Volume 2, No. 1 September 2004

Delores Gauthier
Western Michigan University
gauthier@wmich.edu

Robert E. Dunn
Case Western Reserve University
red5@po.cwru.edu

 Abstract

This pilot study compared two approaches for teaching rhythm reading skills to first-grade children.   Two intact first-grade classes participated in six lessons focusing on simple rhythms (4 beats using eighth and quarter notes).  The lessons were based on the same musical materials; only the approach was varied.  After random assignment, Class 1 experienced the “Subdivision Approach” where the quarter note is the beat, and eighth notes are subdivisions of the beat.  Class 2 used the “Additive Approach” where, in this case, the eighth note is the “shortest sound” and a quarter note is the equivalent of two short sounds. 

Pre- and posttests were administered using the respective rhythm icons, asking the children to say the rhythm syllables and do the corresponding hand movements.   Within-group pre- and posttest scores showed learning took place with each method.  Several t-tests showed that the Additive Approach class scored significantly higher than the Subdivision Approach class (p<.001).   The results of this study indicate that, for this particular set of subjects, the Additive Approach was more successful than the Subdivision Approach in this rhythm reading task.  Of particular interest was the fact that the Additive Approach prepared students to more successfully decode and perform syncopated rhythms seen only in the pre- and posttest.  The research approach employed appears, with modification, to be a useful one that may successfully be employed in a larger project.  Although the results of this particular study cannot be generalized to a larger population, the positive results indicate that further study is merited.

Article and References

Dee Gauthier is an Associate Professor of music education at Western Michigan University, where she has chaired the Professional Education Area for the past ten years.  She teaches graduate and undergraduate music education courses, conducts the Women’s Chorus, and is the Coordinator of Intern Teachers for the School of Music.  Dr. Gauthier received a Bachelor of Science in music education from Eastern Illinois University and both the Master of Science and Doctor of Education from the University of Illinois-Champaign-Urbana.  She is recognized as a general music and vocal education clinician and has made presentations at international, national, regional and local levels. 

Rob Dunn is an associate professor of music education at Case Western Reserve University, where he is serving as the Director of Music Education.  Dr. Dunn received his undergraduate and masters degrees in choral and general music education from Brigham Young University.  He taught choral and general music in the public schools for twelve years before pursuing his doctorate at Northwestern University.  He was selected as a Northwestern University Fellow and his dissertation was honored as the dissertation of the year by the Council for Research in Music Education.  He serves on the editorial boards of the College Music Society and Contributions to Music Education, has published articles in several national and international journals, and has authored educational materials for the Cleveland Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.