were playing.” Students also expressed appreciation for the quality of the singing: “I really liked how you were singing, it was really good” and “It was loud enough that everyone could hear and understand what you were saying and playing.” Lastly, students demonstrated they could differentiate the characters of the songs: “The songs that you sang were peaceful and serene. Some of the songs were rousing.”


Leaning about Brazilian culture Students expressed enjoyment in learning about Brazilian culture: “It was educational because we had the chance to learn about a different culture and country. I admire you because you have such a strong connection to South America.” Learning about culture also opened a door to appreciating the music: “After hearing you speak about the culture, I became really interested about the instruments, the culture, and the country” and “I also enjoyed the new things and cultures that you talked about. I liked hearing about Brazil, the drums and other instruments, and the music.” And, “Thank you for teaching us a little about Brazil, and their language! After the show I went and told my brother about your delightful show.” Students also entertained the idea of visiting Brazil in the future: “I liked how they talked about Brazil I would like to go to Brazil some day. I think Brazil is a great place to go visit or live at. They have great food and great music. I would like to live there because it is summer all year long.”


Dancing The last emerging theme was how participants appreciated the addition of dance movements to the performance: “Background with the dancers were [sic] great and awesome. I enjoyed the music, singing, dancing, and the bears. The dancing was rousing and great skilled dancers.” Other commented, “We really liked your dancing and singing” and “What I liked about the show was the dancing.” Two other comments added that “you were loud and energetic and you danced a lot” and “I liked the way your guys danced and played the beat.”


Discussion This study revealed that, although young, sixth- grade students have the ability to discern when a performance is well prepared and presented in a professional manner. They also identified specific pleasing music characteristics while describing how the music elements in Brazilian music resonated with them. They mentioned the Brazilian drums, rhythms, and loudness of the music as favorable elements, findings that are consistent with previous studies in music preference that identified fast and loud music as preferred among participants (LeBlanc, 1981)


Students were able to transfer their previous knowledge of music instruments to the Brazilian drums (Shehan, 1981) and may have enjoyed the performance because of issues of familiarity, consistent with previous finding in music preference (Shehan, 1985). The communication levels between performers and audience seemed to


ala breve


have achieved its three levels in this performance (Gabrielsson, 1985). Performers interacted with students in a professional yet considerate manner, embraced students in the performance, and shared educational and musical facts about Brazil, its culture, and its music. In turn, students appreciated being included in the performance through audience participation and learning about another culture.


Findings for this study revealed that live music performances at schools should be prepared at the highest possible level for students of all ages. These performances should include audience participation and musicians should not be afraid to add educational components to their performances.


References Dekaney, E.M. & Macedo, E.C. (2005). Cultural tolerance and music preference: The effect of interdisciplinary lessons on students’ aesthetic response. Psicologia: Teoria e Prática, 7 (2), 115-133.


Demorest, S. M. & Schultz, S. J. (2004). Children’s preference for authentic versus arranged versions of world music recordings. Journal of Research in Music Education, 52 (4), 300-313. Egermann, H., Sutherland, M.E., Grewe, O., Nagel, F., Kopiez, R., & Altenmüller, E. (2011). Does music


listening in a social context alter experience? A psychological and physiological perspective on emotion. Musicae Scientiae, 15 (3), 307-323.


Flowers, P.J. (1980). Relationship between two measures of music preference. Contributions to Music Education, 21, 46-63. Fredrickson, W., & Coggiola, J. C. (2003). A comparison of music major’s and nonmajors’ perceptions


of tension for two selections of jazz music.


Journal of Research in Music Education, 51, (3), 259-270.


Gabrielsson, A. (1985). Interplay between music analysis and synthesis in studies of music performance and music experience. Music Perception, 3 (1), 59-86. LeBlanc, A. (1981). Effects of style, tempo, and performing medium on children’s preference. Journal of Research in Music Education, 29, 143-156 LeBlanc, A. (1984). Selecting a response mode in music preference research. Contributions to Music Education, 11, 1-14. Madsen, C. K., Brittin, R. V., & Capperella-Sheldon, D. A. (1993). An empirical investigation of the aesthetic response to music. Journal of


Research in Music Education, 41, 57-69. Sigurdson, G. A. (1971). The Effect of a Live Symphonic Concert Experience on Listening Skills and Interest in Music. Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (302499752). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/3 02499752?accountid=14214


Shehan, P. K. (1981). Student preferences for ethnic music styles. Contributions to Music Education, 9, 20-27.


Shehan, P.K. (1985). Transfer of preference from


untaught pieces of non-Western music genres. Journal of Research in Music Education, 33, (3) 149-158. Shehan, P. (1986). Music instruction for the live performance. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 88, 51-57.


Dr. Elisa Macedo Dekaney serves as the chair of the music education program and is dually appointed by the School of Education and the College of Visual and Arts at Syracuse University to teach graduate and undergraduate courses in the areas of choral music, research in music, and world music. In 2014 she joined the prestigious core faculty for the Renée Crown Honors Program.


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