Musical analysis of pieces included in middle and high school music textbooks

ABSTRACT Master's Thesis MUSİCAL ANALYSİS OF THE PİECES İN MİDDLE AND HİGH SCHOOL MUSİC TEXTBOOKS Zeynep TANRITANIR Malatya Turgut Özal University Graduate School of Education Department of Music 275+xxxvii pages 2026 Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ferdi KARAÖNÇEL This research provides a detailed musical analysis of musical works found in middle and high school textbooks. In this context, the works are examined in detail according to their genre, region, modal scales, etc., and their distribution according to grade levels is determined. The detailed data obtained from the analysis of the works are grouped according to classes and grade levels, and the tabular data are visualized in graphic form. This research, limited to the 2024-2025 academic year music textbooks of the Ministry of National Education, is a descriptive study designed using a survey model and employs the content analysis method, which is part of qualitative research methods. The results show that while school music and traditional Turkish music dominate the genre distribution of the works, the Nihavend and Hüseyni modes, along with the C major and A minor keys, are prominent in the modal and tonal structure. In the distribution of the tonics and pitches, the A note and narrow intervals form the central focus due to the modal structure; and the 4/4 rhythm is prominent in the rhythmic structure. While eighth notes predominate in both musical notation and silent duration values, the themes explored in the works are predominantly love/romance and the Republic. In these works, which heavily utilize dynamics and tempo, it is possible to mention prominent figures in the field of composition such as Muammer Sun and Yalçın Tura, as well as Muzaffer Sarısözen, who played a crucial role in the creation of the Turkish folk music repertoire, in terms of composer, lyricist, and compiler. It is believed that the examined textbooks are designed in a way that is compatible with the stages of students' musical perception development and serve to transmit cultural continuity. KEYWORDS: Music, Music Education, Middle School, High School, Music Textbook.