The Effects of Repetition on Listening Response

1 HE STATUS STUDY of the music programs in the schools of Pennsylvania was initiated in September 1960. The results of this study show that the seventh grade general music class is scheduled only once per week in 63 percent of the schools studied, while 34 percent of the schools offer general music twice per week, and only three percent schedule general music three or more times weekly. From the results of this study it is apparent that the most common practice in Pennsylvania schools is to schedule the general music class only once a week. Because of the many experiences which should be offered during the courseJ only a portion of each class can be devoted to listening. Therefore, it is important to determine whether it would be wiser to present many recordings for broad listening experience or to teach the many phases of music while making repeated use of fewer recordings. It should be determined to what extent repetition of musical selections is desirable and what effect familiarity brought about by repetition has on children's preferences for music. In discussing repetition as it is related to the aesthetic response, Hevner calls attention to the theory of optimum response when she writes: "There is then . . . after repeated hearing, an optimum point of appreciation after which the law of diminishing aesthetic returns sets in. The attainment of [this point] may be accelerated or delayed, but in the long run it is psychologically inevitable."l If the music educator is to teach effectively, it should be determined when this optimum response is made by children and under what conditions the response is accelerated or delayed. In regard to familiarity with the played music Schoen states: "If there is a fixed relationship [between familiarity and enjoyment] the teacher has a guide to follow, which consists of familiarizing the pupils with the masterpieces of musical literature."2 If the effect of familiarity