Abstract:
The objective of this qualitative research was to study the Ear Training Course at
Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, including the course of study, students, course
management, media and equipment, and evaluation methods. The problems and obstacles
of the course were investigated from documents and in-depth formal and informal
interviews with 8 teachers and 10 students from the 3rd and 4th year.
The Ear Training course is part of the Western Music Theory course. Therefore,
its content has to be relevant to Western Music Theory. It was not specified in the course
syllabus although the teachers, required knowledge and experience of the subject in order
to adequately transfer their knowledge to the students.
According to the research, the importance of the Ear Training aspect of the course
was not particularly valued, as the teachers spent more time focusing on Western Music
Theory. In addition, the grading and evaluation system weighed in favor of the Western
Music Theory (80%) compared to the Ear Training Course (20%).
Both the teachers and the students suggested making the Ear Training Course into
a specialized subject, to enable the students to have more time to practice, and to improve
the educational media and equipment including bringing in new technology such as
computers. The classroom had to be protected against the noise disturbance from outside.
The environment in the classroom should be friendly and enjoyable for the students as
well.