Abstract Numerous theories ground research and practice in the broad domain of music. Theories of psychoacoustics guide the construction of a concert hall, theories of information and expectancy suggest to composers a listener’s capacity for music appreciation, theories of musical preference affect a concert programmer’s decision making, and theories of measurement influence the construction of a musical aptitude test. In music education, theories of learning have contributed to an understanding of how the learner processes information and, through corresponding instructional theories, have caused change in instructional practice. Theories of motivation and recent theories of intelligence (Dweck, 1997) assist teachers in eliciting student productivity. Theories of child development govern the construction of age-appropriate subject matter. As both instructional and motivation theories are addressed elsewhere in this part of the Handbook, they have been excluded from the discussion in this chapter. Learning theories, the topic this chapter is concerned with, have contributed to advances in thinking about educating and teaching the child in settings of formal schooling. Some of these theories have found acceptance and application in research on music learning as well, and they have impacted music educators’ thought on how to sequence instruction in the classroom. Some learning theories also have guided sequencing in computer-assisted music instruction. However, depending on the philosophical perspective underlying any particular theory, different degrees of emphasis on behavioral, cognitive, or constructivist thinking have shaped the models used to explain how a child learns and hence to sequencing the instructional steps deemed necessary for effectively teaching a child.
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