Essential Question: How do differing articulations influence the music and the effect on the listener?

Explanation:

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of varied accent/articulation marks on listeners' perceptions of forcefulness of attack and length of sustain in trombone articulations. Musicians (N = 68) were asked to listen to a series of seven short musical excerpts in which a predefined set of pitches would be accented. Participants rated each example on forcefulness of attack and length of sustain by using a 5-point Likert-type scale. Results indicated significant differences between attack ratings and length of sustain ratings for the seven articulation marks. Additionally, there was a significant interaction between major and attack rating. A free response portion allowed listeners to assign an articulation mark to the tones they heard. Results indicated more agreement for one-dimensional symbols than for multi-dimensional symbols; however, uniformity of agreement was not achieved on many of the symbols. Generalizations of forcefulness of attack and length of sustain of the indicated symbols and pedagogical implications are discussed.

Contributions to Music Education is a refereed journal published by the Ohio Music Education Association. A primary purpose is to recognize and highlight the importance of social science research in guiding educational practice. The journal is a fully peer-reviewed publication focused on issues related to music teaching and learning in school contexts. Paradigms include quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, historical, philosophical, and others. Topics center on areas within instrumental, choral, and general music, and aspects of music pedagogy in groups and other settings. With a history of over 40 years in print, CME has supported scholarly investigation into music education since 1972.