A Study of the Ability of Secondary School Students of Music to Perceive Differences in Tone Quality of the Same Instrument

Abstract: Three groups were asked to evaluate the tone quality of recorded sounds on the same instrument: high school students, music campers, music educators. The results showed that secondary school instrumental students can discruminate small differences in tone quality. More specifically, the mean responses of each grade level from 7 through 12 indicated an ability to discriminate, in most instances, between good and fair, good and poor, and fair and poor tones. Students indicated a preference for the good and fair tones over the poor tones since their responses averaged nearly 70 % correct. As for differences in students' abilities as they advance through the secondary grades, because of the small samples for each grade level, no consistent grade by grade increase could be observed. However, when groups were combined and compared, such as the seventh and eighth grades with the eleventh and twelfth grades an increase was noted. There occurred several nearly significant comparisons at the .05 level-between above grade groups and between the 7th and 11th grades. Music campers increased consistently from grades 10 through 12. Most increases noted were gradual and not large. Recommendations resulting from the study are: that music educators should not assume that too much natural growth takes place without specific planning for its development; that the music teacher must realize that students' abilities are not as advanced as his own, they cannot be expected to hear all the subtleties evident to him; and that the music teacher must strive to develop these abilities in students through the use of high quality recordings of fine tone, personal demonstrations by advanced instrumentalistst, concert attendance and many other truly musical experiences.

Keyword(s): high-school, students, music-teacher, tone-quality, instrument.

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