Comportamentos autorregulados de graduandos nas práticas do solfejo e do ditado musical

Abstract

Research Question/Problem

Self-regulation refers to one’s ability to carry out their own learning process through cognitive, motivational, and behavioral engagement (McPherson, 2022). It occurs in three cyclic and intertwined phases: 1) forethought: involving task analysis, planning, and self-motivation beliefs; 2) performance: involving self-control and self-observation that impact concentration and outcomes; 3) self-reflection: involving self-judgement in relation to the task and the results (McPherson & Zimmerman, 2011). While instrumentalists’ self-regulated behaviors have been widely discussed in the literature (Renwick & McPherson, 2009; Miksza, 2012), the lack of such behaviors in students has been noted as a challenge by aural training professors in Brazil (Gusmão, 2011; Otutumi, 2017). How would such behaviors play out in undergraduate students’ practice regarding sight-singing and dictation?

Objectives

This paper aims to investigate the self-regulated behaviors of undergraduate music students during their practice of sight-singing and musical dictation.

Method

Over the course of one semester, undergraduate students enrolled in Musical Perception I submitted three individual portfolios in which they reported on and reflected upon their sight-singing and dictation practice processes. Based on the questionnaire model devised by McPherson et al. (2017), the portfolios served as both a self-regulation incentive and an evaluative activity. Monthly, the students performed three sight-singing and three dictation exercises (provided digitally), recorded and submitted them as image and audio files, and answered questions addressing the self-regulation phases – describing their goals, strategies, as well as strengths and weaknesses identified during practice. Data were analyzed using content analysis (Krippendorff, 2018). The results presented and discussed here refer to data from the second portfolio, specifically regarding two dictation and two sight-singing exercises (rhythmic and melodic).

Results

In the forethought phase, students’ goals were primarily centered on the assimilation of musical elements and specific procedural approaches (e.g., imagining, singing, or memorizing before notation and execution). Students also aimed for accurate prima vista performance or completion with minimal repetition. During the performance phase, the predominant practice strategy was repetition – both of the entire exercise and specific segments – to correct errors and reinforce comprehension. For sight-singing, participants employed tempo reduction, interval isolation, and initial read-throughs. In dictation, strategies focused on the discrete discrimination of musical elements, often involving singing or playing along with the audio to verify accuracy. Finally, in the self-reflection phase, students identified strengths such as agile and efficient discrimination, the adoption of successful strategies, and an increased sense of self-confidence and persistence. Conversely, weaknesses included excessive time consumption, persistent difficulties with musical elements leading to mistakes and doubts, and negative emotional or cognitive states regarding the task, such as insecurity, frustration, distraction, and laziness.

Conclusions

While some behaviors discussed here were similar to those observed in instrumental practice, others appeared to be specific to sight-singing and dictation. The portfolios served as a useful resource for fostering undergraduate students’ awareness of self-regulated learning in musical perception.

Keywords

self-regulation, aural training, sight-singing, dictation, undergraduate level