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…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of score study and conducting gesture on collegiate musicians' ability to detect errors in a choral score. Is there a combined effect of gesture and score study that impacts undergraduate conductors' identification of errors in a score? Participants (N = 53) viewed a sequence of four choral…

The purpose of this study was to examine the influences of facial expression and conducting gesture on perceptions of choral conductor and ensemble expressivity. College musicians (N = 156) viewed excerpts of two choral conductors who had been recorded conducting with either an expressive conducting gesture and a neutral/static face or an…

In this study, we examined the effects of multiple reference pitch sources on collegiate singers' accuracy in pitch-matching and intonation tasks. We also investigated which reference pitch source participants preferred and for what reasons. Participants (N = 99) sang a two-measure excerpt of "Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine" after listening…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine variables that contribute to burnout among Texas choral teachers. Specific research questions included: (1) What demographic variables predict burnout in Texas choir teachers? and (2) How do perceptions of teacher agency impact Texas choir teachers' experience of burnout? After providing…

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 examine the effects of two pre-tuning vocalization behaviors (humming and singing) on the tuning accuracy of woodwind and brass instrumentalists. Undergraduate collegiate musicians (N = 72) performed a sustained stimulus pitch (concert B-flat) while engaging in one of the two conditions or the control condition…

Applause, an overt expression of approval from audience to performer, is one of the most common forms of audience response to live musical performances. In this study, we examined the effects of applause magnitude (high, low, or no applause) and musical style (motet or spiritual) on listeners' ratings of choral performances. A secondary area of…

The purpose of this study was to examine participants' (college band and choral musicians, N = 143) perceptions of conductor clarity and expressivity after viewing band and choral directors conducting with or without a baton. One band and one choral conductor each prepared and conducted two excerpts of Guy Forbes's "O Nata Lux", a piece…