To Compliment a Musical Friend: Amateur Musicians and Their Audiences in France, ca. 1650–1700

We introduce the Berlin Gehoerbildung Scale (BGS), a multidimensional assessment of music expertise in amateur musicians and music professionals. The BGS is informed by music theory and uses a variety of testing methods in the ear-training tradition, with items covering four different dimensions of music expertise: (1) intervals and scales, (2) dictation, (3) chords and cadences, and (4) complex listening. We validated the test in a sample of amateur musicians, aspiring professional musicians, and students attending a highly competitive music conservatory (n = 59). Using structural equation modeling, we compared two factor models: a unidimensional model postulating a single factor of music expertise; and a hierarchical model, according to which four first-order subscale factors load on a second-order factor of general music expertise. The hierarchical model showed better fit to the data than the unidimensional model, indicating that the four subscales capture reliable variance above and beyond the general factor of music expertise. There were reliable group differences on both the second-order general factor and the four subscales, with music students outperforming aspiring professionals and amateur musicians. We conclude that the BGS is an adequate measurement instrument for assessing individual differences in music expertise, especially at high levels of expertise.

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Association of Arm Position and Playing Time with Prevalence of Complaints of the Arm, Neck, and/or Shoulder (CANS) in Amateur Musicians: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study Among University Students

Medical Problems of Performing Artists ◽

10.21091/mppa.2017.1003 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 8-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Laura M Kok ◽

Bionka MA Huisstede ◽

Taco J Douglas ◽

Rob GHH Nelissen

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Musical Instrument ◽

Left Shoulder ◽

Additional Risk Factor ◽

Musculoskeletal Complaints ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Web Based ◽

Arm Position ◽

Amateur Musicians ◽

Playing Time

OBJECTIVE: In addition to known risk factors for musculoskeletal complaints in the general population, playing a musical instrument is an additional risk factor. In this pilot study, the prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints in student amateur musicians and their relation with playing posture and playing time were evaluated. METHODS: A cross-sectional web-based survey among amateur musicians studying at a Dutch university. RESULTS: 162 amateur musicians were included in this pilot study (response rate 17.6%). 46.9% of these amateur musicians played with an elevated arm position. Presence of complaints of the arm, neck and/or shoulder (CANS) was not statistically significantly related to arm position, except for complaints in the left shoulder with an elevated left arm position compared to neutral left arm position (OR 6.7, CI 95% 2.2–20.8) The number of hours playing per week did not significantly contribute to CANS (OR 1.0, CI 95% 0.95–1.17). CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study among student amateur musicians, the occurrence of CANS was not significantly related to arm position, except for musicians playing with an elevated left arm position, which was associated with complaints of the left shoulder (OR 6.7). The number of hours playing per week did not significantly contribute to CANS in this group of musicians.

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Forte Fortissimo for Amateur Musicians: No Effect on Otoacoustic Emissions

Medical Problems of Performing Artists ◽

10.21091/mppa.2013.1002 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 3-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ole J Møllerløkken ◽

Nils Magerøy ◽

Magne Bråtveit ◽

Ola Lind ◽

Bente E Moen

Keyword(s):

Otoacoustic Emissions ◽

Office Workers ◽

Cochlear Function ◽

Distortion Product ◽

Brass Band ◽

Hearing Ability ◽

Sound Levels ◽

Amateur Musicians ◽

Before And After ◽

Noise Measurements

Many amateur musicians are likely to be exposed to high sound levels during rehearsals. Measuring otoacoustic emissions (OAE) is an objective technique to assess hearing ability and can be used as an early predictor of hearing loss. This study aimed to record sound levels at an amateur brass band rehearsal and to examine the cochlear function of the musicians by evaluating distortion product (DP) OAE amplitudes before and after sound exposure. Twenty-four brass band musicians and 10 office workers were examined with personal noise measurements and DPOAE tests before and after a music rehearsal or one office workday, respectively. The sound levels in the brass band ranged from 92 to 100 dB(A), LaEQ 96 dB(A). However, the amateur brass band members had no change in DPOAEs after this exposure compared to pre-exposure levels and compared to office workers.

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Introduction

10.5622/illinois/9780252043758.003.0001 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Candace Bailey

Keyword(s):

Social Change ◽

Material Culture ◽

Social Status ◽

White Women ◽

Single Group ◽

Black And White ◽

Amateur Musicians ◽

Musical Practices

Locating women’s musical practices in the performance of gentility provides one path forward in reconciling archival evidence (binder’s volumes and other aspects of material culture that are often labeled ephemera) with existing music histories because gentility, unlike social status, belonged to no single group of people. Gentility crossed class boundaries and allowed black and white women to define or redefine their status during a time of great social change. The Introduction clarifies the use of the term gentility in this book and contextualizes its role in the performance of culture by amateur musicians in the parlor.

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Ensembles for wellbeing

10.1093/oso/9780198860761.003.0024 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 191-199

Author(s):

Gunter Kreutz ◽

Michael Bonshor

Keyword(s):

Research Literature ◽

Instrumental Ensemble ◽

Choral Singing ◽

Adverse Health Effects ◽

Ensemble Performance ◽

Amateur Musicians ◽

Musical Engagement ◽

Specific Factors ◽

Underlying Mechanisms

The value of ensemble music-making for wellbeing is addressed in this chapter, with an emphasis on amateur musicians. Previous research on musical development over the lifespan suggests that long-term engagement might be motivated by individual wellbeing benefits. Although negative health implications are also noted, amateur musicians report fewer adverse health effects associated with musical participation compared with their professional counterparts. However, the research literature on amateur musicians has tended to focus on choir members, raising questions as to whether the predominantly positive implications of choral singing also apply to instrumental ensemble performance. Recent studies have begun to fill this research gap, but there is still uncertainty with respect to the specific factors contributing to wellbeing and health in amateur ensembles. In conclusion, tentative models to foster hypothesis-driven research are needed as well as a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms that connect long-term musical engagement and wellbeing.

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