School of Music

Music students are generally required to take classes in aural skills. Many begin university theory classes with little or no aural skills training. Instructors are charged with the task of challenging well-prepared students while providing remediation for others. Researchers have isolated four phases involved in taking dictation: hearing, memory, understanding, and notation. Would directing students through those phases help them score better on a dictation assessment?

Subjects were music students in their second, third, or fourth level of aural skills training at the time of the experiment. Two matched groups were formed based on subjects’ scores on a dictation of a recorded melody. Subjects in the control group took a second dictation individually. Subjects in the treatment group also took a second individual dictation, but they received instructions before and after each hearing. These instructions directed their attention to basic musical aspects of the recording and asked them to respond to questions regarding those aspects.

Dictations were evaluated based on rhythm, pitch, and overall scores. The top and bottom 25% (based on their matching scores) were also compared. In every comparison the control group scored higher than the treatment group. Comparisons of the whole group in rhythm, pitch, and overall scores showed a significant difference in scores favoring the control group.

Results suggest that receiving direction during a dictation was not helpful to music students. This may be a result of a disruption of students' established routines. It may also indicate a lack of mastery of the component basic musicianship skills requisite for successful mastery of dictation.

"Participants (N=14) took dictation of a single diatonic, major-key, melodic line played on a piano.  Each participant was videotaped individually as he or she listened to the recorded melody four times and wrote on a prepared response form.  Participants were observed for specific target behaviors including:  starting at the beginning, working in order, starting with note-heads only, starting with rhythms, erasing, singing while writing, singing the melody at a slower tempo, and completing the exercise.  Scores on the dictation were compared for those that were enrolled in an aural skills class and those who were not.  Scores were also compared for participants who scored at least 70% and those who did not.

No significant difference was found in any strategy between those enrolled and not enrolled in an aural skills class.  Only one strategy produced a significant difference between those who scored over 70% and those who did not:  completing the exercise.  The strategies participants used did not appear to have a direct effect on this dictation task.  Further study with a larger sample size may give further insight into this question. 
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The aim of this study was to examine music practitioners’ involvement in research. The main questions examined were: How are music teachers accessing research? What are their perceptions of research? In what ways could research better serve them? I surveyed Texas music teachers (N=105) who were members of the Texas Music Educators Association. Responses indicated that teachers overall had a positive view of research but were not actively involved because of a lack of time, a lack of funds, and concerns about the relevance of studies. Findings also suggested that a searchable web resource and presenting research in workshops may be helpful for disseminating research findings to music practitioners.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of guiding students through remembering and understanding a melody on their melodic dictation scores. Two matched groups of university music students (N = 64) took a dictation, but those in the treatment group received instructions directing their attention for the purpose of aiding their memory and understanding.
In every comparison (rhythm, pitch, and overall score), the control group scored higher than the treatment group. Results suggest that instructions guiding students through the memory and understanding phases may not be helpful to students. Early dictation instruction that focuses attention on important aspects of a melody without requiring a full transcription, however, may help to build students’ melodic memory and understanding.

Agradeço em primeiro lugar a Deus pela vida, saúde e proteção ao longo da minha vida. Agradeço em especial ao meu pai Daltro Luis Konradt, minha mãe Loreni Teresinha Konradt e ao meu irmão Felipe Konradt, por todo o apoio, amor, dedicação, incentivo e educação ao longo destes anos. Ao meu orientador, professor Saulo Petinatti Pavarini pela oportunidade, pela confiança, pelo entusiasmo e dedicação atribuída ao desenvolvimento deste trabalho. Ao professor David Driemeier e a professora Luciana Sonne pelos ensinamentos, pela amizade e pela dedicação ao longo deste período de mestrado no Setor de Patologia Veterinária. Um agradecimento em especial a minha noiva Daniele Mariath Bassuino pelo amor, companheirismo, dedicação, amizade e pela ajuda ao longo desta etapa em minha vida. Um agradecimento aos amigos Fernando Reimann, Matheus Viezzer Bianchi, Suyene Oltramari, Claudio Laisse, Marina Lorenzett, Raquel Sales, Welden Panziera pela amizade, carinho, ajuda, incentivo, paciência e por todo apoio nos momentos difíceis. À Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), pela concessão da bolsa de mestrado. " Não sei se é longe ou se é perto, só sei que é certo correr atrás de um sonho, mesmo que esteja distante, pois em um instante, a estrada se alarga e o coração encontra a carga, quando o sonho é brasa que aquece a alma".

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder affecting around 1%-2% of population worldwide and its treatment includes use of antiepileptic drugs to control seizures. Failure to respond to antiepileptic drug therapy is a major clinical problem and over expression of ATP-binding cassette transporters is considered one of the major reasons for pharmacoresistance. In this review, we have summarized the regulation of ABC transporters in response to oxidative stress due to disease and antiepileptic drugs. Further, ketogenic diet and antioxidants were examined for their role in pharmacoresistance. The understanding of signalling pathways and mechanism involved may help in identifying potential therapeutic targets and improving drug response.