his teaching career as a music theory instructor in the Royal Academy of Music. In 1925, after the visit to England, he noticed the level of teaching in Hungarian schools did not include high-quality music materials, and music education started only in the middle school years. One of Zoltán’s central goals was to enhance the music taste of the young generation as it straightly influences human development, realisation, and health. Soon after, in Hungarian primary schools, the music education was reformed, and students began learning the subject earlier along with being able to read and write notes. Kodály released a great number of books such as Folk Music of Hungary, Little Pieces for Children’s Choir, The ABC of Singing, a teacher’s manual Singing School, Let Us Sing Correctly, a variety of singing exercises united in collections, and many others.
Kodály’s philosophy emphasises the importance of music belonging to and being accessible for everyone as music originally is a product of social and cultural experience. For a Hungarian composer, the idea of transmission cultural (including musical) heritage was more essential than music education itself. Zoltán believed that music pedagogues should be talented and creative people deeply interested in music and aiming to become decent musicians. That will help a teacher easily involve students in the process of education, magic, and harmonic music world. One of the teacher’s main goals should also be the will to make learning entertaining, memorisable, and unique.
Perception of music, according to Kodály’s philosophy, should not be achieved from the intellectual, rational sides, the pedagogue must focus on the child’s intuition, performance, creativity, and listening. Kodály believed music education, started from primary school, not middle school, develops children’s creativity, imagination, critical thinking, and cognitive abilities. The best and logical way to involve a child in music, according to Kodály’s method is singing as the human voice is the most intimate of all instruments and the sense of music is easily developed through the personal medium. After teaching a child singing, writing, and reading notes, the next step is playing a musical instrument. Zoltán considered the basic knowledge to be prepared to understand and play the instrument is developed via singing and learning music grammar.
Movements and games are inevitable parts of Zoltán’s philosophy as he considered them to fasten the development of children in the music sphere. Kodály inserted in music teaching techniques solmization which is a method of associating each note with a particular syllable. Solmization improves comprehensible associations to the individual sounds, individual typical intervals, melodic figures syllables of varying tonal colour. Via solmization, a pupil learns music grammar, develops hearing, and improves musical thinking.
The author also puts a special significance on music literacy as, without it, music would remain pure entertainment and will not lead to great outcomes. The author included the rhythm and melody exercises into the music curriculum inducing children’s creativity and improvisation skills. Separate techniques and Kodály’s method are still used by many teachers all over the world. Peter DeVries, an Australian music teacher, says that pedagogues including him are passionate about this method as it improves children’s singing, rhythmic skills, develops music literacy, and enhances perceptional functioning in general. Some teachers, emphasises DeVries, take one aspect of Kodály’s concept too literally as it is the only one important and concentrate on it. What is essential in every approach is to study it fully and comprehend the usage and possible advantages it can bring into the process of studying. Education should rely on a variety of techniques to involve different systems of the human body in memorising and enjoying the learning.
Moreover, DeVries mentions that young children, according to his experience, are accepting and learning folk songs better than teenagers that are oftentimes far-fetched for them. Children, especially in the teenage period, are very dependent on modern tendencies, they prefer to listen to famous artists and their songs. It is important to keep education related to a student despite the fact of changing age and preferences. For instance, popular music with decent quality can become a part of the music programme. The progress and modern tendencies are hard to stop or control; instead, teachers should adapt the techniques to the modern world and save common ideas of educational models.
Another study by Laura Dunbar and Shelly Cooper researched how the Kodály method enhances disciplinary literacy. Disciplinary knowledge is a deep understanding of the subject including the right perception of how information in this sphere is created, shared, and assessed. The authors of the research emphasised the importance of the approach in achieving musical independence by developing music grammar knowledge and being able to read notation in new contexts. Kodály’s approach also improves audiation that allows the educators to imagine the sounds of notes in their head before performing them aloud. The usefulness of the method is proved within decades and is followed by many teachers and instructors in various countries.
Therefore, Zoltán Kodály’s philosophy is based on the principles of making music easily accessible for all social categories, sharing cultural heritage, and learning music via folk songs. The teachers, according to Kodály’s approach, should be interested in the music sphere and well prepared to share with students a rich and exciting world of music. Singing, reading, and writing notes are the first steps of the programme before playing musical instruments. Early start of music education with movements, games, solmization, and developing music literacy enhances student’s knowledge, imagination, audiation, and cognitive abilities. Even though some modern specialists claim folk songs are not always well integrated among teenagers, Kodály’s method remains widely used by professionals and is recommended mostly for children in primary schools. Adapting the method to the current circumstances and children’s preferences is essential for education in any sphere. The philosophy of the Hungarian composer and teacher is flexible and has basic aspects that can be easily implemented in modern society even with some modifications.
Comparison and Specific Applications of the methods
Three approaches by talented musicians can be implemented in various spheres of music education. In this chapter, the similarities and differences of the Suzuki and Orff methods and the most natural fields for all method’s implementation will be discussed. For instance, the Suzuki and the Orff methods, created in the same decade, represent different ideas of children’s music education. Both authors received their education in Germany, started a pedagogical career in the 1920s, and developed a new approach to music learning for the time they lived in. Shinichi Suzuki and Carl Orff both designed the instruments and materials sized for a child and created a child-centered approach instead of trying to fit him into an adult world. Both composers and pedagogues believed that the complicity of the lessons should increase gradually to make the process of learning comfortable and gradual. Moreover, Suzuki and Orff put into a central place children’s environment as one of the major aspects of learning even though Suzuki wanted to create a musical atmosphere surrounding a child from an early age, while Orff believed the imitation of children’s daily activities forms a proper background for their learning.
There are more differences between the two authors’ approaches as the main goal of Suzuki was to train professional musicians using the mother-tongue approach, participation of the family, and daily rehearsals. Even though Suzuki wanted the process of learning to be entertaining for a child, a certain number of repetitions, a background of listening exercises, family control do not create full freedom for a learner. It will be more appropriate to claim that the Suzuki method prepares and forms high-quality music professionals. Orff’s aim was never to teach music as a subject or a separate topic. Carl Orff wanted to educate people with the help of music, dancing, and language to develop their knowledge, imagination, and cognitive skills. That is why Orff’s approach has fewer rules and borders, it does not attach to a certain children’s age, and teachers whilst planning the lesson can use their creativity and experience. Suzuki method is more down-to-earth as it has a plan of exercises recorder for parents, children, as well as manuals for teachers. If Suzuki concentrates first on learning music by ear and then adds reading notes, Orff unites all activities together making music education multifunctional and entertaining.
The most suitable philosophy for singing education in elementary schools is the approach by Zoltán Kodály. Hungarian composer finds human voice the most natural and logical way to begin any music education, and the basics of his programme focus mostly on singing exercises. Kodály was sure that the most rapid and easiest way to involve someone into the musical world is to let him discover the abilities of his voice. Singing is the essence of Kodály’s method, and following his approach has no restrictions or exact rules which means the method can be used in several countries with different heritage, cultures, and customs.
Orff-Schulwerk’s approach is the one suitable for instrumental music teaching in elementary schools as it developed the children-sized instruments with variable music needs. For instance, the teacher or a pupil can change a bar on the instrument to switch between the pentatonic, major, or minor scales. The smaller variant of the instruments is essential for pupils as the proportions of their hands and equipment parts create comfortable conditions and a feeling of unification with the music world. Students can also play melodies, accompaniments on different instruments made from various materials. The child’s acquaintance with enormous sounds that can be produced by his movements allows him to feel free in creating music, experiment, and develop experience in the sphere. The union of children’s natural activities such as movements, dancing, playing, body percussion exercises, and imitation after teachers or peers creates a comfortable environment for young educators and easily involves them in the process of learning.
Suzuki’s method originally was created for the violin even though nowadays a variety of techniques exist for other instruments. However, a method created by a Japanese composer focuses on music education from the age of 2-3 years old and is involved in the process of learning family and relevant domestic atmosphere. To accomplish all the aspects of Shinichi Suzuki, a school needs to organise family meetings and mutual traditions to support the teaching method. That is why Orff’s approach is proposed as the one that is easier to realise, maintain, and follow.
Carl Orff’s philosophy will be also the most suitable for middle and lower grades of elementary school. It does not demand a certain number of practice exercises or necessary acquaintance with reading and writing music notes as in Suzuki and Orff methods respectively. Orff’s approach is the most natural and light method for children to start introducing them into the music environment. In everyday life, they play games, feel free to move and experience new sounds and objects, repeat all details of adults’ behaviour, speech, manners, and character, and cooperate with peers. Carl Orff’s method includes all these aspects and gives freedom for structuring lessons to the teachers and a certain amount of freedom to the children. It is also essential that instructors cooperate with children in a usual atmosphere, on the floor. The fact that the teacher goes down to the child (not the child who tries to reach the teacher) to become his friend and tutor disposes pupils to the studying.
Research by Odeh and Zboon proved the implementation of Orff’s approach among primary school students in Jordan enhanced social interaction skills. The format of learning music in a group of peers that has mutual goals and orientations can improve the social skills of a child. Such cooperation can also develop a sense of responsibility, help a child progress leadership skills, and learn to build trustworthy interrelations with other peers in the group.
Kodály’s pedagogy can enhance pupils’ interest in music as it requires both entertainment and learning aspects. Primary school is the intermediate step between childhood and adultery, and programmes mostly focusing on imitating children’s natural activities fit the first years of elementary school. In the middle years of primary school, it is essential to teach students to plan their life, estimate risks, achieve goals, take responsibility, and participate in individual tasks as confident as in a group environment. Zoltán Kodály created a decent approach allowing children to stay creative and open-minded while gaining disciplinary knowledge, improving audiation, imagination, and learning to read and write notes. Achieving goals whilst staying in a positive and enjoyable atmosphere can keep students of primary school motivated and interested in music classes.
All three methods are significant for primary school education as they represent well-thought systems that lead to successful outcomes. The major issue while choosing between them depends on the end goal the selector wants to achieve at the finish line. If students are not beginners and are already familiar with the music, and their families want them to get a professional music education, learn to play an instrument, the Suzuki method fits such requests. The most solid, serious method involving all spheres of life, Suzuki’s philosophy will lead a child to a master level of playing the instrument.
On the other side, if music education is a part of general education, Orff’s and Kodály’s methods will create a smooth and natural atmosphere for a pupil at the same time teaching and developing him. Kodály’s method could be more suitable for the middle years of primary school as it requires more learning and discipline. However, all the methods are developing children’s cognitive abilities, coordination, sense of music, and interconnection with peers. That is why Suzuki’s, Orff’s, and Kodály’s approaches are essential methods of elementary school music teaching that should be widely implemented by teachers, instructors, and other music educators.
Conclusion
As discussed previously, all three methods provided by Suzuki, Orff, and Kodály represent various approaches and achieve different goals in primary school music teaching. Every philosophy is a decent programme that leads to successful results whilst developing a child from multiple sides. In this paper, the historical origins, the main aspects of the methods were estimated as well as the implementation of these methods worldwide.
The Suzuki method is similar to the Orff method by designing smaller versions of instruments and materials for children, gradually increasing the complicity of the exercises, inventing child-centered approaches, put special significance in the learning environment. The differences in the methods represent various goals of the philosophies: teaching a professional versus educating a human with the help of music, dance, and language. The ways of applying the methods are also distinct from each other: Suzuki’s approach symbolises the early beginning of studying, family participation, learning by ear before reading and writing notes, and daily practices. Orff-Shulwerk’s philosophy is more relaxed with rules, creates an enjoyable atmosphere of the classes, involves a multidisciplinary approach including movements and language usage.
The comparison of the methods also shows that the most suitable approach for singing classes is Kodály’s method. The latter is the one that focuses on vocal exercises the most and underlines singing as the most natural and logical start of music education. However, instrumental music teaching will be achieved by Carl Orff’s method as it is distinguished from other approaches by providing many children-sized instruments with different functions and sounds.
The most suitable for middle and lower grades of elementary school is Carl Orff’s approach as it is the most natural method for children to start introducing them into the music environment. It does not require an exact number of practices or music grammar learning and allows them to play games, feel free to move and experience new sounds and objects, repeat all details of adults’ behaviour, speech, manners, character; and cooperate with peers. The method that can attract pupils’ interest is believed to be Kodály’s pedagogy as it has an adequate combination of entertainment and learning new material. Being taught by this method, children can stay creative and open-minded in accordance with gaining disciplinary knowledge, improving audiation, imagination, and learning to read and write notes.
The significance of all three methods for primary school music education is undeniable. The main question is the final goal of the study and the type of school using the method. Suzuki’s approach better fits narrow music education or families that aim to reach professional outcomes in learning to play a musical instrument. Orff’s approach suits elementary school children with no previous experience in music. Young pupils will adapt to the school format faster if the Orff-Shulwerk philosophy is used. Kodály’s method is a golden middle for primary school education as it unites interesting and natural activities for children with learning to read and write notes. All three approaches are decent programmes that deserve investigation and implementation with possible modifications to modern society.
Works Cited
“A Brief History of AOSA,” American Orff-Schulwerk Association, Web.
Benson, Karen K. “Handbook for Orff Shulwerk Teacher Education Courses.” Web.
Burkholder, J. Peter et al. A History of Western Music. W.W. Norton & Company, 2019, pp. 879-880.
“Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman.” American Orff Schulwerk Association, Web.
Collins-Davis, Christine Nicole. An Analysis of the Suzuki Method as it Pertains to the Importance of Teaching Music Using the Native Language Approach; The Comparison of the Suzuki Method to Traditional Methods; And How the Native Language Approach Aids in Teaching Music to Students with Dyslexia. 2021. Thesis.
DeVries, Peter. “Reevaluating Common Kodály Practices,” Music Educators Journal, vol. 88, no. 3, 2001, pp. 24-27.
Dobsay, Lszl. “The Kodály Method and Its Musical Basis,” Studia Musicologica, vol. 14, 1972, pp. 15-33.
Dunbar, Laura and Cooper, Shelly. “Speaking the Same Language: How the Kodály Method Promotes Disciplinary Literacy,” General Music Today, vol. 34, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1-7.
Eubanks, Kara. Essays in the Theory and Practice of the Suzuki Method. 2015. Doctoral Dissertation. ProQuest Dissertation and Theses Global.
Garner, Alison Maerker. “Lectern: Music for the Very Young – How to Use the Suzuki Method in the Preschool Classroom.” Teaching Music, vol. 12, no. 2, 2008, pp. 28-32. Web.
Houlahan, Micheal and Tacka, Philip. Kodály Today: A Cognitive Approach to Elementary Music Education. Oxford University Press, 2015, pp. 14-21.
Jenkins, Felicity. Developing Foundations of Instrumental Music and Collaboration Through the Orff-Schulwerk Approach to Music Education. 2019. Senior Honors Theses.
John W. Flohr and Valerie L. Trollinger. Music in Elementary Education. Routledge, 2016, pp. 19-25.
Karter, Michael H. Composers of the Nazi Era: Eight Portraits. New York, Oxford University Press, 2000.
Kodály, Zoltán. The Selected Writings of Zoltán Kodály. Translated by Lilli Halapy and Fred Macnicol, Boosey & Hawkes, 1974, pp. 23-36.
Lange, Diane M. Together in Harmony: Combining Orff Schulwerk and Music Learning Theory. GIA Publications, 2005, pp. 9-18.
Li, Angqian. Applying the Method of Carl Orff in Teaching Piano to Children. 2020. Bachelor Thesis.
Martins, Marta et al. “Orff-Based Music Training Enhances Children’s Manual Dexterity and Bimanual Coordination,” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 9, 2018, pp.1-9.
Odeh, Tariq William and Al Zboon, Mohammad Saleem. “The Extent of Practicing Social Interaction Skills by Jordanian Elementary School Students in accordance with Carl Orff’s Approach to Music Education,” Modern Applied Science, vol. 12, no. 3, 2018, pp. 95-104.
Orff, Carl and Gunild Keetman. Music for Children. Translated by Margaret Murray. Vol. 1. Schott, 1958.
Orff, Carl. The Schulwerk. New York, Schott Music Corp., 1978.
Özevin, Banu. “Humanistic, Artistic and Pedagogic Aspects of Orff-Schulwerk Music and Dance Pedagogy,” Journal of Human Sciences, vol. 15, no. 1, 2018, pp. 8-23.
Peak, Lois. The Suzuki method of music instruction. Edited by Thomas P. Rohlen, Cambridge University Press, 1996, pp. 345-368.
Pudewa, Andrew. “In Retrospect: Heroes of Providence.” Magnum Opus Magazine, 2018, Web.
Senkal, O. A. and Muhtar Z. “Role of Orff Music Therapy in improving Auditory Processing Skills in Children with Intellectual Disability,” Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice, vol. 24, 2021, pp. 1005-1014.
Suzuki, Shinichi. Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education. Summy-Birchard, Suzuki Method International, 2015.
Suzuki, Shin’ichi, and Susan Grilli. “An Interview with Dr. Shin’ichi Suzuki at the Talent Education Institute, Matsumoto, Japan, 1991.” International Review of Education, vol. 38, no. 5, 1992, pp. 547–551. Web.
Rose, D., Jones Bartoli, A., & Heaton, P. (2018). Learning a musical instrument can benefit a child with special educational needs. Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, and Brain, 28(2), 71-81. Web.
This mixed methods study explored the effect of music learning on the IQ score, motor skills, and socio-emotional performance of a child with comorbidities – autism, ADHD, and dyslexia – compared to 38 typically developing learners. The subjects received music lessons (playing tenor horn) of up to three hours weekly at both school and home. Posttest results (after one year) indicated significant improvements in musical aptitude and IQ from the baseline. These findings suggest a positive impact of flexible instructional strategies, coupled with family support, on the learning outcomes of children with learning comorbidities. This source will be included in optimal testing and teaching methods for music education for learners with learning disabilities. I would want to compare the efficacy of different musical instruments or genres in improving IQ, motor skills, and socio-emotional outcomes in such children.
Crawford, M. J., Gold, C., Odell-Miller, H., Thana, L., Faber, S., Assmus, J., Bieleninik, Ł., Geretsegger, M., Grant, C., Maratos, A., Sandford, S., Claringbold, A., McConachie, H., Maskey, M., Mössler, K. A., Ramchandani, P., & Hassiotis, A. (2017). International multicentre randomised controlled trial of improvisational music therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder: TIME-A study. Health Technology Assessment, 21(59), 1-40. Web.
This randomized control trial study investigated the impact of improvisational music therapy (IMT) on the social skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Enhanced standard care (ESC) – an hour-long sessions of counsel and guidance – was given to learners aged 4-7 years diagnosed with ASD and their parents randomized into low (one ESC period weekly) and high treatment (three ESCs weekly). No significant improvements were found between the two groups in social affect and responsiveness scores from the baseline, compared to standard care after a 5-month follow-up (Crawford et al., 2017). I will include this source in designing music therapy delivery for children with learning disabilities but will explore two key improvements: more regular sessions and individualized support.
Colbert, T., & Bent, C. (Eds.). (2018). Working across modalities in the arts therapies: Creative collaborations. Routledge.
This book gives in-depth insights into working collaboratively using creative art therapies, including music, as an intervention for children and adults affected by homelessness. It features Syrian refugee children with anorexia, and the positive effect of music therapy and dance on their mental health outcomes. Throughout its 13 chapters, the book documents therapeutic stories and collaboration examples that could be useful in designing effective partnerships with other practitioners in joint client interventions. It will be a valuable resource as evidence for the efficacy of collaborative clinical work to meet the needs of children with learning disabilities. An idea that will be developed in this project includes possible collaborative approaches (including with non-health allied professionals, such as music instructors and speech-language pathologist) that can be used with autistic children.
American Music Therapy Association. (2021). Fact sheet: Music therapy and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Web.
This site provides the DSM-5 criteria for ASD diagnosis, rationales for music therapy for autistic individuals, and the evidence base for the intervention. The position held is that music therapy supports learning in people with ASD through sensory stimulation, eliciting consistent, structured, and predictable responses. Thus, it is an evidence-based intervention for promoting the development of cognitive, behavioral, and socio-emotional skills. This resource will be used for defining music therapy and demonstrating its significance to autistic children. A new idea that I would want to explore further is comparing intervention outcomes between autistic savants displaying exceptional musical ability and amateurs.
Johnston, D., Egermann, H., & Kearney, G. (2018). Innovative computer technology in music-based interventions for individuals with autism moving beyond traditional interactive music therapy techniques. Cogent Psychology, 5(1), 1-10. Web.
This review includes the evidence supporting music therapy as an effective strategy for promoting auditory, communication, and socio-emotional progression in children with ASD. The article examines the additional benefits of music therapy delivered via digital technology over traditional acoustic instruments. Innovative mobile devices and multi-sensory systems, such as virtual and augmented reality, are shown to achieve better language, communication, and socio-emotional and behavioral development outcomes in autistic children than a guitar, piano, or other musical instruments. This resource will be useful for developing music therapy accessible to autistic children in their homes. A new question that will be explored further is if the new technology can be used to deliver the intervention in a group setting.
Kern, P., & Humpal, M. (Eds.). (2019). Early childhood music therapy and autism spectrum disorder: Supporting children and their families. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
The book gives the latest DSM-V criteria for diagnosing ASD – the most prevalent learning disability in childhood. The levels of ASD symptomatology are described to inform the provision of appropriate music therapy based on need. Further, guidelines on how to develop and implement evidence-based interventions are provided for therapists. Of particular interest to me were the evaluation methods in music therapy in chapter 4. The assessment tools (Four-Step Assessment and SCERTS) adaptable to ASD client needs are provided according to age and population (Kern & Humpal, 2019). I will use these instruments to evaluate the efficacy and validity of music therapy for children with ASD and explore if these tools can work with other learning difficulties.
Outline and Topic Sentences
Outline
Learning disabilities in children and their characteristics
Effective music therapy interventions
Neurological benefits of music therapy
Multidisciplinary team and family involvement
Assessment methods
Conclusion
Topic sentences
Learning disabilities (LD) encompass diverse deficits in language, speech, emotions, or perceptions that impact academic outcomes in children.
Different interactive music therapy methods can help address behavioral and socio-emotional deficits.
Flexible delivery methods and involvement of parents or siblings are critical factors in designing an effective music therapy for ASD children.
Maximum participation in music training for children with LD can contribute to cognitive progression that positively impacts language and emotional domains.
Collaborative clinical work is a fundamental aspect of effective music therapy for children with LDs.
Clinical assessment is critical to develop therapeutic goals and meet client-specific needs.
In conclusion, effectively designed music therapy intervention can alleviate cognitive impairments that cause learning difficulties in children.
Research Paper
Learning disabilities (LD) encompass diverse deficits in language, speech, emotions, or perceptions that impact academic outcomes in children. They include heterogeneous diagnosable conditions such as ASD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyscalculia, and dyslexia that lead to academic underachievement in children (Rose et al., 2018). LDs may not be detected until a child joins school and is engaged in cognitive tasks. The developmental areas mostly affected include cognition, speech (speaking ability), motor ability, and socio-emotional domains. The underlying reasons for LDs relate to sensory processing dysfunction that is predominant in ASD compared to other learning disabilities. ASDs manifest as impaired socio-emotional development, communication, and repetitive behaviors (Crawford et al., 2017). In general, children with ASD exhibit challenges in different domains, including tactile, auditory, and perceptual aspects. According to the American Music Therapy Association (2021), the abnormal sensory processing triggers maladaptive self-regulatory behaviors, including wailing or covering the ears in response to sound stimuli. Thus, sound sensitivity is a major factor in ASD symptomatology that can be aggravated through exposure to challenging acoustic environments. Early intervention is critical to improve learning outcomes due to high brain plasticity during childhood (Johnston et al., 2018). Effective therapies in this period can promote the development of neural networks involved in socio-emotional and language behaviors.
Different interactive music therapy methods can help address behavioral and socio-emotional deficits. It is defined as a proactive, evidence-based practice utilizing music interventions to meet personalized goals in a therapeutic context that involves a qualified professional (American Music Therapy Association, 2021). The aim is to promote social, language, motor, emotional, and cognitive performance for children with ASD. Music therapy often involves integrated activities targeting specific client needs. Extensive evidence supports using music to improve language, social, emotional, psychomotor, and neurologic development (American Music Therapy Association, 2021). One music therapy intervention that has been shown to be effective with children with comorbid learning difficulties is flexible music instruction. Learning a traditional acoustic instrument (tenor horn) at home and school improved the musical aptitude and IQ scores of a child with multiple LDs (Rose et al., 2018). Thus, parental involvement is a key consideration in music therapy intervention.
Flexible delivery methods and involvement of parents or siblings are critical factors in designing an effective music therapy for ASD children. In the context of family-centered intervention, computer-assisted multi-sensory technologies, including augmented reality (AR), can yield better language, socio-emotional, and behavioral outcomes than therapy based on traditional acoustic instruments (Johnston et al., 2018). The integrated music and video content on AR, coupled with the interaction capabilities of virtual reality, can help address socio-emotional challenges that limit learning. Further, AR technologies allow personalization of aesthetic and acoustic aspects to fit client needs remotely (Johnston et al., 2018). Finally, individualized support is an important consideration when designing a music therapy intervention. Family-centered improvisational music therapy can promote social development in children with ASD but it must involve many sessions of counseling and support (Crawford et al., 2017). Adequate lessons (over five months of therapy) would be needed to produce long-term effects on social affect and responsiveness in pediatric populations.
Maximum participation in music training for children with LD can contribute to cognitive progression that positively impacts language and emotional domains. Compared to typically developing controls, a child with comorbid LDs who received tenor horn lessons displayed significantly improved musical aptitude scores (Rose et al., 2018). Music training induces structural changes in the brain regions involved in processing language and speech. As a result, children with ASD will develop proficiency in discriminating pitch following music education (Johnston et al., 2018). The exceptional sensitivity is the result of multi-sensory stimulation that underlies many developmental skills. In a therapy context, quality learning is achieved when the training involves improvisation – the music therapist guides the child to spontaneously generate sounds and tunes. Thus, improvisational music therapy (IMT) supports self-exploration by the client, which helps in emotional regulation. Overall, the evidence suggests that IMT promotes the development of group attention and turn-taking attribute in autistic children (Crawford et al., 2017). They develop competencies in interpreting and responding to social stimuli, resulting in better interactions and relationships with peers, teachers, and parents. Optimal music therapy activities are enjoyable to the child, spontaneous, and frequent. Further, they are designed to have a relaxing effect on the client, while eliciting positive feelings about oneself. Maximum participation in music therapy can promote socialization because of its positive effect on cognitive functioning and language development. A notable finding is that the exposure to acoustic tools (tenor horn) increases music aptitude when delivered in a family-centered context (Rose et al., 2018). Therefore, the collaborative partnerships with parents, music instructors, and other practitioners should be considered in therapeutic interventions.
Collaborative clinical work is a fundamental aspect of effective music therapy for children with LDs. Establishing a joint therapeutic relationship provides opportunities to address client needs holistically. Shared goals and cooperation among therapists, music instructors, and parents models important relationship-building tactics to the child (Colbert & Bent, 2018). Client trust is gained by displaying mutual respect in an inter-professional therapy space. An area of such collaborative partnerships is music therapy for disadvantaged populations, including refugee or minority children exhibiting learning difficulties. A speech-language pathologist can work with music therapist to address communication deficits (Colbert & Bent, 2018). Through such a collaboration, the child’s communicative behavior, including speech and nonverbal expressions (gestures and body language), are improved. Thus, inter-professionalism inspires codependent relationships between practitioners, resulting in optimal outcomes for pediatric clients. Music and speech therapy each address specific impairments when applied separately; however, in combination, they build client strengths. Therefore, clinical collaboration between professionals can improve outcomes in multiple areas – speech, language, socio-emotional, and cognitive domains (Colbert & Bent, 2018). Another aspect of collaboration is family involvement in music therapy interventions. Family-based interventions have multiple advantages over school-based approaches. They are less costly and offer rich contexts for extra support from parents and siblings (Johnston et al., 2018). Additionally, music therapy that includes partnerships with the family increases the motivation to apply the new social skills after the intervention. Shared experiences and interests at home, including singing, reinforces turn taking and imitation in children with ASDs (Crawford et al., 2017). Thus, a key consideration in designing music therapy is the involvement of parents or siblings in joint activities, including client evaluation.
Clinical assessment is critical to develop therapeutic goals and meet client-specific needs. Children with LDs present with impairments in diverse domains, ranging from socio-emotional to communicative areas. Therefore, finding an assessment method that can evaluate multiple needs for effective intervention is a challenge (Kern & Humpal, 2019). The diverse impairments of ASD that differ in severity means that evaluation must be tailored to the individual needs of each child. Severe learning difficulties are candidates for intensive interventions that require maximum participation from the client. Further, determining children eligible for music therapy needs validated assessment tools that measure specific needs (Kern & Humpal, 2019). Thus, these approaches are critical in identifying clinical goals for the intervention. The chosen assessment depends on age, population, and the goal of the tool. The key methods that can be used to assess children with ASD include the Four-Step Assessment Model and the SCERTS framework. The first model is suited for structural family therapy that involves parents and siblings to explore client needs and develop shared goals. Four steps include considering the context in assessing the presenting problem, determining the interactions that maintain this condition, exploring the past, and creating joint goals for change (Kern & Humpal, 2019). In contrast, the SCERTS framework is relevant to autistic pediatric population. The evidence-based model focuses on three developmental domains: “social communication, emotional regulation, and transactional support” (Kern & Humpal, 2019, p. 64). The goal is to address communicative and socio-emotional impairments in children with ASD. The assessment models can help identify eligible children, obtain information, and guide the development of music therapy goals.
In conclusion, effectively designed music therapy intervention can alleviate cognitive impairments that cause learning difficulties in children. Early intervention improves learning outcomes by promoting typical development of neural connections implicated in socio-emotional and language processing (Johnston et al., 2018). Interactive music therapy targets deficits in language, socio-emotional, and psychomotor domains (American Music Therapy Association, 2021). However, for this intervention to be effective, it must involve a flexible delivery approach. Music training at home and school was shown to improve musical aptitude in children with comorbid LDs (Rose et al., 2018). Further, a family-centered model ensures additional support to the child in post-therapy settings. Computer-based, multi-sensory technologies also promote personalization of music therapy. Improvisational music and adequate sessions help maintain improved social affect and behavioral outcomes in post-therapy contexts (Crawford et al., 2017). Optimal results can be realized through inter-professional collaboration in defining client needs and developing clinical goals. Parental training is also critical to enhance the motivation to apply the social skills learned in joint activities at home. Effective assessment is required to address the individual needs of a child with LDs. Various models, including the Four-Step Assessment Model and SCERT framework, can be used to gather information and define goals for music therapy.
References
American Music Therapy Association. (2021). Fact sheet: Music therapy and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Web.
Colbert, T., & Bent, C. (Eds.). (2018). Working across modalities in the arts therapies: Creative collaborations. Routledge.
Crawford, M. J., Gold, C., Odell-Miller, H., Thana, L., Faber, S., Assmus, J., Bieleninik, Ł., Geretsegger, M., Grant, C., Maratos, A., Sandford, S., Claringbold, A., McConachie, H., Maskey, M., Mössler, K. A., Ramchandani, P., & Hassiotis, A. (2017). International multicentre randomised controlled trial of improvisational music therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder: TIME-A study. Health Technology Assessment, 21(59), 1-40. Web.
Johnston, D., Egermann, H., & Kearney, G. (2018). Innovative computer technology in music-based interventions for individuals with autism moving beyond traditional interactive music therapy techniques. Cogent Psychology, 5(1), 1-10. Web.
Kern, P., & Humpal, M. (Eds.). (2019). Early childhood music therapy and autism spectrum disorder: Supporting children and their families. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Rose, D., Jones Bartoli, A., & Heaton, P. (2018). Learning a musical instrument can benefit a child with special educational needs. Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, and Brain, 28(2), 71-81. Web.
The connection between depression and music and art is obvious but relatively mysterious. Music therapy is not a unique idea; it has occurred from the theory of psychoanalysis and is actively used in work with various patients, including both the elderly and children. This method can involve listening to and creating lyrics, discussing them, and composing other forts. However, not every song can be considered therapeutic and positively affect the patient. The proper approach to using and processing a sad melody is incredibly therapeutic when considering the individual’s musical, psychological, and biological subtleties.
Music therapy, as a method of relaxation and the fight against stress, fear, depression, and anxiety, is now effectively used as an additional component in treating a variety of diseases. For this reason, a technique was applied to the 10-year-old child with developmental delays to transform the lyrics of the favorite sad melody into a more positively inspiring and uplifting one. For this purpose, no additional materials had to be operated, and it was enough to utilize the Apple Music application, in which the lyrics to the song Let you go by Clara La San were found. The most positive effects of this therapy are on mental disorders: increased anxiety, the tendency to neurosis, and depression (De Witte et al., 2022). Playing with words and music can serve as an emotional release for these patients.
It was observed that the child was satisfied and desired to dance and distract with positivity. My reaction was cheerful, and I encouraged the child to develop positive thinking. The quick metamorphosis of emotions into good ones was the most valuable about this experience. At the same time, it would have been more satisfactory if the child had focused on the song’s words without distraction. Therefore, one can conclude that this intervention is effective and proves that music therapy can be used as a primary or additional intervention. However, next time it is essential to concentrate attention on the positive meaning of the music and the process of transforming emotions rather than on shifting interests in the different activities.
References
De Witte, M., Pinho, A. D. S., Stams, G. J., Moonen, X., Bos, A. E., & van Hooren, S. (2022). Music therapy for stress reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Psychology Review, 16(1), 134-159.
Playing instruments, dancing, singing, listening to music, composing, and improvising is usually associated with the music curriculum and classes. However, these activities as the key elements of the music curriculum can be actively applied in different classrooms without any dependence on the subject. The focus on the listed activities is essential not only for developing skills in music but also for improving students’ knowledge and abilities in different areas because music activities provide individuals with opportunities to enhance their listening skills, attention, reading, memorizing, and even writing among other aspects.
It is possible to support the idea that listening to music, singing, and dancing can be used in any classroom. The reason is that listening to music develops students’ skills in recognizing and memorizing words, pronouncing, and audition. As a result, their skills in listening, speaking a foreign language, and reading aloud can improve significantly. Moreover, the results in writing dictations can also improve after using listening to instrumental music and songs. Singing can be used for developing abilities in pronouncing unfamiliar words and memorizing large parts of texts. The technique of using songs is applied when teaching different subjects, and it is attractive to young children. As a consequence, students usually demonstrate better results when performing from memory. Dancing develops individuals’ coordination, attention, as well as the focus on rhythm and tempo. These skills are important when working in laboratories. Therefore, these elements are often used in various curricula in addition to the music one.
However, some activities are difficult to be applied while teaching subjects other than music, but they are selected by educators when they want to achieve certain goals using non-traditional methods. For instance, playing instruments is important when it is necessary to develop the motor skills required for improving handwriting or working with small objects during workshops. Composing and improvising are important when it is essential to develop students’ skills in understanding sequences of sounds and following rhythmic patterns. Thus, these key elements of the music curriculum allow educators to make their class activities more personalized and interesting to students. While focusing on an unusual format of a learning activity, students memorize more facts and improve their knowledge.
Still, there are also difficulties in using these major elements in different curricula:
the lack of resources and appropriate materials;
the lack of skills in educators to organize singing, dancing, and playing instruments with the focus on the course or unit goals;
students’ unwillingness to participate in these activities because of the lack of motivation.
Thus, educators need to pay much attention to organizing the work of students to encourage them to participate in music activities and select the most appropriate resources to achieve the set lesson or unit goals. From this perspective, applying the listed techniques, educators expect to achieve course goals with the focus on unique methods that work to increase students’ attention and involvement in processes. Moreover, students’ overall intellectual and motor skills also develop as a result of using music at lessons.
Integrating Music into the Curriculum
The Way We Were
Activity 1
During the lesson about aboriginal people in Australia, children learn how to pronounce the names of animals and birds in aboriginal dialects.
The teacher names different aboriginal people’s dialects.
The teacher demonstrates images of animals and birds, pronounces their names in different dialects: Ngurran: Dingo (Kamilaroi); Koo-wark: Kookaburra (Wathaurong); Yonga: Kangaroo (Nyoongar); Bäru: Crocodile (Gupapyngu).
Students listen to the song “True Blue Wonders” and clap when they hear the names of animals or birds in indigenous languages (BeatBoppers, 2008).
Students sing and repeat the names of animals with the performer.
After singing, students name animals and birds in indigenous languages while looking at pictures.
Activity 2
During the lesson about aboriginal people, children learn traditions, including dances.
The teacher explains what dances are used by aboriginal people and what they mean.
The teacher explains and demonstrates what movements were used by aboriginal people to demonstrate their gratitude, fear, happiness, or anxiety among other feelings and emotions.
Students watch the aboriginal crane dance and listen to the teacher’s explanation regarding its elements and meaning (Roco43, 2008).
Students are organized in groups to imitate the elements of the crane dance.
After dancing, students share their impressions regarding the dance and their feelings.
Living in Communities
Activity 1
In the context of the topic “Celebrations,” students learn about Australia Day.
Students have been asked to memorize the words of the first verse of the anthem.
Students listen to the Australian National Anthem, concentrate on the melody and words (MVFCHighlighters, 2010).
Students explain what they feel when listening to the anthem.
While participating in school celebrations dedicated to Australia Day, students can sing the anthem.
Activity 2
Students visit a local museum and focus on exhibited music instruments.
The teacher describes the history of using a didgeridoo in the community.
Students have an opportunity to look at the instrument, touch it, and listen to a musician playing the didgeridoo.
Students focus on the vibrations created with the help of this wind instrument.
Global Connections
Activity 1
In the context of the topic “Global Communication,” students learn what musical instruments are played widely.
Students are told that, even if people from different parts of the world do not know foreign languages, they understand the language of music.
The teacher informs students regarding different traditional or national musical instruments.
Students in groups are provided with tambourines, tom-tom drums, castanets, wrist bells, cymbals, and maracas to form a band, create the melody and a rhythmic pattern, and perform their variant of the composition “Friendship without Borders.”
Activity 2
Learning the topic “Immigration,” students focus on national dances.
Students in groups choose the national dance typical of immigrants from their community.
Students prepare a story about the history of this dance, its meaning, and the popularity in Australia and worldwide.
Groups of students organize the performance during which they inform the class about the selected dance and demonstrate its elements.
Aboriginal People’s Dances
Level: Stage 1
Goals:
Students will be able to describe aboriginal dances that were spread and popular in Australia;
Students will learn how to move while dancing like aboriginal people when following a certain rhythm;
Students will become able to coordinate their movements when dancing as a group.
Learning outcomes:
Teaching materials: A projector, 2 music speakers, the YouTube video “Australian Aboriginal Crane Dance” (Roco43, 2008), pictures with dance movements.
Procedure:
Clear the space in the middle of a classroom to provide students with opportunities to dance.
Explain what dances aboriginal people had or have and what they mean while demonstrating pictures. Show what movements were often used to reveal people’s gratitude, fear, happiness, or anxiety among other feelings and emotions while using pictures and demonstrations.
Use the projector to present the aboriginal crane dance and explain its specific elements and meaning. To make all students interested, it is necessary to ask questions about the most unique dance movements and their meaning before starting the demonstration.
Students watch the video (Roco43, 2008).
Students are organized in groups to repeat dance movements after watching the video while focusing on the pictures shown by the teacher.
Each group tries to imitate dance movements in rotation while following the music rhythm and coordinating their moves.
Assessment: Students are asked to share their impressions regarding the dance and their feelings about dancing together. The teacher’s observations regarding performing required movements and following the rhythm are presented and used for the assessment.
Liks to other subjects: n/a
The Australian National Anthem
Level: Stage 2
Goals:
Students will be able to recognize the melody and words of the Australian National Anthem;
Students will be able to sing the Australian National Anthem in tune.
Learning outcomes:
Teaching materials: A projector, 2 music speakers, the YouTube video “The Official Full Version of the Australian National Anthem with Lyrics” (MVFCHighlighters, 2010), copies of lyrics.
Procedure:
Students have memorized the words of the Australian National Anthem in advance, and now they are provided with copies of lyrics to use them when singing.
Discuss the role of Australia Day for the nation and tell the history of creating the anthem.
Students watch the YouTube video and listen to the anthem while focusing on the melody and words (MVFCHighlighters, 2010).
Ask students to share their emotions after listening to the anthem and describe their feeling regarding the melody. If some students do not share their emotions, it is important to ask them directly and stimulate their interest in a conversation.
Clear the space in the middle of a classroom and organize students to stand in rows like they will stand when participating in school celebrations dedicated to Australia Day.
Organize students’ singing the anthem with the focus on such aspects and concepts as rhythm, pitch, and tune.
Assessment: Individual students and groups of students are observed to sing in tune with the focus on rhythm, pitch, and tune. The teacher reports how individual students participate in singing.
Liks to other subjects: n/a
Playing Music Instruments
Level: Stage 3
Goals:
Students will be able to play different traditional music instruments like a band;
Students will be able to perform accurately and focus on such aspects as rhythm and structure;
Students will be able to effectively coordinate their movements and rhythm to play in tune.
Learning outcomes:
Teaching materials: A projector, 2 music speakers, videos on traditional music instruments from different countries, pictures representing traditional and national music instruments, 2 tambourines, 2 tom-tom drums, 4 castanets, 6 wrist bells, 4 cymbals, and 6 maracas.
Procedure:
Provide students with a background on the role of music as the international language in the world for global communication.
Organize watching videos on traditional music instruments from different regions of the world.
Using pictures demonstrating these instruments, ask students to name them and the country of their origin.
Clear the space in the middle of the classroom to provide students with an opportunity to play instruments.
Demonstrate such instruments as tambourines, tom-tom drums, castanets, wrist bells, cymbals, and maracas and show students how to use them to get this or that sound and follow a certain rhythm.
Students are organized into groups and provided with the instruments and learn how to use them and produce sound under the teacher’s guidance.
Students are asked to form a band and create the melody and a rhythmic pattern for the composition that can be named as “Friendship without Borders.”
Students in groups (“bands”) perform their short compositions that are based on a simple rhythmic pattern while using tambourines, tom-tom drums, castanets, wrist bells, cymbals, and maracas.
Assessment: Observations regarding students’ ability to play instruments and follow the rhythm and melody while performing in a band should be reported to provide children with the required feedback.
Various attempts have been made to curb illegal downloading of music from peer-to-peer (P2P) websites. Governmental agencies and some recording companies often place much emphasis on penalizing people who are engaged in piracy (Sinha & Mandel 2000, p. 2). However, it is necessary to provide positive incentives to consumers. They should see the benefits of purchasing music legally, rather than only the risks of punishment.
Companies should look at this problem from a marketing point of view, and they should first focus on the product, itself. Very often, consumers can purchase only the studio recording of a song. However, researchers suggest that buyers can also be interested in live recordings and rare performances of musical compositions (Sinha & Mandel 2000, p. 12). They are not readily available at P2P websites.
Additionally, Internet users may more willing to download music legally when it is available in different formats such as FLAC, WAV, or MP3. Overall, researchers suggest that people pay attention to sound quality and they can be more ready to pay when it is difficult to find a song with high quality sound on illegal websites (McCorkle et al, 2012, p. 83). This is one way of attracting customers. In this way, online retailers can show that they can offer much more than P2P networks.
Price is also important factor that influences the decisions of Internet users. Online retailers can attract customers by lowering a price when a person purchases a large number of songs or an entire discography of some performer.
In fact, the findings of economists suggest that lowering the price can be a more effective strategy than restrictive measures such as fines (Jeong & Lee, 2010, p. 3886). Additionally, the companies can set different prices for more or less popular songs (Sinha & Mandel 2000, p. 3). In this way, online retailers can provide more options to buyers.
Besides, the website online should be made more-user friendly that P2P networks. For example a customer should be able to easily find a song by the name of the track, performer, recording company, or the name of the album, and so forth. Secondly, companies should remember that people can use their tablet computers or smart phones to buy music. Thus, the websites should be adjusted to the needs of these users who may become the most important customers for music industry.
Online retailers should not disregard such a factor as the self-esteem of consumers. Companies can stress the idea that legal downloading of music does not only help performers, but many other people working in recording industry. Thus, it is necessary to show that legal purchase is an ethical behavior because this message can appeal to customers who are usually concerned about their self-image.
On the whole, the proposed strategies can yield better results than restrictions and penalties. They provide an incentive to purchase music legally. Restrictions and fines may be efficient for a short time, but producers will find it difficult to take actions against millions of people who use P2P websites.
This is why more attention should be paid to the positive aspects of legal purchase, such as ease of use, flexible pricing, ability to purchase songs in various format, and sound quality. These set of strategies can improve long-term sustainability of companies that record and distribute music.
Reference List
Jeong, G., & Lee, J. (2010). Estimating consumer preferences for online music services. Applied Economics, 42, (3), 3885-3893.
McCorkle, D., Reardon, J., Dalenberg, D., Pryor, A., & Wicks, J. (2012). Purchase or Pirate: A Model of Consumer Intellectual Property Theft. Journal Of Marketing Theory & Practice, 20(1), 73-86.
Sinha, R., & Mandel, N. (2008). Preventing Digital Music Piracy: The Carrot or the Stick?. Journal Of Marketing, 72(1), 1-15.
With the development of technology, every business is continuously evolving quicker than ever before, and such sectors as music and filmmaking have been significantly influenced by the ever-developing internet. Two decades ago, none of the streaming services that are ubiquitous at present were available to the public. While people started downloading music to their portable players, they still had to rely on acquiring individual tracks or albums in order to listen to music. In the last ten years, the music industry transformed completely, following the introduction of online subscription-based platforms. Now, many people do not own music but have access to an endless supply of old and new tracks if they have an internet connection. Although the time period seems small, it saw a significant amount of competition and race to accommodate customers’ needs that were rooted in innovation and business strategy.
One of the reasons for developing streaming platforms was piracy which, in turn, grew due to the availability of the internet. In 1999, Napster, an online website for sharing free downloadable music, introduced people to the concept of peer-to-peer sharing. The site challenged labels with new ways of bootlegging their products (d’Astous, Colbert and Montpetit, 2005). Despite the ethical issues, the development of Napster was significant for the industry – it needed to offer its customers a better deal than piracy that would still generate revenue. First, such brands as Apple introduced online stores for purchasing downloadable music (Kwong and Park, 2008). As such, tracks could be bought online, but the capacity of the devices and the internet quality did not allow for music to be streamed. However, this change was not enough to combat the appeal of piracy and people’s lack of motivation to purchase separate tracks – the value of purchased and pirated downloadable tracks was too similar to create a reliable customer base (Borja, Dieringer and Daw, 2015).
At the same time, computer algorithms suggesting new songs were becoming better and online radios allowed people to forego downloading songs and conserving their memory space while getting songs that they would enjoy. Thus, the second change happened in 2008, when Spotify combined the benefits of online streaming, personalisation and legal access to thousands of songs (Lin, Hsu and Chen, 2013). Other platforms followed the same path, offering subscriptions that would charge clients monthly to get access to the full library of tracks without advertisements as well as free options with advertising and some curated playlists. Now, people can not only listen to millions of songs without downloading, but they can also create their own playlists, share and recommend tracks and choose between several platforms.
This change was monumental in impacting the ways people consumed music and engaged with labels and artists. First, the relationship between platforms that provide access to music and artists has evolved. Second, promotional methods for famous and less popular musicians became dependent on different factors. Finally, one of the major areas that were impacted was the consumers’ satisfaction with services and their perception of the music’s perceived value. Currently, people’s music habits, as well as the ubiquitous presence of the internet and smartphones, influence their choice of music platforms, pricing considerations and factors that make them prefer one service to another.
The centre of most research studies is the streaming services use in the US. In 2019, US consumers spent $26 billion on subscription services, which is double the amount spend in 2017 (Roettgers, 2019). From this amount, about a third belongs to music services, which signifies a strong position of streaming platforms in people’s entertainment. However, other markets are also highly developed – in the UK, consumers have spent around £3 billion on streaming media, including music, television, and movies, in 2019 – this is a record for the country, and the number of subscribers is expected to grow (Sweney, 2020). This amount is equal to about 80% of all spending in the entertainment category in the country (Sweney, 2020). Thus, the digital market for streaming services in the UK is massive, attracting the majority of consumers.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this quantitative study is to evaluate the relationship between customer perceived value (CPV) of various streaming services and the satisfaction of people who subscribe to these music streaming services. First of all, it is vital to consider how has customer perceived value changed with the digitisation of music consumption and what place do the platforms now have in this activity. CPV is a measure that helps guide companies in predicting consumer choices. It is the difference between the evaluation results that customers perform when comparing the benefits of every product or firm and their costs (Kim, 2012). For example, in this case, the competition is held between music streaming services, such as Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora Radio and others, and the factors of choice may include price, music library, software interface and individual requirements of clients. By assessing consumer’s value of these platforms, one may also research what factors are the most influential in making some platforms more popular than others.
The second part of the study’s purpose is the exploration of the customers’ satisfaction with the service they use. While CPV provides companies with information about consumers’ needs and expectations, it does not guarantee that higher CPV always aligns with one’s final decision (Chen and Fu, 2018). Therefore, the idea that a customer will be satisfied with the product with the best-perceived value is subject to investigation. Customer satisfaction can be defined by a variety of aspects, and it greatly influences one’s use of the product and the brand’s retention rates. However, in general, satisfaction includes one’s loyalty to the brand, continued use of the service (retention), positive feedback, endorsement and the growth of the platforms’ user base (Chen, Leon and Nakayama, 2018a). Therefore, the investigation of the relationship between CPV and satisfaction provides further data on how consumers engage with streaming services and what they see before and after subscribing.
Gap in Knowledge
Music streaming services entered the industry in 2008 with the creation of Spotify. Nevertheless, the competition became tenser in the middle of the 2010s, when such platforms as Apple Music and TIDAL were developed (Maftei, Gerogiannis and Papageorgiou, 2016). Pandora Radio, while available from 2000, has a limited reach – it is only available in the United States. All streaming services offer similar products (music) at comparable prices. The industry is rather young, and the shortage of studies evaluating the CPV of music streaming services and its impact on customer satisfaction creates a gap in knowledge for the industry. To begin with, the primary type of studies of CPV is based on the PERVAL (PERceived VALue) framework which allows one to use a scale for assessing customer’s value of products in a particular industry.
This model has been adopted for various digital services, including video games and players’ CPV. The research by Kim (2012) shows which of the value factors are the most important in ensuring that consumers recommend or repurchase products in video games. Several other studies consider ‘freemium’ platforms (services that offer both free and paid options with different tiers of access to the product) and the behaviour of people connected to this system (Chen and Fu, 2018; Hamari et al., 2017). At the same time, the lack of identified studies focused on music streaming platforms that implement the PERVAL model and evaluate customer satisfaction implies a gap that should be investigated further.
In particular, it is unclear how the different features of streaming platforms impact consumers’ choices and how their CPV is connected to the opinions of these platforms. While the research of digital services and their CPV, as well as the studies of music streaming services, exists, it focuses on music purchasing or the view of freemium services by customers, and not on the connection between CPV and customer satisfaction in the long-term.
Moreover, as such services as Pandora Radio operate only in the US, studies that consider the UK market can show different results due to the dominance of other competitors among consumers. As noted above, the demand for entertainment streaming services in the UK is vast, and more than three-fourths of all consumers spend money on online entertainment (Sweney, 2020). At the same time, the UK market, as shown by statistics, prefers different services to those most popular in the US. This suggests a difference in factors that are vital for customers when selecting a platform, including aspects that are not linked to availability in the region.
Significance of the Study
As it is discussed above, the gap in research about CPV of various streaming services and its impact on customer satisfaction can be identified. This topic is vital for the industry for several reasons. First, value creation is the foundation for business success in the long term (Chen, Leon and Nakayama, 2018b). By showing customers that one service is better than others, a company can increase its chances of generating a broad audience and growing retention, loyalty, endorsement and, subsequently, revenue. This view of CPV is supported by a plethora of studies that demonstrate the impact of CPV on consumer choices. Kim (2012) shows how various features of video games influence them to purchase or forego certain games and features, while Chen and Fu (2018) demonstrate how CPV impacts the selection of mobile applications. Streaming services exist in the constant competition since customers can change the product they are using every month. Therefore, the exploration of factors that contribute to high CPV among subscribers is invaluable for the services and the research surrounding these platforms.
Second, customer satisfaction is another vital measure that allows companies to grow their audience and revenue. For streaming services, the issue of customer satisfaction is especially crucial due to the intense competition on the market and the dependence of customer feedback online. The lack of focus on freemium streaming services in the research of customer satisfaction means that one cannot clearly determine what impacts consumer choices in maintaining a relationship with a brand in this segment. For instance, the leaders in the US and UK markets among streaming services differ rather significantly. In the US, Apple Music, Spotify and Pandora Radio share the majority of all users as shown in Figure 1, while such platforms as YouTube and Spotify dominate the UK market, as can be seen in Figure 2. The number of Pandora Radio users can be explained by its regional restrictions; however, other factors are likely to be connected to CPV and customer satisfaction.
Figure 1: Most popular music streaming services in the US in 2019 Figure 2: Most popular music streaming services in the UK in 2018
Third, the connection between customer satisfaction and CPV, as shown by previously discussed studies, exists and can assist brands in establishing their product as the industry leader. The study’s aim of using CPV as a predictor of customer satisfaction should help brands review their current offers and suggest new ways of attracting clients based not only on price but also social and technological aspects. According to Kim (2012), the social factor plays a great role in influencing video game players, and this dimension of CPV impacts customer satisfaction the most. Similar research performed for the music industry may reveal what consumers want to see in the streaming services’ future.
Finally, the ongoing pandemic has changed the way people use online services, which also has had an effect on streaming services. According to Dormehl (2020), the service economy has evolved in the last six months, with spending on theatres, books and physical music dropping from 50% to 100%. In contrast, subscriptions to streaming services continue to rise – Spotify and Apple Music reported an over 20% increase in consumer spending (Dormehl, 2020). More people are switching to online platforms which can produce new opinions about streaming services and change the customers’ perception of their usability in the current setting and the future. Therefore, the research in CPV may aid brands in evaluating whether their existing models of operating are suitable for the changing environment.
Research Questions
The identified gap in the knowledge and the potential significance of the present research allow one to outline one central research question as well as several guiding questions that explain the steps in data collection and analysis. The connection between CPV and customer satisfaction lies at the centre of this discussion. Thus, the main research question is as follows: How does customer perceived value (CPV) impacts customer satisfaction in using music streaming services in the UK?
It is important to point out that most services considered in this study offer a freemium model which includes free listening of music with a limited selection and advertisements and a paid monthly subscription that removes ads and opens up the whole catalogue of music. Subsequently, all music can usually be purchased and added to the free option if desired (Naveed, Watanabe and Neittaanmäki, 2017). Therefore, both subscribers and free users can be included in the sample, which explains the research question’s general use of the term ‘customer’ rather than ‘subscriber’. It is possible that these two groups of users have different experiences with using services – the information about their payment plan status should be added to the descriptive data for results transparency.
The guiding questions for the study relate to the steps needed to answer the final research question. First, the question, ‘What CVP factors are considered important by users of music streaming services in the UK?’, is necessary to answer to determine how consumers of streamed music make their decision when choosing a platform. To address this question, the PERVAL framework has to be adapted for the industry of online music streaming. Second, an inquiry into the UK customers’ satisfaction with online streaming services has to be made. This question should demonstrate the rates of satisfaction that can be then used to show potential correlation with CPV. The satisfaction’s measurement is multifaceted, and the strategy for its calculation will be considered further.
The present research selects an inductive approach which relies on research questions. In contrast to the deductive method, the inductive analysis does not establish hypotheses prior to collecting and analysing data. By choosing this type of study, the investigators aim to use the gathered data and the information from other existing literature and concepts to conduct the analysis and propose new theories for future exploration (Liu, 2016). The inductive approach is the most appropriate one for this study due to the research gap discussed above – it is currently impossible to identify hypotheses based on the dearth of data relating to online streaming services, CVP and customer satisfaction. One of the limiting factors is that the present study is focused on the UK market, which is less researched than the US market, where the range of available streaming platforms is different.
Research Objectives
Similar to the three research questions outlined in the previous part, three research objectives are needed to address them. The following goals are set to conduct the research effectively:
To measure customers’ perceived value (CPV) in using the online music streaming services in the UK;
To determine the level of satisfaction of UK consumers in using online music streaming services;
To identify the influence of customer perceived value on customers’ satisfaction of the UK online music streaming services.
Summary and the Structure of the Paper
The service industry has changed under the influence of the internet and portable devices. Music no longer requires physical copies or downloadable files to be listened to – streaming platforms are quickly taking over the market. Currently, more than 80% of all entertainment spending occurs online, and such countries as the US and UK see increasing numbers of subscriptions for music, television, and movie streaming. The industry’s history demonstrates that consumers’ preferences for listening to music have evolved together with the technology, and now several streaming services dominate over the sales of physical copies. At the same time, both famous and small artists strive to deliver their music online.
The choice of which streaming service to choose depends on the variety of factors, including accessibility, price, design, music library and others. These aspects are measured in customer perceived value (CPV) that is used to gauge the potential of a business to succeed on the market. Currently, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora Radio, and YouTube hold leadership positions in the US and UK. However, the existing research does not show which of the CPV factors are the most important for consumers, particularly in the UK. Moreover, the data on the connection between CPV and customer satisfaction is also absent or understudied.
Thus, the present study aims to examine UK customers’ CPV of music streaming services their satisfaction with these platforms. There are three research questions, the central of which is: How does customer perceived value (CPV) impacts customer satisfaction of using music streaming services in the UK? Apart from focusing on this link, the research will also consider how consumer’s view of music streaming has evolved due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, which drastically impacted all segments of the service industry. The questions outlined above are important for the industry because they allow brands to see which factors of their strategy can result in customer base growth and higher retention and revenue rates. Furthermore, the study is significant for adding knowledge about the state of streaming services in the UK.
In Chapter II, the literature review will present the history of music streaming services and their impact on the industry. Studies considering the relationship between customers and various subscription services will be discussed. Moreover, the review will consider the theoretical foundations for the research and the use of CPV and customer satisfaction frameworks for the study. Chapter III, Methodology, will explore the research methodology and design, explaining the role of the quantitative methods as well as the models used to collect and analyse data to answer research questions. Next, the data analysis will be recorded in Chapter IV, along with calculations needed to assess CPV and customer satisfaction. Lastly, Chapter V will contain an interpretation of the results achieved during data analysis and a discussion of the data’s potential uses, connection to other existing research and considerations for future research and implementation in practice.
Reference List
Borja, K., Dieringer, S., and Daw, J. (2015) ‘The effect of music streaming services on music piracy among college students’, Computers in Human Behavior, 45, pp. 69-76.
Chen, C. C., Leon, S., and Nakayama, M. (2018b) ‘Converting music streaming free users to paid subscribers: social influence or hedonic performance’, International Journal of Electronic Business, 14(2), pp. 128-145.
Chen, C.C., Leon, S. and Nakayama, M. (2018a) ‘Are you hooked on paid music streaming? An investigation into the Millennial generation’, International Journal of E-Business Research (IJEBR), 14(1), pp. 1-20.
Chen, J.H. and Fu, J.R. (2018) ‘On the effects of perceived value in the mobile moment’, Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 27, pp. 118-128.
d’Astous, A., Colbert, F., and Montpetit, D. (2005) ‘Music piracy on the web – how effective are anti-piracy arguments? Evidence from the theory of planned behaviour’, Journal of Consumer Policy, 28(3), pp. 289-310.
Dormehl, L. (2020) ‘Coronavirus lockdown isn’t stopping U.S. spending on streaming music services’, Cult of Mac, Web.
Hamari, J. et al. (2017) ‘Why do players buy in-game content? An empirical study on concrete purchase motivations’, Computers in Human Behaviour, 68, pp. 538-546.
Kim, B. (2012) ‘Understanding the key factors of users’ intentions to repurchase and recommend digital items in virtual social worlds’, Cyberpsychology, Behaviour, and Social Networking, 15(10), pp. 543-550.
Kwong, S. W., and Park, J. (2008) ‘Digital music services: consumer intention and adoption’, The Service Industries Journal, 28(10), pp. 1463-1481.
Lin, T. C., Hsu, J. S. C., and Chen, H. C. (2013) ‘Customer willingness to pay for online music: the role of free mentality’, Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, 14(4), pp. 32-39.
Liu, L. (2016) ‘Using generic inductive approach in qualitative educational research: a case study analysis’, Journal of Education and Learning 5(2), pp. 129-135.
Maftei, V.A., Gerogiannis, V.C. and Papageorgiou, E.I. (2016) ‘Critical success factors of online music streaming services – a case study of applying the fuzzy cognitive maps method’, International Journal of Technology Marketing, 11(3), pp. 276-300.
Naveed, K., Watanabe, C. and Neittaanmäki, P. (2017) ‘Co-evolution between streaming and live music leads a way to the sustainable growth of music industry – lessons from the US experiences’, Technology in Society, 50, pp. 1-19.
Roettgers, J. (2019) ‘U.S. consumers to spend $26 billion on music, video subscriptions this year’, Variety, Web.
Statista (2018) Which sites or services have you used in the past three months to stream/access, or share music tracks or albums through the internet? Web.
Statista. Most popular music streaming services in the United States in March 2018 and September 2019, by monthly users. Web.
Sweney, M. (2020) ‘UK spent a record £3bn on streaming music, films and TV in 2019’, The Guardian, Web.
