Didactical perspectives of aural training

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:The purpose of this research endeavour is to develop an understanding of the general state of Aural Training as presentedin Aural Training literature and at a tertiary level. Based on this understanding, recommendations for a theorytowards Aural Training are furthermore made.The investigation consists of three main parts. In the first two parts, an in-depth theoretical study, exploring aspectssuch as the rationale behind Aural Training, teaching ideologies, contents and target group and methodologicalapproaches found in published and unpublished sources, as well as a practical questionnaire-based survey,investigating selected Aural Training aspects as presented on a tertiary level in the Republic of South Africa (RSA),the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), and the United States of America (USA) are presented. A model of anintegrated Aural Training approach for children is proposed in the third part.Results from both the theoretical and practical surveys indicate that: (a) the rationale behind Aural Training has notbeen thoroughly thought through; (b) Aural Training lecturers with sound pedagogical credentials are needed; (c)prospective students are not prepared for their tertiary Aural Training courses; (d) the Aural Training curricula atmost tertiary music institutions do not meet lecturers' expectations; (e) more instruction time is needed for classesscheduled in both individual and group tuition; (f) Aural Training literature and teaching methods are still influencedby the Behaviouristic school of psychological thinking, with its emphasis on drill and practice; (g) methods such asSight Singing and Dictation are more frequently applied than others, possibly because they are readily quantifiable;(h) most emphasis is placed on tonal music; (i) research results in which holistic approaches to Aural Training havebeen recommended since the early 1980s are not reflected in the majority of Aural Training work-/textbooks andteaching methods; (j) commercially available software is often chosen because of its availability and not because ofbeing based on sound pedagogical principles; (k) there is a growing interest amongst lecturers to re-examine the goalsof Aural Training and to apply music psychological principles.Because of the already mentioned problem of improperly prepared prospective music students and the scarcity ofAural Training approaches to develop children's musical consciousnesses, a model for integrating' Aural Training intothe instrumental/vocal music lesson through composition is proposed. This model is based entirely on (a) theconviction that most effective learning takes place through active involvement and creation, and (b) music psychologicalprinciples such as Gestalt perception, the developmental theories of Piaget, Gardner and Swanwick-Tillman,and the musical thinking process theories of Prince and Webster. Through the application of this model, AuralTraining can be approached by dealing with wholes within a musical context. Structural and perceptual thinking, aswell as the mental principles of exploring, applying, problem-solving and critical reasoning can also be developed. Itoffers a comprehensive approach to learning written theory skills, and the opportunity to apply all other AuralTraining methods. Examples of children's compositions are presented to support this model.It is finally recommended that: (a) Aural Training lecturers should constantly re-examine their objectives, contents,teaching philosophies and methods applied; (b) advanced courses in Aural Training should be offered at all tertiarymusic institutions in order to meet the need for adequately trained lecturers; (c) a compulsory course on the didactics of Aural Training should be offered for all music students; (d) more instruction time should be made available forAural Training; (e) Aural Training should be treated in its own right in grading policies; (f) holistic approaches toboth classroom-based and programmed Aural Training should replace drill and practice; (g) music from all styleperiods should be included; (h) a wide spectrum of Aural Training methods should be incorporated and not mainlySight Singing and Dictation; (i) lecturers should inform themselves about recent research results and try toincorporate these into their Aural Training curricula and syllabi; g) Work-/textbooks and computer software based onholistic and comprehensive approaches to Aural Training should be released; (k) Aural Training should beincorporated from the very first instrumental/vocal lesson by applying an integrated, holistic approach throughcomposition.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University