Benefits of Listening for Harmony on the Performance of Wind Instrument Beginners

Abstract

One of the greatest challenges for wind instrument beginners is developing the ability to listen for harmony when practicing and performing. Even though harmony is one of the most fundamental musical elements in western art music, attaining such a listening proficiency can be especially difficult for wind instrument beginners who are much more accustomed to focusing on a single melodic line, which can in turn have significant implications for the students’ performance. This study accordingly investigated the benefits of listening for harmony on first-year wind instrument students in the Young Artists Music Program (YAMP) at the College of Music, Mahidol University, Thailand. The students who participated in the study were selected because they had no previous experience playing harmonic instruments and received a score of no higher than 69 percent on their aural skills entrance exams. The main purpose of the study was to explore the ways in which developing the students’ aptitude in listening for harmony might aid in improving their basic performance. After gathering information from observation, sound recording, field notes and interviews, the results from this study indicate that developing the students’ skills in listening for harmony can benefit their intonation, tone quality and sense of melodic direction, all of which are important aspects of wind instrument performance.