Examining the different variables of musical perception level of the education of undergraduate students ’ conservatories in Turkey 1

This research professionals in various conservatories in Turkey in the field of music education students, with musical perception levels and some variables were studied to reveal the differences that occur in this dimension. 50 students from Mimar Sinan University State Conservatory, 39 students from İstanbul University State Conservatory and 38 students from Karadeniz Technique University State Conservatory so totally 127 Conservatory students, who are the students of the 2, 3 rd and 4th class in 2014-2015 academic year, have been participated in this survey which is a field research done by survey method. In this survey, two basic data collection tools were used. First data collection tool is “Student Information Form” which is aimed to obtain individual knowledge, second data collection tool is “Musical Perception Inventory” developed by G.Otacıoğlu and Aslan in 2007 to measure musical perception skills of students. Statistical analysis techniques were used to demonstrate the differences between the variables in the study. As a result of the study, there were statistically significant differences between demographic variables and the scores of musical perceptions.


Introduction
Artistic education could be explained as an education process realized in fields of arts (Öztopalan, 2007: 3).All art branches have an essential place in human life.Undoubtedly one of the most important branches of art education is music.Music brings movement to the emotional and intellectual life of human as being an individual.Music education is one of the most important effective instruments for developing creative personality which especially important to consist a well-qualified society (Bilen, 1995:8).
When considering music individually, it is known that music is a necessary element for healthy individual development.Music education plays an important role for personality development which could keep up the faster change of world due to including dynamics inside (Şeker, 2011: 1).
Reading musical note and playing an instrument of a musician is process which requires many years.Additionally, these acts are body-psychomotor skills which include too complicated processes in brain.It is required to use essential elements of music, fast and effective perception and transforming these perceptions to visual-motor system during playing music (Çuhadar, 2008).Consequently starting music education in early ages will contribute cognitive, affective and motor skills development.Music education is essentially organized and developed for general, amateur and occupational main purposes (Uçan, 1994: 4).It is aimed to train professional artists who will service for chamber music playing with voice education, soloist and instrument and sound educational fields in State Conservatory which services for one of main music education type: Occupational education institution.In Turkey State conservatories are organizations which aim to train artists and music trainers in accordance with the necessities of State Symphony Orchestra, state Opera and Ballets by providing the classical western music.
According to Yök's "Higher Education Catalogue 2010" electronic catalogue, there are 26 pcs State Conservatories which provides western music education, 4 pcs Foundation University music department or performing arts faculty in our country.In conservatories which are divided into Performing arts department, music department and musicology departments, performing arts; opera, Ballet and theater art majors; music department provides wind instruments, percussion instruments, strings, piano, composition and conductorship, jazz educations.Accordingly conservatories aim to train artists for State Opera and ballet and State Symphony orchestra by providing to educate music, opera and ballet artists which our country requires (http://www.deu.edu.tr/DEUWeb/Icerik/Icerik.php?).
While the education is provided with block lessons, instrument and singing lessons are provided individually in these organizations which have been founded in order to train artists.It could be avowable to say that individual lessons are the most important lessons which affect the education quality of conservatory.Qualify of trainer is more important comparing to other education fields for individual educations due to these lessons are provided privately such as one trainer and one student.Role of trainer could be liken to a life coach and relationship of trainer and student could be liken to master-apprentice relationship in conservatory education.
How the students who are educated as the above mentioned music system perceive themselves in musical aspects has been come to the fore.Describing music perception as a physic-psychological phenomenon which consists of a range of audio system will not be sufficient.In order to explain this phenomenon emotions and thoughts which were loaded in to the music sounds and convenience of performance of these music sounds with music art should be revealed.
A music piece is a musical message which was created by composer.Composer is the person who transmits the emotions received from the natural and social environment oriented from intellectual structure and psychological structure where they have been perceived by his/her personal abilities to his/her environment by loading them into the melodies.Commentator is the person who carries musical message of composer to the environment and listeners.There should be association with composer's esthetical artistic life and commentator's artistic life in order to carry the perceptions of composer which belongs to composer by holism.
As long as this association grows the perception of composer and transmission ratio of commentator increases.For that reason there should be a common artistic -esthetical life fields which could associate composer and commentator in order to perceive the music message perception.In this situation in order to symmetric coincidence there should be a large ratio of composer, commentator and listener esthetical life field coincidence for the perceptions which listener received from melody.In order to transmit the musical messages sourced from composer to the individual and gradually to the society individuals should have a good musical education.So each individual who get trained should be as equipped as to interpret the composers and each type of musical pieces also they should teach these information and abilities to the others (Otacıoğlu and Aslan, 2007).
It is significantly important how individuals who have been received music education alongside music ability perceive themselves in terms of music for their occupational development.An individual who considers himself/herself competent in this field could waver against the occupational difficulties after the music education.Realizing the deficiencies of individual depends how to know himself/herself and perception.So he/she could be a good musician and trainer by the time.
Modern education methods should be utilized in order to train an instrument or voice teacher in addition this education should be systematic, conscious and planned activity.In order to reach the success of teaching, activity should be tested and education programs in teaching faculties should be enhanced by research feedbacks.Measuring the musical perception ability which is one of the variables of success of teacher candidates and occupational education effectiveness consist the essential purposes of this research.
Answers were sought for below research questions in consideration of above mentioned information: Conservatory students who get professional instrument education: a) Is there a statistical meaningful relationship between music perception and instrument success?
b) Is there a statistical meaningful relationship between the variables of university, class and individual instruments?

Method
Research model, universe and sample, data collection instruments, data collection and analyze of data and comments are included in this section.

Research model
This research has been carried out by general scanning method.General scanning model is a research approach which describes a previous or current situation as it exists (Karasar, 2005).

Universe and sample
Universe of research consist of the professional music education receiver license students who are educated different conservatories of Turkey.Sample of research consist of 127 students who were chosen randomly from the above mentioned universe.Demographical characteristics of music teacher candidate sample have been provided below (Table 1).Mimar Sinan University State conservatory (n=50), İstanbul University State conservatory (n=39) and Karadeniz Technical University State conservatory (n=38).License 3 rd and 4 th class 127 student educated in 2014-2015 education -term.

Data collection instruments
A duplex survey aimed at determining the relationship of students between demographical variables and musical perception levels was used.These sections are; personal information form in order to research the demographical characteristics of students, Musical perception scale.

Personal information form
This form includes 10 questions in order to collect the information of music education teacher candidates' demographical situation also university of students, gender, age, class, individual instrument, situation how individual consider himself/herself with regards to successful.Questions considered necessary were used in the research.

Musical perception scale
Three sub segment scale of Otacıoğlu (2005) which was developed in order to determine the musical perception level of student has been used after receiving his permission accordingly the purpose of research in the second chapter of survey.After the confidentiality analyses of 97 questions of scale which was developed by Otacıoğlu, Cronbach Apha coefficient related the subdimension of "General Music information and culture" was found 0,914; confidence coefficient sub-dimension of "technical and theoretic information" was found 0,960; confidence coefficient sub-dimension of "interest towards the music and attitude" was found 0,880.A fivefold option (Likert type) which determines the expression level of student for the related subject between "completely sufficient"(1) and "completely insufficient" (5) across the expressions of sub-dimensions.Validity and confidentiality of sub dimensions of scale has been tested by material analyze which was carried out accordingly purpose of research (Table 2).
Alpha model and harmony values depending between the materials were calculated for confidentiality analyses of used scale and sub dimension materials.Depending on Alpha (α) coefficient scale and confidentiality of sub dimensions has been evaluated below.As seen on the table coefficient of sub dimension of musical perception scale was found between α=0,934 and α=0,969.That shows us musical perception sub dimensions and materials of sub dimensions have a strong relationship and their confidentiality is higher (internal consistency).As a result validity and confidentiality of scale has been considered higher and it could be used as is.

Analyze for data
All the data collected from the participating students by survey (Personal Information Form, Musical Perception Scale) have been subjected to statistical analyze.Accordingly the purpose of research respectively frequency (f) and percentage (%) have been calculated; musical perception sub dimension level of students and average points ( X ) of perception levels included in sub dimensions and standard deviations (ss) values have been calculated, depending on the demographical characteristics of students, accordingly the normality distribution of Musical Perception Scale Sub dimensions points, independent group t-test which used for comparing the double groups or Mann-Whitney Test (when normality assumption was not provided) and one way analyze of variance (Anova) or Kruskal-Wallis test (when normality assumption was not provided) which is used to compare three or more group comparison was applied.Post-Hoc LSD test was carried out when meaningful difference was found in one way analyze of variance in order to research where the difference exists between the groups.

Descriptive statistics related musical perception scale
General findings related the musical perception level of students was placed in this subdivision of research.Students considered related option and points while assessing three dimensional musical perception scale materials such as "General Music Information", "Technical And theoretical information" and "ınterest and Attitude towards the music".General average points of participated student's related Musical Perception Scale sub dimensions have been calculated, have been given below table 3.As seen over the table dimension where students find themselves as most sufficient is interest and attitude towards the music ( X interest and attitude towards the music =3,60).Students assessed their interest and attitude towards the music as "quite sufficient" level.In respect to other two dimensions, students assessed themselves as "slightly sufficient".The lowest average point was found for general musical information and culture dimension ( X Genral music information and culture =3,24).Average points of students in respect to information related technical and theoretical was "slightly sufficient" and it is a little bit higher than General Music information and culture ( X Technical and theoretical information =3,40).

Assessing the perception levels of students related musical perception scare according to demographical features.
In this section whether students who participated the research have meaningful differentiation in perception levels related musical perception scale dimensions accordingly demographical features or not has been assessed.Comparing which was carried out according to university, gender, age, class, individual instrument of students was given in Table 4. Whether Musical perception scale sub dimensions perception levels of students significantly differ depending their university or not was assessed by Anova test and university variable cause significant differentiation in respect to three sub dimension was founded.General music information and culture perception level of students was found significantly different depending their university (F=5,65 ve p<0,05).According to post-hoc LSD test results which were carried out to determine sub dimension was perceived different for which university students:

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Mimar Sinan University students and İstanbul and Karadeniz Technical University students' general music information and culture levels are different and this difference is against Mimar Sinan University students.

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Istanbul university students and Karadeniz Technical University and Mimar Sinan University student's technical and theoretical information levels are different and this difference is against İstanbul university students.

Conclusions
Finally it has been founded that interest and attitude towards the music of students has been found significantly different depending on their universities.According to the results of post-hoc LSD test which was carried out after Anova Test, interest and attitude towards the music of Karadeniz university students and Mimar Sinan University students are different and this difference is against the students of Karadeniz University.Whether Musical perception scale sub dimensions perception levels of students significantly differ depending their class or not was assessed by ttest and class variable did not cause significant differentiation in respect to any sub dimension was founded in Table 5 (p>.05).When assessing average points related sub dimensions of different class level students, it is seen that they are too closer.Whether Musical perception scale sub dimensions perception levels of students significantly differ depending their individual instruments or not was assessed by Anova test and individual interest variable did not cause significant differentiation in respect to any sub dimension was founded in Table 6 (p>.05).When assessing average points related sub dimensions of having different individual instrument students, it is seen that there are small differences.
Coefficients belonging to Pearson moments multiplying correlation which was carried out in order to assess the relationship between musical perception levels and individual instrument success levels of students who have participate the research were submitted in Table 7. Relationships between the variables (correlations) have been assessed according to the below criteria; 0. 00-0.25/relationship: too weak, 0.26-0.49/ relationship: weak, 0.50-0.69/ relationship: medium, 0.70-0.89/ relationship: higher, 0.90-1.00/ relationship: too high.General music information and culture of students (r=0.657 and p<.01), there is a positive and medium difficulty meaningful relationship between technical and theoretical information (r=0.736 and p<.01) and attitude towards the music (0.766 and p<.01) levels and instrument success level.Students who have higher general music information and culture level, technical and theoretical information level and interest and attitude towards music has also higher instrument success levels (vice versa).

Table 1 .
Frequency and percentage distributions for the demographic characteristics of students

Table 3 .
The average scores for the students Musical Perception Scale subscales

Table 4 .
Students Musical Perception Scale subscales of perception levels for showing that differentiation based on the university they studied variables Anova test

Table 5 .
Musical Perception Scale for students showing their perception of differentiation based on class variables that level for the lower size on t-test

Table 6 .
Students Musical Perception Scale subscales of perception levels for showing that differentiation based on the individual instrument variables Anova test

Table 7 .
Results for Relationships between Individual Performance Levels with musical instruments Perception of Students