Melodic dictation: analysis of the students’ performance in the access examinations to music professional grade in Catalonia

Abstract

Melodic dictation is regarded as a fundamental activity in the aural education of the Music Theory students in music professional schools and conservatories in Catalonia. The objective of the present study was to carry out an exploratory analysis of the performance of students when undertaking the melodic dictation included in the access examination to the first course of professional grade in a music professional conservatory in Catalonia. The sample was composed of 50 students, with an average age of 12.2 years old (SD = 1.6 years old). The durations, pitches and intervals of the transcriptions were analyzed. On the one hand, among other results the study made it possible to confirm the existence of statistically-significant differences among (1) the durations, pitches and intervals, in favor of the durations; (2) the ascending and descending intervals, in favor of the ascending ones; (3) the steps and leaps, in favor of the steps; and (4) the first and second fragment of the melody, in favor of the second one for the three analyzed parameters. On the other hand, no significant differences were detected between pitches and intervals. The rationalization of the performance attained in melodic dictation with regards to the durations, pitches and intervals may encourage and help teachers in understanding the melodic perception of their students. Thanks to that, the teaching practice might be improved by elaborating pedagogical proposals that allow teachers to develop students’ relative pitch skills more efficiently.