Effects of Televised Instruction on Student Music Selection, Music Skills, and Attitudes

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the extent to which differential training in aural discrimination would result in subsequent music selection. Students trained to discriminate components of instrumental music only and vocal music only were compared to a contact control group. Pretests and posttests consisted of the subject's operant music selection, cognitive music skills, and attitudes about school music. Results indicated no difference among groups on the three dependent measures. Pre-posttest difference scores for each individual group revealed significant increase in time spent listening to instrumental music for the contact control group, significant increase in cognitive music skills for all groups, and no change in attitude about school music for any group. On the basis of these data, it appears that the three treatments did not function differentially to change first-grade student music selection, cognitive music skills, or attitudes about school music. This surprising absence of influence might suggest that knowing is not valuing.