A Comparative Case Study on the Effectiveness of a Multisensory Instructional Approach for Learning Musical Expression

Jennifer Lapple

Advisor: Lisa Billingham, DMA, College of Visual and Performing Arts

Committee Members: Rachel Bergman, Brian Wuttke, Joanne Haroutounian, Kelly Schrum

Music Theater Building, Conference Room
November 24, 2014, 12:00 PM to 09:00 AM

Abstract:

This study sought to investigate the perceptions of six undergraduate students and their private teachers using the Multisensory Music Making (MSMM) approach for teaching and learning musical expression. Musicians interacted with a combination of visual and auditory stimuli to inspire new concepts about the music they were learning.  Through this approach, musicians learned to connect with music on a deeper level and to expand their range of emotional and expressive performing. The MSMM approach employs three methods for playing expressively, which include: (1) Artistic Representation; (2) Aural Modeling; and (3) Improvisatory Storytelling. These methods were intended to help musicians play more expressively in relation to several musical components.    ​