Paper presented at the UNESCO Regional Expert Symposium on Arts Education in Asia, Hong Kong, 2004

Transcription

1 The Realities of Music Education in Korea and A Case Study on the Influence of Musical Abilities upon Math Achievement and Behavioral Traits of Elementary Students in Korea Ki-Beom Jang Ph. D. Professor Department of Music Education Seoul National University of Education Seocho Dong, Seocho Gu, Seoul, Korea The Realities of Music Education in Korea Background In the 7th National Curriculum, 10 basic schooling subjects are identified. Music is included in the 10 schooling subjects. Teaching time allocation for music per week is shown in table 1. Grades Time Allocation Per Week classes/wk (minutes) <Table 1. Time allocation for music> Title 1-2 3(40) Joyful Life School Level Elementary 3-6 3(40) Music 7 2(45) Music Middle 8-9 1(45) Music 10 1(45) Music High School Music Education in Public Schools Korean government employs public school system as a major educational venue. The Korean Ministry of Education is the bureau that is in charge of its nations education as a whole. The content of the 7th National Music Curriculum is consisted of Concept and Activity. Under the concept component, seven elements of music, rhythm, melody, harmony, dynamics, timbre, tempo and form are enlisted. The activity component includes singing, instrument playing, composition, and music appreciation. The public school music curriculum is formulated based on the concept of the spiral curriculum. Western music, Korean

2 traditional music, and some of Asian folk songs are major components of Korean public school music education. General music class in elementary schools is taught either by general education teachers or by music majored teachers. In middle and high schools, music discipline is taught by music majored teachers. Music Education in Arts Schools There are twenty arts high schools in Korea. These schools are for students concentrating on the arts (western music, fine-art, ballet, traditional music, etc.). There are two kinds of music classes in arts schools. One is general music class and the other is music major class. Music major classes include the following: music theory, music history, sight sing and dictation, major lesson, chamber music, choral/orchestra, performance practice, computer and music, and music appreciation. General music class is taught by full time music teachers. Each music field (major) is taught by a corresponding part-time lecturer. Music Education in Alternative Schools There are 10 alternative schools in Korea. Each school's music program is quite unique. Some alternative schools follow the national music curriculum, where as others have developed unique music programs such as 'samulnori', 'band','choir', and 'rock band', based on the needs of their students. Music is taught by a certified music teacher or by part time teachers. In general, the class size of the alternative school is smaller than that of the public schools. Music Education in Private Institutions Private music institutions in Korea are very active. Most parents send their children to these private music institutions for various purposes, such as learning musical instruments, fostering emotional growth, harmonious development of character, cultivating aesthetic sensitivity, and etc. In private music institutions various instruments are taught. The instruments taught include: piano, flute, violin, cello, clarinet, danso (a Korean vertical bamboo instrument), kayakeum(a Korean origin 12 stringed plucked instrument), vocal training, etc. Private music institutions offer teaching based on individual needs. Thus, major teaching method provided is individual lessons and small group teaching based on a selected method book.

3 A Case Study Introduction to a Case Study The main purpose of this study is to measure the influence of musical abilities upon the development of elementary school children in Seoul. The field of development is limited to academic and behavioral fields. In the academic field, math achievement was the first subject chosen for this study, whereas in the behavioral field the following school report card variables were chosen; assiduity, responsibility, cooperation, creativity, sociality, and cheerfulness. In order to measure musical ability of the subject the Korean Music Aptitude Profile (KoMAP) 1 is used. Subject One hundred and eighteen 5-6 th graders of Sangwol elementary school in Seoul participated in the study. Period of Study The case study was conducted throughout a period of 15 months. The pretest was assessed to the subject when they were 5 th graders (from September 30 th of 2002 through October 7 th of 2002). The post-test was administered when the subject became 6 th graders (from October 28 th of 2003 thru November 1 st of 2003). Since KoMAP consists of 5 components, only one component of the test was assessed each day. Procedure and Method The author of this study and the teachers of the Sangwol elementary school have agreed to conduct a quasi-experimental study in order to measure the influence of musical abilities upon the development of elementary school students. The writer has decided the character of the study be quasi-experimental and adhere to the following procedures. 1) Identification of subject 2) Assessment of the pre-test (KoMAP) 3) Analysis of pretest scores 4) Analysis of school report card of the subjects (5 th graders) 5) Examination of relationship between the musical abilities and other variables 6) Assessment of the post-test (KoMAP) 7) Examination of any changes in musical abilities between the pre-test and the post-test 8) Analysis of the school report cards of the subjects (6 th graders) 9) Examination of the relationship between musical abilities and other variables 10) Examination of any changes in other variables between the 5 th graders and the 6 th graders 11) Examination of the relationships between the changes of musical abilities and the changes of other traits 1 The Korean Music Aptitude Profile was developed by the author of this study. KoMAP is a half- standardized and Web-based aptitude test consisting of five musical elements: rhythm, melody, dynamics, timbre, and tempo. The test is for 5 through 13-year-old children.

4 12) Documentation of research findings So far 1) through 7) of the above procedures have been conducted. An Interim Report of the Obtained Data score of KoMAP score of KoMAP can be summarized in table 2. Test Period <Table 2. score of KoMAP> Pre-test Post-test score difference Test elements rhythm (21) (21) 2.26 tempo (21) (21) 1.00 timbre (21) (21) 0.19 dynamics (21) (21) 1.15 melody (21) (21) 0.24 (21) is a maximum point for each component Though, the mean score of the post-test is somewhat higher than that of the pre-test, the results will be subjected to a statistical analysis to determine their reliability. A Comparison of Musical Ability Scores to Math and Other Behavioral Traits The subject s musical ability is divided into three grade levels (high, normal, and low). Then, each group s mean score of math and other behavioral traits are calculated. The results are summarized in tables 3 to 7. <Table 3. Rhythm ability and other traits mean score> Rhythm Math Assid Resp Coop Creat Soc Cheer High(31%) 20.14(21) Mod(40%) 18.10(21) Low(29%) 14.78(21) Assid: assiduity; Resp: responsibility; Coop: cooperation; Creat: creativity; Soc: sociality; Cheer: cheerfulness 2 2 These six behavioral traits are of major concern in the Korean public school system. Thus, at the end of each semester, teachers are responsible to evaluate each student s performance in these areas. The evaluation is three levels; good(3.00), moderate(2.00), and poor(1.00).

5 <Table 4. Tempo ability and other traits mean score> Tempo Math Assid Resp Coop Creat Soc Cheer High(32%) Mod(44%) Low(24%) <Table 5. Timbre ability and other traits mean score> Timbre Math Assid Resp Coop Creat Soc Cheer High(31%) Mod(40%) Low(29%) <Table 6. Dynamics ability and other traits mean score> Dynamics Math Assid Resp Coop Creat Soc Cheer High(25%) Mod(46%) Low(29%) <Table 7. Melody ability and other traits mean score> Melody Math Assid Resp Coop Creat Soc Cheer High(21%) Mod(49%) Low(30%)

6 Summary Though this study has not been completed, by examining the obtained data, the author would like to suggest the followings: 1) There is a positive relationship between musical abilities and math achievement scores. 2) In most cases, groups with high musical abilities display better behavioral traits. 3) Dynamics ability shows a positive relationship with math scores and behavioral traits. 4) It is not safe to say that musical ability has a positive relationship with academic achievement and behavioral traits. 5) Further investigation of the relationship between musical abilities and academic and behavioral traits are necessary. Bibliography Gordon, Edwin. Learning Sequence in Music. Chicago, Ill.: G.I.A. Publications, The Psychology of Music Teaching. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice- Hall, Inc., Primary Measures of Music Audiation. Chicago: G.I.A. Publications, Jang, Ki-Beom. A Comprehensive Examination of Music Teacher Training Programs in Selected Universities in the Republic of Korea. Ph. D. dissertation, the University of Michigan, Jang, Ki-Beom, Kim, Kapsu, Cho, Sung-Ki. The Development of Music Aptitude Profile for Primary School Children in Seoul. Journal of Music Education Science, (February, 2003), 2. Lehman, Paul R. Tests and Measurements in Music. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., Ministry of Education. The 7 th National Curriculum. Seoul: Ministry of Education,