Previous studies shows that to do two musical skills simultaneosly is not easy. This is more difficult
when it been taught to children. However, the Dalcroze Eurhythmics Approach is believed can ease the
children to coordinate the musical skills to present a good musical performance. This is a pilot study
involving sample of 31 children from a primary school in Putrajaya divided into 19 boys and 12 girls.
Respondents’ achievement were analysed after 12 sessions of intervention for three months. Result
shows the mean score of the coordination singing and playing kompang is 61.7 with standard division
12.47. There are 3 students scored Grade A, 10 scored Grade B, 13 scored Grade C, 4 scored Grade D
and one student failed with Grade E. Because 30 students have passed the test, the reasearcher come up with the solution that the Dalcroze Eurhythmics Approach is relevant to be taught to increase children
coordination skill which is sing and play percussion simultaneously.
Previous studies approved that not all lesson activities are suitable for gifted and talented students.
This study is designed to identify what are the proper musical activities that can fill the needs of gifted
and talented students in Malaysia. The research sample is among gifted and talented students from the
whole Malaysia who are studying in Pusat PERMATApintar Negara. Result in this study may be used
as reference for educators who want to teach music on gifted and talented children, so that educators
may choose the right and effective activities to implement on those children. Therefore, the researcher
collects data using Focus Group Discussion Techique,and Indepth Interview on gifted and talented
children who had experienced music in formal class. Observation is also conducted in music classes in
Pusat PERMATApintar Negara to identify their behavioral on the musical activities conducted. Result
reveals that all the students believe the most proper musical activities are playing musical instruments, performance, music theory and singing. Teachers may attract students’ attention by using interactive
learning apparatus, relates theory and practical, and justify the importance of music study.
Musicians are prone to performance injuries due to the nature of musical practice, and classical pianists are among the groups at high risk for playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs). With the growing number of classical pianists in Malaysia, this study aimed to investigate the proportion of PRMDs occurring among classical piano students in tertiary institutions in Malaysia. Associations between gender, practice habits, diet, sports involvement, and PRMD were investigated. A survey was conducted among classical piano students (n=192) at tertiary institutions of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Results showed that 35.8% (n=68) students reported having PRMD. The shoulder was the most commonly affected body site, followed by the arm, finger, and wrist. Pain, fatigue, and stiffness were the most cited symptoms by those who suffered from a PRMD. Chi-square analysis showed a significant relationship between the occurrence of PRMD and practice hours (p=0.031), the habit of taking breaks during practice (p=0.045), physical cool-down exercises (p=0.037), and special diet (p=0.007). Multivariate logistic regression analyses confirmed the independent correlation between PRMDs and the lack of taking a break during practice, physical cool-down exercises, and special diet. Because PRMDs are reported at various severity levels, this study should increase awareness of PRMD among classical piano students and encourage injury prevention in musicians in the future to ensure long-lasting music careers.
Performance injuries among musicians have been widely discussed for decades. However, despite the growing number of classical pianists, this is still a new issue in Malaysia. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the level of knowledge of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) among tertiary music students in Malaysia. A survey was conducted among classical piano students at tertiary institutions of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Out of 192 respondents, 76% knew that piano playing can cause PRMDs. Slightly over three-quarters of respondents (77.1%) learned about PRMDs from music educators. The survey revealed that the belief in "no pain, no gain" was still ingrained in their minds, as 50.5% respondents believed that pain experienced while playing the piano was normal and 51.6% of them considered that pain must be experienced to improve their piano skill. The respondents were also scored on questions on terminologies of pianist injury and specific PRMD examples: 7.8% of respondents scored high in the questions on the general terminology, while 99.5% of them scored low in the questions on the specific examples of PRMDs. This finding indicated a lack of knowledge of specific musicians' injuries among classical piano students. The attitudes to pain and the level of understanding of the significance of potential injuries indicate that increasing PRMD awareness and introducing courses on PRMD prevention at tertiary institutions are warranted.