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

This study measured the effect of tempo and performing medium on the expressed preference of fifth- and sixth-grade students for traditional jazz music listening examples. A listening test was administered to 354 students in 14 classrooms in central Michigan. Test reliability was evaluated in terms of common factor concentration, student behavior observed during the test, and free response data solicited from students at the end of the measurement procedure as an additional check on results. A two-way repeated measures analysis of variance disclosed a significant interaction. Correlational analysis indicated that tempo was more influential than performing medium as a determinant of music preference, and an examination of cell means showed a consistent preference for faster tempos and for performance in the instrumental medium.