Effects of Familiarity With a Melody Prior to Instruction on Children’s Piano Performance Accuracy

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to examine the effects of familiarity with the sound of a melody on children’s performance of the melody. Children in kindergarten through fourth grade ( N = 97) with no previous formal instrumental instruction were taught to play a four-measure melody on a keyboard during an individual instruction session. Before learning to play the melody, half of the children listened to a model of the melody repeatedly in music class to become familiar with the music. Children’s familiarity with the melody was assessed through a melodic error identification test administered immediately before and after instruction. The results indicated that children who were familiar with the melody played significantly more correct notes than did children not familiar with the melody and that performance accuracy increased with grade level.