We examined how movement impacted listeners' perceptions of choral performances. Participants (N = 115; n = 60 nonmusic majors, n = 55 music majors) viewed excerpts of Moses Hogan's "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel" under four conditions: good tone/expressive movement (GT/EM), good tone/static movement (GT/SM), poor tone/expressive…

We conducted two studies to complement extant tempo preference work. In Study 1, we explored preferred tempos for excerpts from selected wind band masterworks of band directors and undergraduate instrumental music majors. Participants used a sort-and-rank procedure to indicate tempo preferences of six excerpts. Preferences for four of the pieces…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of transitional elements on listeners' aesthetic responses. Participants (N = 81) viewed an excerpt of a choral performance while manipulating a Continuous Response Digital Interface to record their aesthetic responses. Participants in one group viewed the original choral performance, which…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of wearing earplugs on classical musicians' pitch perception across three experimental conditions: no earplugs, foam earplugs, and Etymotic earplugs. Participants were graduate and undergraduate music majors attending a large school of music in the southeastern United States (N = 72).…

We studied music majors' perception of intonation in accompanied solo performances of trumpet, violin, and voice. We were interested in whether listeners would judge pitch deviations of equal magnitude in the three solo performances as equivalent in intonation. Participants were 150 graduate and undergraduate music majors drawn from two large…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how instruction in the use of rhythmic nuances influences subsequent timings of a musical performance. Volunteer participants were asked to listen to and alter a performance of an excerpt from Mozart's "Concerto for Horn and Orchestra No. 2" and Bach's "Suite Number 3 for Violoncello solo, Bourree…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived pitch of string vibrato tones. The authors used recordings of acoustic instruments (cello and violin) to provide both vibrato stimulus tones and the nonvibrato tones that listeners adjusted to match the perceived pitch of the vibrato stimuli. We were interested especially in whether there…

This study was designed to ascertain musicians' tempo and pitch level preferences when listening to orchestral music. Ninety graduate and undergraduate music major students were assigned randomly to one of three groups. Participants listened individually to recorded symphonic excerpts, 5 with relatively fast and 5 with relatively slow tempos.…

A continuing line of research indicates that focus of attention is perhaps the most important attribute of actively participating in meaningful music listening and a model accounting for these findings has been developed. Music teachers are especially concerned with meaningful listening when having students discern important elements or attributes…

We investigated effects of legato, staccato and pizzicato articulation styles on the perception of modulated tempos. Seventy-two music majors served as participants. Two solo violin excerpts were chosen with contrasting rhythmic rates and were recorded in all three articulation styles. Examples were presented to listeners in three conditions of…

Regardless of the extremely subtle acoustic changes that are perceptible within almost all perception research studies, it is the total overall effect that generally occupies each individual listener. A long line of research indicates that many subtle "music changes" are often not perceived accurately and are actually mistakenly identified.…

Investigates patterns of music listening among music majors regarding accompanied and unaccompanied excerpts varying in tone quality and intonation. Tests the reliability of the Continuous Response Digital Interface, contrasting the measurements obtained to those from a paper and pencil measure. Discusses the results. (CMK)

Reports on a study designed to investigate loudness judgments of 30 musician and 30 nonmusician listeners in response to performed dynamic changes within a musical context. Finds that musician subjects indicated a significantly smaller magnitude of dynamic change than did nonmusician subjects. (CFR)

Presents the results of a study designed to test ability to discriminate sound intensity modulations. Examines time required for making correct discriminations of stimuli that increased, decreased, or remained the same in intensity. Concludes that both musicians and nonmusicians perceive intensity decreases more easily than increases. (DK)