ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study aimed to design a music program which helps a learner to develop his or her musical problem solving ability and musical creativity and to investigate the possibility of a PBL based music class by applying the program into class. For the purpose of the study, PBL applied music program was developed and introduced to 44 fourth graders in an elementary school. The program focused on the following factors; a learner`s acquisition of learning contents about music, his or her experiencers as a self-directed learner and as a cooperative learner through group-based classes, the relations between the problems involved in the actual features of music and the learners interest and concern for learning, and a teacher`s role to lead the PBL based music class. The process of data analysis took through the students` satisfaction in class, self- and mutual assessment, observation, interviewing, and self-reflection journals. The conclusions were as follows: First, there found some changes in musical understanding, musical activities, and musical attitudes of a learner. The learners were observed to effectively solve problems by increasingly using musical terms and developing their musical ability. Second, the students learned in a self-directed way by, for example, selecting an assignment that fit their own musical ability, aptitude, need, and interest. As the result, they got to actively participate in classes, appear as an active learner, and improve their self-directed learning ability. Third, the learners could accomplish the cognitive awareness of music and the definitional learning purposes by responsibly taking part in learning as a cooperative learner solving problems in collaboration with other students. Fourth, the students participated in the problem solving process concerning music with interest and active attitude, which proves that a PBL based music class does have influence on students` musical responses and their interest in music. Fifth, the teacher turned out to act as a guide and adviser from the beginning to the closing of the class, leading the PBL based music class. Sixth, a new possibility of music education was sugjlgested at the result of the application of PBL in music class.