Resumen de A hierarchy of tonal performance patterns for children ages five to eight years in Kindergarten and Primary Grades
The purpose of this study was to determine a hierarchy of tonal patterns performed by children ages five through eight years, and to identify characteristics that affect performance accuracy. Tonal pattern characteristics investigated were mode (major/minor), harmonic function, melodic contour, intervallic relationships, number of notes, and range. Subjects (N =560) were in kindergarten, first, and second grades from six public elementary schools from two states. A standardized music aptitude test, the Primary Measures of Music Audiation, to ascertain a normal distribution of music aptitude, and an investigator-designed achievement test, Tonal Pattern Performance Test (TPPT), were administered to all subjects. Two independent judges rated the TPPT performances using a continuous six-point rating scale. A hierarchy of 40 tonal patterns was established by determining difficulty levels for all TPPT patterns based on the percentage of correct responses for each item. Tonal performance pattern difficulty was determined by number of notes, intervallic relationships and range. Modality (major/minor), melodic contour, and harmonic function did not appear to affect performance accuracy.
