Abstract:
This thesis studied methods for selecting and adapting supplementary popular
songs for the Yamaha guitar course: Siam Kolkarn Music School. The study was done
by qualitative procedure. The 15 samples in this study were chosen randomly by
studying information from related documents and information from formal and
informal interviews during 2006-2007. It was found that:
1. The teachers agreed that supplementary popular songs for the Yamaha
guitar course created motivation and enjoyment for the students. Most
teachers taught any kind of popular song in the basic course, but the song
had to be appropriate for each student’s skills and needs.
2. The teachers selected songs by the following criteria.
- Musical knowledge: the songs were simple and the students knew
and heard them all the time.
- Proper practice: the music element was obvious, the songs were
interesting, easy to practice, in a variety of compositional styles
and the students were able to play them.
- Song adaptation: the teachers adapted musical compositions, so as
to make them easier for the students to play. After the students
could play them, they would play harder ones or original ones.
- Selecting songs for making motivation: the teachers asked the
students for their favorite songs, so as to make the teachers’
decision for selecting songs easier.
3. Most problems that the teachers found were that most popular songs have
inappropriate musical composition for the students’ skill. Moreover, some
students wanted to play music which was too hard, so the teachers had to
adapt musical compositions to be easier, and then play it and explain how
to play it.