To dictate melodies in full or fragmented mode: Which one benefits the students’ performance? Exploratory analysis

Abstract

Melodic dictation is an essential activity that is assiduously carried out in Music Theory classes. The objective of the present study was to compare the students’ performance when transcribing two melodies that were dictated either in a full or fragmented way. An exploratory analysis with a quasi-experimental design was tackled. The study sample was composed of 60 first-cycle students of professional grade in Music (distributed in two groups), with an average age of 13.8 years old (SD = 1.7 years old). The durations, pitches and intervals of the transcribed melodies were analysed. The results pointed out: (1) the nonexistence of statistically-significant differences between melodies when they were dictated in full or fragmented mode (both considering the combination of the three analysed parameters and for each of them separately), (2) the performance decay during the course of the melodies, regardless of how they were dictated (both considering the combination of the three analysed parameters and for each of them separately), and (3) the existence of statistically-significant differences in favour of the first of the two fragments in the melodies when they were fully (except for the durations of one of the two melodies) and fragmentarily (only for the intervals of one of the two melodies) dictated. In front of two similar melodies, both procedures led to similar performances; displaying in all cases a decreasing evolution of the performance during the transcriptions. It can be extracted that it is advisable to provide the students with appropriate strategies depending on the observed difficulties when carrying out a melodic dictation. The fact of having appropriate strategies could probably enable students to improve their attention focus, their attitude and their motivation, thus obtaining a benefit when transcribing the dictated melodies and, consequently, developing their aural skills.