Effect of Color-Coded Notation on Music Achievement of Elementary Instrumental Students

In this study, the researcher attempted to determine whether the use of color-coded notation in instructional materials affected students' performance on tasks of performing music from memory, sight-reading, and naming letter names of notes. Ninety-two fifth- and sixth-grade beginning wind players were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group used color-coded method books in which each pitch was highlighted with a different color. The control group used identical materials, but with the notation uncolored. All subjects were tested on reading both color-coded and uncolored notation. Results after the 12-week instructional period showed no clear advantage for the experimental group. Group means on the memory task did not differ significantly. Experimental and control group scores did not differ significantly when subjects sight-read the type of notation with which they had been trained, although the experimental group mean was higher. A statistically significant interaction was noted between the treatment and the presentation mode. Similar results were found on the note-naming task. The color-coded materials had a positive affective influence in that 65% of all subjects favored the color-coded notation as easier to play.