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2012 31: 14 originally published online 17 September 2012Update: Applications of Research in Music EducationKimberly VanWeelden

Classical Music as Popular Music : Adolescents' Recognition of Western Art Music  

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Orchestra programs in the late 19th century formed a “classical repertory” that consisted of “certain old works that should be kept ever-popular, ever-present, [and] ever-new” (Parakilas, 1984, p. 3), in order to create a canon of music to be performed for their audiences. This canon included Western art music of any previous music period (Weber, 2006); however, as new music was com-posed music historians felt obligated to place this music in relationship to the past. As Finson (2006) explains, “In this way musicologists not only added to the body of orchestral repertoire but also influenced the music retained in the standard corpus” (p. 441). This standard repertoire became so popular with listeners that it was continually played and is still heard in concert halls today (Parakilas, 1984, Weber, 2006).

Currently, people hear this repertoire not only in con-cert halls but also in movies, television, radio, video games, the Internet and as cellular phone ringtones. However, using classical music within contemporary media oftentimes regulates it to the role of “background.” As Parakilas (1984) states, “Classical music is no longer itself when it is used as background music. It becomes like ‘easy-listening’ popular music, valued more for its geniality than for its genius” (p. 15).

The use of classical repertoire as background music to represent moods, events, or products often creates paired

associations and is well established within the areas of consumer and marketing research. These musical associ-ations are used so regularly that standard classical reper-toire will be heard numerous times within various media over a lifetime (Firth, 2002), are engrained in our minds, become familiar parts of our society, and are often pre-dictable in specific instances (Johnson, 2002). An exam-ple of this is the opening few measures of J. S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565, which is often associated with Halloween. Thus, individual classical pieces become so “popular” that they barely retain their classical identity (Parakilas, 1984).

The idea that some classical music could be considered popular music as well, at least in cultural terms, is evident in everyday life (Davis & Blair, 2011). However, this expands previous definitions in which it has been sug-gested that popular music is not folk or art music but music that depends on mass production and distribution for its very essence and survival (Bowman, 2004; Tagg, 2000; Toynbee, 2000). Researchers further state that

457883 UPDate31110.1177/8755123312457883UpdateVanWeelden

1Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

Corresponding Author:Kimberly VanWeelden, College of Music, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1180, USA Email: kvanweelden@fsu.edu

Classical Music as Popular Music: Adolescents’ Recognition of Western Art Music

Kimberly VanWeelden1

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine which “popular” classical repertoire is familiar and predictable to adolescents. Specifically, the study sought to examine (1) if students had heard the music before, (2) where they had heard the music before, and (3) if they could “name that tune.” Participants (N = 668) for this study were middle school (n = 220) and high school (n = 448) students who listened to 30 classical music excerpts and answered the research questions for each piece. The majority of students (87%) reported previously hearing the music. Students also indicated the various contexts in which they had heard the repertoire, including a number of contemporary media, school music classrooms, and/or live performance situations. Even so, only 50% of the students were able to correctly identify just three of the 30 musical excerpts: Flight of the Bumblebee, Hallelujah Chorus, and Pomp and Circumstance. Further results are discussed in the article.

Keywords

classical music, popular, popular classical music, recognition, Western art music

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“popular music is music created by, and especially for, the enjoyment and enrichment of everyday people in their everyday lives” (Bowman, 2004, p. 36), whereas art music has “the distinction of its listeners’ taste over and against the mass cultural predilections of the popular classes” (Toynbee, 2000, p. xix). These definitions fail to acknowl-edge the impact contemporary media has on society when hearing classical music, especially on persons who are hearing the music for the first time. Most American music educators have experienced this impact personally when their students hear certain pieces of classical music, such as Camile Saint-Saëns’s Aquarium from The Carnival of the Animals, which students identify as part of the Beauty and the Beast movie soundtrack. In this context, one could argue that classical music is also popular music because it is identified with popular culture and the students do not have any other point of reference to tell them the music is anything but a piece composed for the movie.

Students prefer popular style music or “outside music” because it meets their musical, social, and media needs (Boal-Palheiros & Hargreaves, 2001; Brittin, 1991; Greer, Dorrow, & Randall, 1974; Hargreaves & North, 1999; LeBlanc, 1981; North, Hargreaves, & O’Neill, 2000; Tarrant, North, & Hargreaves, 2001). Research has also found fifth-grade students exhibit little interest in studying classical music (Geringer & Guerra, 2002) and adoles-cents can have negative attitudes about this music because classical music is equated to “school music” (North et al., 2000). This may be because of the classical repertoire selected for study.

Recent research has found that adolescent students do prefer familiar classical music to music that is unfamiliar, especially when paired with video media (Hamlen & Shuell, 2006). Since “popular” classical music should be music that is familiar and predictable to students, (i.e., they have heard it somewhere before and have had repeated exposure to same or similar music; Price, 1986), it raises the questions of whether choosing these pieces for music classroom activities and study would change their perceptions, attitudes, and preferences. Before these questions can be addressed, research examining what pieces constitute today’s “popular” classical music by adolescents must be investigated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine which classical repertoire is familiar and predictable to adolescent students. Specifically, the study sought to examine (1) if students had heard the music before, (2) where they had heard the music, and (3) if they could “name that tune.”

MethodParticipants (N = 668) for this study were middle school (n = 220) and high school (n = 448) students attending a summer music camp program at a large college of music

in southeastern United States. Students represented all band, orchestral, and choral instruments/voicings as well as piano and guitar. There were no stipulations to par-ticipate, but students were allowed to take part in the study only one time during their camp experience.

The dependent measure was a survey created by the researcher. Prior to the study, two pilot tests were admin-istered to middle and high school students (Pilot Test 1, N = 40; Pilot Test 2, N = 40) to determine the clearest survey configuration, amount of time needed to respond to the questions, and best music selection to use as an example. These data were not used in this study. The final survey had a small demographic section at the top of the first page asking the students to indicate their recently completed year in school, primary instrument, and spe-cific camp currently attending. Following this section were 16 music excerpt boxes that contained three sepa-rate questions and response space. The questions in each box were the following: (1) Have you heard this piece before? (2) If yes, where did you hear it? (3) If you know it, please list the piece name below. For Question 1, the survey provided yes/no check boxes and students were prompted to “check one.” Question 2 listed nine areas: YouTube, video games, the radio, TV, a movie, MP3 player/recording, school music class, live performance, and other. Again, check boxes were provided for each and students were requested to “check all” that applied. Additionally, if students checked “other,” they were prompted to list additional media or events in space pro-vided. The third question also provided space for student responses.

The repertoire chosen for this study was selected from Classical Music’s Top 100 Greatest Hits, which bases the inclusion of music on its list by the exposure each piece has in today’s popular culture (http://www.kickassclassical .com/classical-music-popular-famous-best-top-100-list.html). This website, however, does not base its list on empirical findings; therefore, each piece was further investigated to determine the types of contemporary media in which it was found as well as the number of times and how recently each piece occurred. Repertoire was considered for the study if it had been used 50 or more times in popular culture (i.e., movies, television, radio, the Internet, cellular phone ringtones, and public events). These uses also had to occur within the past 10 years and in three different media. A list of music meeting these criteria was compiled (n = 69) and 30 clas-sical music selections were randomly chosen for the study.

Because of the amount of repertoire and number of participants in the study, the music was randomly divided into two groups of 15 pieces. This enabled 300+ students to listen to a single playlist, which would provide more data on what repertoire was familiar and predictable to adolescents. Each piece was edited to a 30- to 45-second

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excerpt. These excerpts represented the most popular sections of the pieces. For example, the beginning 42 sec-onds of J. S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565, was used, whereas the beginning 2 minutes and 35 seconds had to be cut off from Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture—Finale, Op. 49, in order for the most recog-nized portion of the piece to be included. These excerpts mirrored the sections heard in popular culture. The excerpts were placed in random order on two master stimulus playlists on an iPod™ with a 5-second gap between each excerpt. Directly before the excerpts were played, an example excerpt, YMCA performed by the Village People, was added. Since the purpose of the example was to demonstrate the procedure, it was impor-tant to choose a piece of music that most students had heard in popular culture. Therefore, YMCA was chosen based on the pilot test data in which all 80 adolescents had heard the piece and could name the selection. All music was amplified using a Bose SoundDock® attach-able speaker system. See the appendix for a list of the music used in the study.

ProcedureThe researcher obtained informed parental and student consent from all participants at the beginning of the camp. The study was then administered to small groups of students over the course of 6 weeks. Each group of students listened to one of the master playlists. Since students were not allowed to participate in the study more than once, no student listened to all 30 excerpts.

To begin, the study students were asked to complete the demographic section of the survey at the researcher’s verbal prompt. Procedures for the study were then explained using the example box as reference. Students were told they were going to hear 15 music excerpts, each between 30 and 45 seconds in length, and they should mark whether they had heard the piece, where they had heard the piece, and the name of the piece if they knew it while listening to the music. Reiteration of the survey’s written prompts were given, such as “check one” or “check all,” as well as visual cues on a survey held in front of the students. Participants were allowed to ask response clarification questions at this time. Following the verbal instructions, students were asked to listen to the example excerpt and complete the corresponding answer box to become acquainted with the study’s format. Directly after the example, the researcher again reiterated the written prompts and asked if there were questions. The students were asked not to talk during the remainder of the study. The playlist was then played in its entirety with no addi-tional stops. During the 5-second gap between pieces, the researcher announced the next excerpt number, which corresponded to their survey question boxes, as well as

prompted the students to turn to the correct page on the survey. No additional verbal comments were made. The entire study procedure took 15 minutes.

ResultsEvaluation of Survey Responses

Responses from all participants were calculated to obtain percentages for previously heard music, where music was previously heard, and correctly named music titles. The criteria for judging acceptable music title responses were determined a priori and divided into two categories: incor-rect titles and partially/fully correct titles. For the incorrect title category, spaces left blank, wrong titles, and responses such as Hello Mother, Hello Father for Dance of the Hours were not given credit. In the second category, examples such as Mountain King and Bumblebee were counted as partially correct titles for In the Hall of the Mountain King and Flight of the Bumblebee. These responses were given credit along with those that listed the complete title. Additionally, participants were also given full credit if they listed the major work from which the excerpt was taken, such as Carnival of the Animals for Aquarium. Finally, there was no penalty for incorrect spelling, provided the response could be clearly recog-nized. The researcher and an independent observer graded all title responses. Interrater reliability was 99%.

Repertoire Previously HeardOverall, the majority of students (87%) reported they had heard the music examples before the study (middle school, 83%; high school, 92%). When analyzed by indi-vidual playlist, 83% of the students reported they had previously heard the music on Playlist 1 (middle school, 77%; high school, 87%) and 93% of the students had previously heard the music on Playlist 2 (middle school, 88%; high school, 97%). In general, most students (90% or more) reported they had heard many of the individual pieces before the study (middle school, 16 pieces; high school, 21 pieces). Specifically, 90% of the middle school students had previously heard 7 pieces on Playlist 1 and 9 pieces on Playlist 2, whereas high school students had previously heard 8 pieces on playlist 1 and 13 pieces on Playlist 2. The pieces that were heard before the study with the highest percentage (100%) were Symphony No. 5, William Tell Overture, The Blue Danube, Can-Can, and Also Sprach Zarathustra. Results are listed in Table 1.

Where Previously HeardResponses were divided by category (YouTube, video games, radio, television, movies, MP3/recordings, school

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music class, and live performance). An additional cate-gory titled “other” was also available for students to select as a place they had heard the repertoire. If students selected “other,” they were prompted to write additional media or events in the space provided. These written responses were divided into three categories: adjectives, events, and media already listed on the survey. Students who listed adjectives used words that reflected a possible mood evoked by the piece, such as “scary” or “exciting,” which were not used as data in the current study. Events listed were places the students had heard the music, such

as “funeral” or “circus.” This category was also not quan-tifiable since it was unclear whether students had heard the music played by live musicians or as a recording. Data were used from the final category since students’ responses were specific, for example, “K-9 Advantix commercial” or “Harry Potter movie.” These responses were added to the totals of the corresponding media.

Students indicated they had previously heard the rep-ertoire in every contemporary media listed on the survey (YouTube, video games, radio, television, movies, and MP3/recordings) as well as in school music class or live

Table 1. Repertoire Heard by Total Student Responses and Percentages for All Pieces

All (N = 302) MS (n = 95) HS (n = 207)

Playlist 1 N % N % N %

Symphony No. 5 302 100a 95 100a 207 100a

Minuet—Boccherini 223 74 58 61* 165 80Pizzacato 192 64 53 56* 139 67Piano Concerto 138 46 35 37* 103 50Entry of the Gladiators 298a 99 91 96a 207 100a

Minuet—Mozart 293 97a 92 97a 201 97a

Rondo alla Turca 241 80 57 60* 186 90a

William Tell Overture 301 100a 95 100a 206 100a

Aquarium 226 75 60 63* 166 80Blue Danube 301 100a 95 100a 206 100a

1812 Overture—Finale 277 92a 86 90a 192 93a

Flight of the Bumblebee 291 96a 89 94a 202 98a

Funeral March 220 73 56 59* 164 79Dance of the Chinese 238 79 67 71* 171 83Trumpet Voluntary 239 79 66 69* 173 84Total 3780 83 1094 77 2686 87

All (N = 366) MS (n = 125) HS (n = 241)

Playlist 2 N % N % N %

Hallelujah Chorus 364 99a 123 98a 241 100a

Hungarian Rhapsody 299 82 85 68* 214 89Can-Can 366 100a 125 100a 241 100a

Eine Kleine Nacht Musik 362 99a 122 98a 240 100a

Dance of the Hours 338 92a 99 79* 238 99a

O Fortuna 325 89 98 78* 226 94a

Canon in D 243 94a 106 85* 237 98a

Also Sprach Zarathustra 366 100a 125 100a 241 100a

Les Toréadors 336 92a 105 84* 230 95a

Moonlight Sonata 283 77 78 62* 203 84Ode to Joy 364 99a 123 98a 241 100a

Pomp and Circumstance 353 96a 113 90a* 239 99a

Sabre Dance 353 96a 116 93a 236 98a

In the Hall of the Mountain King 357 98a 118 94a 238 99a

Toccata and Fugue 358 98a 122 98a 236 98a

Total 4967 93 1658 88 3501 97

Note: MS = middle school; HS = high school.a. Indicates repertoire heard by 90% or more students.*p < .01.

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Table 2. Descriptive Statistics for Where Music Was Heard by Playlist and School Level

Playlist 1 Playlist 2

Σ % M SD Σ % M SD

Contemporary media Movies Middle school 803 73 53.53 19.86 1252 76 83.47 21.28 High school 1984 74 132.27 42.83 2758 79 183.87 32.85 MP3 player/recording Middle school 370 31 24.67* 12.40 518 31 34.53* 11.20 High school 1426 49 95.07 32.40 1728 49 115.20 20.88 Radio Middle school 302 28 20.13* 10.64 407 25 27.13 9.93 High school 754 28 50.27 21.41 803 23 53.53 12.47 Television Middle school 612 56 40.80 23.13 1077 65 71.80 22.41 High school 1610 60 107.33 44.59 2441 67 163.73 30.23 Video games Middle school 122 11 8.13* 7.47 157 9 10.47 8.83 High school 325 12 21.67 20.77 403 12 26.87 20.39 YouTube Middle school 385 35 25.67* 14.70 487 29 32.47 10.25 High school 910 34 60.67 30.99 1175 34 78.33 20.49School and live performance School music class Middle school 346 32 23.07* 11.86 487 29 32.47* 11.36 High school 966 36 64.40 28.44 1284 37 85.60 27.22 Live performance Middle school 367 34 24.47* 12.03 492 30 32.80* 12.13 High school 1070 40 71.33 30.16 1333 38 88.87 41.29

*p < .01.

performance. In general, however, the majority of stu-dents (50%) had previously heard the music on television or in movies (see Table 2). Specifically, 50% of the mid-dle school students indicated they had heard the pieces on television (Playlist 1, 7 pieces; Playlist 2, 12 pieces) and in movies (Playlist 1, 14 pieces; Playlist 2, 15 pieces), whereas the same percentage of high school students had heard 9 of the pieces on Playlist 1 and 14 pieces on Playlist 2 on television and 13 pieces on Playlist 1 and 15 pieces on Playlist 2 in movies. The majority of high school students (50%) had also heard this music on per-sonal MP3 players or other recording media (Playlist 1, 9 pieces; Playlist 2, 6 pieces). Results are listed in Table 3.

The least selected category by all students was video games. No more than 12% of the students reported previ-ously hearing the music within this type of media. Students also reported infrequently hearing this music in school music class (see Table 2). Only two pieces were previously heard by 50% of the high school students in a school music class, Symphony No. 5 (Playlist 1) and Pomp and Circumstance (Playlist 2). No piece on either

playlist was previously heard by this percentage of middle school students for this category. Overall, 31% of the middle school students had previously heard the pieces in school music class (Playlist 1, 32%; Playlist 2, 29%), whereas 37% of the high school students had previously heard the music in the same setting (Playlist 1, 36%; Playlist 2, 37%). Results are listed in Tables 2 and 3.

Music TitleOverall, only three pieces were correctly titled by 50% of the students. No piece on Playlist 1 was correctly titled by this percentage of students in middle school; however, high school students were able to correctly title one piece, Flight of the Bumblebee. On Playlist 2, 50% of the middle school students were able to name the Hallelujah Chorus. The same percentage of high school students also correctly titled the Hallelujah Chorus as well as Pomp and Circumstance. Finally, no more than 10 mid-dle or high school students knew a partially/fully correct title for several of the pieces on Playlist 1 (middle school,

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Table 3. Response and Percentages of Repertoire Heard by Category for All Pieces

YouTube Video Games Radio TV

MS HS MS HS MS HS MS HS

N % N % N % N % N % N % N % N %

Playlist 1 Symphony No. 5 40 42 107 52a* 14 15 28 14 31 33 79 74a* 64 67a 143 69a

Minuet—Boccherini 14 24 37 22 3 5 7 4 16 28 34 21* 30 52a 90 55a

Pizzacato 9 17 21 15 1 2 3 2 6 11 22 16 21 40 66 47* Piano Concerto 9 26 18 17* 0 0 0 0 5 14 22 21* 6 17 22 21 Entry of the Gladiators 43 47 68 33* 25 27 32 15* 30 33 44 21* 68 74a 155 75a

Minuet—Mozart 29 32 73 36 7 8 15 7 28 30 69 34 44 48 109 54a* Rondo alla Turca 9 16 44 24* 2 4 7 4 14 25 40 22 14 25 73 40* William Tell Overture 47 49 91 44 21 22 33 16* 35 37 73 35 75 79a 170 83a

Aquarium 11 18 26 16 3 5 15 9 9 15 17 10 20 33 62 37Blue Danube 43 45 93 45 13 14 24 12 37 39 75 36 76 80* 172 83a

1812 Overture—Finale 33 37 82 43* 9 11 82 43* 24 28 62 32 54 64a 133 69a

Flight of the Bumblebee 43 48 111 55a* 10 11 32 16 25 28 78 39 56 63* 145 72a* Funeral March 14 25 46 23 8 14 35 21* 10 18 41 25* 27 48 111 68a* Dance of the Chinese 24 36 53 31 5 7 8 5 19 28 49 29 32 48 76 44 Trumpet Voluntary 17 26 40 23 1 2 4 2 13 20 49 28* 25 38 83 48*Playlist 2 Hallelujah Chorus 35 28 80 33* 5 4 12 5 32 26 49 20* 60 49 186 77a* Hungarian Rhapsody 18 21 36 17 4 5 3 1 10 12 34 16 37 44 114 53a* Can-Can 39 31 68 28 8 6 14 6 39 31 43 18* 99 79a 186 77a

Eine Kleine Nacht Musik 28 23 68 28 3 2 16 7 31 25 62 26 76 62a 158 65a

Dance of the Hours 19 19 49 20 2 2 3 1 30 30 42 18* 69 70a 193 80a* O Fortuna 24 24 90 39* 20 20 63 28* 12 12 52 29* 56 57a 156 68a* Canon in D 29 27 99 41* 3 3 23 10* 33 31 76 32 59 56a 143 60a

Also Sprach Zarathustra 49 39 119 49* 31 25 65 27 26 21 57 23 99 79a 192 79a

Les Toréadors 26 25 68 29 6 6 17 7 17 16 46 20 65 62a 148 64a

Moonlight Sonata 21 27 68 33* 1 1 16 8* 16 21 37 18 25 32 88 43* Ode to Joy 49 40 97 40 15 12 25 10 38 31 70 29 93 76a 192 79a

Pomp and Circumstance 33 29 85 35* 7 6 20 8 27 24 60 25 77 68a 172 71a

Sabre Dance 34 29 79 33 14 12 31 13 20 17 46 19 79 68a 168 71a

In the Hall of the Mountain King 37 31 77 32 16 14 36 15 37 31 64 27 81 69a 164 68a

Toccata and Fugue 46 38 92 39 22 18 59 25* 39 32 65 27 102 84a 181 76a*

Movie MP3/Recording School Music Class Live Performance

MS HS MS HS MS HS MS HS

N % N % N % N % N % N % N % N %

Playlist 1 Symphony No. 5 67 71a 162 78a* 43 48 135 65a* 45 47 118 57a* 24 25 68 33* Minuet—Boccherini 36 62a 111 67a 19 33 73 44* 18 31 58 35 11 19 56 40* Pizzacato 30 57a 80 58a 11 21 47 34* 8 15 29 21* 13 25 31 22 Piano Concerto 17 49 31 30* 8 23 38 37* 10 29 24 23* 9 26 24 23 Entry of the Gladiators 71 78a 170 82a 30 33 86 42* 29 32 60 29 48 53a 89 43* Minuet—Mozart 54 59a 139 69a* 35 38 135 67a* 32 35 84 42* 33 36 110 55a* Rondo alla Turca 31 54a 90 49 18 32 108 59a* 17 30 65 35 19 33 88 48* William Tell Overture 82 86a 192 93a* 44 46 125 60a* 42 44 93 45 43 45 108 52a* Aquarium 47 78a 148 89a* 8 13 61 37* 11 18 26 16 17 28 31 19* Blue Danube 86 91a 187 91a 36 38 114 55a* 32 34 82 40* 31 33 83 40* 1812 Overture—Finale 68 80a 152 79a 22 26 111 58a* 26 31 84 43* 25 29 80 42* Flight of the Bumblebee 65 73a 155 77a 36 40 141 70a* 31 35 97 48* 35 39 113 56a* Funeral March 44 79a 130 79a 13 23 82 50a* 9 16 34 21 13 23 40 24

(continued)

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YouTube Video Games Radio TV

MS HS MS HS MS HS MS HS

N % N % N % N % N % N % N % N %

Dance of the Chinese 54 81a 119 70a* 30 54a 90 53a 20 30 58 34 31 46 92 54a* Trumpet Voluntary 51 77a 118 68a* 17 26 80 46* 16 24 54 31* 15 23 57 33*Playlist 2 Hallelujah Chorus 85 69a 198 81a* 24 20 95 39* 31 25 79 33* 48 39 114 47* Hungarian Rhapsody 55 65a 113 52a* 18 21 76 35* 19 22 54 25 20 24 39 18* Can-Can 91 73a 188 77a 31 25 98 40* 40 32 93 38* 37 30 78 32 Eine Kleine Nacht Musik 74 61a 189 78a* 49 40 135 56a* 49 40 111 46* 34 28 94 39* Dance of the Hours 55 56a 142 59a 25 25 91 38* 18 18 50 21 20 20 38 16 O Fortuna 83 85a 207 91a 16 16 107 47* 16 16 52 23* 13 13 39 17 Canon in D 73 69a 185 77a* 40 38 156 65a* 39 38 107 45* 44 42 131 55a* Also Sprach Zarathustra 119 95a 231 95a 35 28 126 52a* 30 24 94 37* 30 24 68 28 Les Toréadors 75 71a 167 72a 38 36 110 47* 27 26 68 29 20 19 78 34* Moonlight Sonata 45 58a 130 63a 35 45 123 6* 18 23 72 35* 23 29 92 45* Ode to Joy 107 87a 202 83a 50 41 133 55a* 50 41 100 41 40 33 102 42 Pomp and Circumstance 92 81a 197 82a 37 33 112 46* 39 35 156 65a 56 50a 199 83a* Sabre Dance 88 76a 187 79a 27 23 107 45* 29 25 79 33 31 27 72 30 In the Hall of the Mountain King 99 84a 202 84a 40 34 121 50a* 44 37 85 35 43 36 111 46* Toccata and Fugue 111 91a 220 92a 53 43 138 58a* 38 31 84 35 33 27 78 33*

Note: MS = middle school; HS = high school.a. Indicates pieces that were heard by 50% or more of the students.*p < .01.

Table 3. (continued)

11 of the 15 pieces; high school, 5 of the 15 pieces) or on Playlist 2 (middle school, 8 of the 15 pieces; high school, 2 of the 15 pieces). Results are listed in Table 4.

Examining the incorrect responses revealed that stu-dents often listed the paired associations they had with the music and contemporary media or events. Examples of contemporary media associations included the follow-ing: K-9 Advantix commercial theme song for Dance of the Hours, Harry Potter movie for Aquarium, and 2001: A Space Odyssey movie for Also Sprach Zarathustra. Examples of event associations included the following: Christmas for Chinese Dance, Halloween for Toccata and Fugue, graduation for Pomp and Circumstance, and circus or carnival for Entry of the Gladiators.

DifferencesChi-square statistical tests were completed to determine if there were differences between playlists, within each playlist, or individual piece by student grade level (i.e., middle school or high school) for repertoire previously heard, where previously heard, and music title. To accu-rately compare student groups, 95 students were ran-domly chosen from Playlist 1 (high school) and Playlist 2 (both middle school and high school) to match the num-ber of middle school participants who listened to Playlist 1.

For previously heard music, results revealed a significant difference between playlists when middle and high school students’ scores were combined, χ2 = 159.94, p < .001, as well as when separated by student grade level (middle school χ2 = 61.13, p < .001; high school χ2 = 141.6, p < .001). Results also revealed significant differ-ences between middle and high school students’ scores within each individual playlist: Playlist 1 χ2 = 41.12, p < .004; Playlist 2 χ2 = 102.21, p < .001. Significant differences were also found between middle and high school stu-dents’ scores for eight individual pieces on Playlist 1 and seven pieces on Playlist 2 (see Table 1).

For the question that asked where the students had pre-viously heard the repertoire, no significant difference was found between playlists when middle and high school stu-dents’ scores were combined or separated by student grade level. Significant differences were found, however, within each playlist for several contemporary media, school music class, or live performance areas between middle and high school students (see Table 2). Additionally, analysis of each individual piece between middle and high school students found significant differ-ences for several pieces within each contemporary media, school music class, or live performance area (see Table 3).

For correctly naming the music title, results revealed a significant difference between playlists when middle and

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VanWeelden 21

high school students’ scores were combined, χ2 = 98.84, p < .001, as well as when separated by middle school, χ2 = 15.29, p < .01, or high school χ2 = 68.55, p < .001. Significant differences were also found between middle and high school students’ scores within each individual playlist: Playlist 1 χ2 = 10.23, p < .001; Playlist 2 χ2 = 141.41, p < .001. Analysis of each individual piece found significant differences for 8 pieces on Playlist 1 and 11 pieces on Playlist 2 (see Table 4).

Correlations

To determine whether there was a relationship between heard repertoire and the title of the piece, a Spearman cor-relation coefficient was completed. Results found there was a relationship between whether students who listened to Playlist 1 had heard the repertoire and could name the title; middle school ρ = .614, p = .05; high school ρ = .535, p = .05. No relationships were found for Playlist 2.

Table 4. Correctly Titled Repertoire by Responses and Percentages for All Pieces

Middle School High School

Heard Correct Title Heard Correct Title

N N % N N %

Playlist 1 Symphony No. 5 95 23 24* 207 72 35 Minuet—Boccherini 58 1 2 165 4 2 Pizzacato 53 0 0 139 2 1 Piano Concerto 35 1 3 103 2 2 Entry of the Gladiators 91 1 1 207 8 4 Minuet—Mozart 92 3 3* 201 31 15 Rondo alla Turca 57 0 0* 184 13 7 William Tell Overture 95 18 19* 206 58 28 Aquarium 60 1 2 166 10 6 Blue Danube 95 4 4 206 18 9 1812 Overture—Finale 85 6 7* 192 51 27 Flight of the Bumblebee 89 41 46* 202 158 78a

Funeral March 56 5 9* 164 42 26 Dance of the Chinese 67 22 33 171 58 34 Trumpet Voluntary 66 1 2* 173 22 13Playlist 2 Hallelujah Chorus 123 75 61a 241 168 69a

Hungarian Rhapsody 85 0 0 214 10 5 Can-Can 125 44 35 241 103 42 Eine Kleine Nacht Musik 122 1 1* 240 24 10 Dance of the Hours 99 0 0 238 2 1 O Fortuna 98 3 3* 226 40 18 Canon in D 106 29 27* 237 110 46 Also Sprach Zarathustra 125 0 0* 241 21 9 Les Toréadors 105 3 3* 230 36 16 Moonlight Sonata 78 16 21* 203 75 37 Ode to Joy 123 44 36 241 90 37 Pomp and Circumstance 113 12 11* 239 135 56a

Sabre Dance 116 4 3* 236 29 12 In the Hall of the Mountain King 118 22 19 238 55 23 Toccata and Fugue 122 6 5* 236 40 17

a. Indicates pieces that were correctly titled by 50% or more of the students who had heard the piece.*p < .01.

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A Spearman correlation coefficient was also completed to determine whether there was a relationship between music that had been heard in school music class and the title of the piece. An association for three of the four stu-dent groups was found for this correlation; middle school Playlist 1 ρ = .634, p = .05; high school Playlist 1 ρ = .736, p = .01; middle school Playlist 2 ρ = .514, p = .01.

DiscussionThe purpose of this study was to determine which classi-cal repertoire was familiar and predictable to adolescent students. The results revealed that most students had previously heard the music chosen for this study. In fact, only one piece (Piano Concerto in A Minor by Grieg) had been previously heard by less than 50% of the stu-dents. Additionally, students reported previously hearing these pieces in a number of contemporary media, school music classrooms, and live performance situations. These data indicate that students are familiar with many classi-cal pieces (i.e., they have heard it somewhere before) and this music is predictable to them (i.e., they have had repeated exposure to same or similar music; Price, 1986).

This familiarity and predictability became even more apparent during the course of the data collection when students were observed anticipating musical happenings within the repertoire (e.g., the trombone “slide” in Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance). Although this study was not qualitative, nonverbal gestures mirroring the music’s rhythm, texture, melody, or instrumentation were observed and noted. Because of the nature of these expe-riences as well as the empirical data collected, teachers may want to determine how much their students actually know about “popular” classical music. Moreover, choos-ing familiar and predictable “popular” classical repertoire to use in music classroom activities may help teachers connect “school music” to “outside music” for their students.

The results of this study also found differences between the student age-groups. High school students indicated they had heard the repertoire more frequently and in more contemporary media, school music classes, and live performances than middle school students. This result is, perhaps, not surprising. The music chosen for this study was found multiple times within contemporary media and popular culture over the past decade. Therefore, it seems logical that older students would have more opportunities to be exposed to this music. Although the data of this study indicated that both middle and high school students are familiar with many classical pieces and this music is predictable to them, according to the

operational definitions set a priori, further research may want to investigate student grade levels before conclusion can be drawn.

Students were only able to identify three pieces with more than 50% accuracy: Flight of the Bumblebee, Hallelujah Chorus, and Pomp and Circumstance. However, students often labeled repertoire by the paired associa-tions they had with various contemporary media or events. Although these responses were incorrect, it does indicate the impact popular culture has on students. It also raises the question of whether music titles are basic information students should know about classical rep-ertoire they hear “outside school.” In The National Standards for Music Education Standard 7 (i.e., listening to, analyzing, and describing music) and the subsequent Performance Standards for that criterion, no mention of naming repertoire is included (MENC: The National Association for Music Education, 1994). However, many teachers want (and even require) students to know music titles. This is especially true in secondary general music and music history classes. Therefore, teachers may want to determine whether knowing “popular” classical music titles is needed for effective student learning or if recog-nizing the paired associations is sufficient.

The majority of students perceived they had not heard this music in school. However, for those students who had heard the music in school, there was a correlation to whether they could name the piece. School music classes play an integral part in a student’s knowledge of classical music. Teachers are responsible for not only choosing which music to study but also what information is taught. Therefore, the results of this study raise the questions of which classical music pieces music educators should choose for classroom study and what types of informa-tion should be taught. Research may want to investi-gate these questions to help provide clarity of student knowledge.

ConclusionThis research sought to examine which repertoire consti-tutes “popular” classical music for adolescents with the intent of compiling a list of classical repertoire that is familiar and predictable to students. Most pieces within this study were found to meet these criteria. However, research investigating use of this music in school music classroom activities and students’ perceptions, attitudes, and preferences has yet to be conducted. Therefore, fur-ther investigation may help clarify to what extent “popu-lar” classical music should be included in classroom settings.

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VanWeelden 23

Appendix Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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List of Repertoire and Corresponding Composers Heard Within the StudyPlaylist 1 Repertoire Composer

1. Symphony No. 5—Mvt. 1 Ludwig van Beethoven 2. String Quintet in E Major—

MinuetLuigi Boccherini

3. Sylvia—Pizzicato Léo Delibes 4. Piano Concerto in A Minor—

Mvt. 1Edvard Grieg

5. Entry of the Gladiators Julius Fucík 6. Piano Sonata No. 11 in A

Major—Rondo alla TurcaWolfgang Amadeus Mozart

7. Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major—Minuet

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

8. William Tell—Overture (Finale)

Gioachino Rossini

9. Carnival of the Animals—Aquarium

Camille Saint-Saëns

10. The Blue Danube Johann Strauss Jr.11. 1812 Overture Op. 49—

FinalePeter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

12. Tsar Saltan—Flight of the Bumblebee

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

13. Piano Sonata No. 2 in B Flat Minor—Funeral March

Frederic Chopin

14. The Nutcracker Suite—Chinese Dance

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

15. Trumpet Voluntary in D Major (Prince of Denmark’s March)

Jeremiah Clarke

Playlist 2 Repertoire Composer

1. Messiah—Hallelujah Chorus George Fredric Handel 2. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 Franz Liszt 3. Orpheus in the Underworld—

Infernal Gallop (Can-Can)Jacques Offenbach

4. Serenade No. 13 for Strings in G Major—Eine Kleine Nacht Musik

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

5. La Gioconda—Dance of the Hours

Amilcare Ponchielli

6. Carmina Burana—O Fortuna Carl Orff 7. Canon in D Johann Pachelbel 8. Also sprach Zarathustra Richard Strauss 9. Carmen—Les Toréadors Georges Bizet10. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C

sharp Minor—Moonlight Sonata

Ludvig van Beethoven

11. Symphony No. 9—Mvt. 4 (Ode to Joy)

Ludvig van Beethoven

12. Pomp and Circumstance Edward Elgar13. Gayane—Sabre Dance Aram Khachaturian14. Peer Gynt—In the Hall of the

Mountain KingEdvard Grieg

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Toynbee, J. (2000). Making popular music: Musicians, creativ-ity and institutions. London, England: Arnold.

Weber, W. (2006). The rise of the classical repertoire in nineteenth-century orchestral concerts. In J. Peyser (Ed.), The orchestra: A collection of 23 essays on its origins and transformations (pp. 361–386). New York, NY: Hal Leonard.

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