Critique Cousins

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Cousins, & Persellin, D. (1999). The effect of curwen hand signs on vocal accuracy of young children. Texas Music Education Research. 17-20. (http://www.tmea.org/080_College/Research/Cou1999.pdf)

The authors of this article investigate the effects of teaching Curwen hand signs to young children. The format of this article is that of a research study in which the authors clearly write out the process that they used to conduct their work. The opening section of this paper introduces the reader, who may or may not be a music educator, to the fact that there are several different approaches to teaching young children how to sing. The authors of this study explain this issue and a brief history of the Kodály system very clearly so it could be understood by professionals across the educational spectrum.

The authors continue providing the reader with background information explaining how this method of musical education was brought from Zoltán Kodály’s native Hungary to the US. It is at this point in the article that the author states the purpose of her study: to research the effectiveness of the Curwen hand signs and their relation to vocal accuracy. The authors explain the purpose of the hand signals and their appropriateness to vocal pedagogy as they visually show the singer or listener the tonal tendencies of certain pitches in a tonal system of music. Furthermore, the use of hand signs can add to the effectiveness of instruction by reaching students who may learn better through a kinesthetic or visual approach. The author provides other data supporting these ideas.

The authors then restate their research question and explain their data collection methods and the format of the research study. In summary, they test two groups of children’s vocal accuracy before the study actually commences. For the next ten weeks, one instructor will teach the class as she attempts to keep all variables the same – with the exception of using the Curwen hand signs in one class and not in the other. At the conclusion of the ten week session the students are retested and the data is compiled to see if there is a notable difference between the two groups of students’ improvement in vocal accuracy.

The authors of this study reported that although both groups improved, there was no significant difference between the two groups improvement in vocal accuracy. They go on to discuss the possible shortcomings of the design of the study explaining that there were only two groups of students (n=24 and n=23) and that the extent of teacher contact time with the students may not have been long enough to make a difference.

This article has influenced the way that I view the Kodály method of teaching music. In conjunction with my own experience in educating students, this article has shed light on the possible benefits of the Curwen hand signs. Although the data of the study did not unequivocally support the notion that Curwen hand signs improve vocal accuracy, the author brought up several applicable points that show the possible benefits of using the signs. I am a firm believer that all students learn in slightly different ways. Along the lines of Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences and his idea that each person processes information differently, we can not focus on only auditory learners in the music classroom. As educators we have to offer as much differentiated instruction as is necessary in order to reach all of the different styles of learners in our classroom. One such way to do so is by reaching many of the different intelligences as researched by Gardner. In addition to the musical intelligence that we try to cultivate in our students, we are also able to teach to the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence and the spatial intelligence using the Curwen hand signs.

This style of instruction can benefit the kinesthetic learner: one who learns better as he is moving his body. As I mentioned earlier, the hand signs and the relative position of the singer’s hands can visually show the singer and the listener the relative pitch of the particular notes in a scale. As stated in the research study, in Chosky’s work with the hand signs, she explained that the way that the singer shapes and positions his hand can emphasize the quality of the intervals in music. According to Chosky, if a student correctly displays the smallness of the half step from mi-fa and ti-do, he will probably sing it more accurately. This style of learning is appropriate to the teaching of vocal accuracy because it helps the learner to feel the difference between a higher and a lower pitch. Although on a large scale the research does not clearly support this, I feel that using the Curwen hand signals would help certain students understand the larger picture of tonality in a more clear way.

As we continue to stimulate our students in new and more exciting ways, they will hopefully become more fascinated in the realm of music and performance. As a teacher of instrumental music, I use completely hands-on methods of teaching students how to create music. This keeps the whole student engaged using their mind, mouth, lungs and limbs to create sounds on their instruments. In the area of vocal music, the use of Curwen hand signs will further engage the students’ mind as they learn to sing. The result of this deeper thought should lead to more accurate vocal singing, which is one of our main goals as educators.