Fournier, Guillaume, Susan O’Neill, & Maria Teresa Moreno Sala (2020, October 30). Strategic approaches to learning sight-singing at college level: An investigation using Q methodology. Psychology of Music. (ePub in advance of print) (doi: 10.1177/0305735620964315) (Link: https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735620964315)
Abstract: This research investigates the main strategic approaches used by students for learning sight-singing in aural skills training. Using Q method, 41 college-level music students were invited to think about the importance of a wide range of strategies for their sight-singing acquisition. Factor analysis revealed three main strategic approaches: the pragmatic approach, the analytic approach, and the sound-first approach. Post hoc analyses indicated that these strategic approaches do not provide a valid typology of music students; rather, they reveal underlying conceptions about the purposes of sight-singing, which are likely to evolve according to an individual’s musical training. For sight-singing strategy instruction, these findings offer new insights for understanding better the influence of students’ prior musical knowledge on their use of sight-singing strategies. The discussion highlights the need for (re)establishing clear educational expectations that are capable of fulfilling teachers’ musical ideals.
Guillaume Fournier <guillaume.fournier.11@ulaval.ca> is in the Department of Music, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada.
