For Movement

Etude 2 expands the material presented in this book on using movement for musicality. It offers guidance in applying movement specifically for momentum and the energy of the line in the classroom or choral rehearsal. The Etude employs movement in a broad variety of musical challenges to propel momentum, capture musical nuance, and improve performance at every level. Songs and professional guidance in this Etude lead directly to use in the classroom or children’s chorus, as well as providing the opportunity for professional development. The teacher can engage in this Etude without children, as needed, in applying movement to music and becoming more confident and competent in using movement to engage in and invite musicality. Insights gained from this Etude can be applied to all levels and repertoire to improve performance of any choral ensemble.

The role of the Conductor of children choir in the improvement of Interpersonal Communication through Music

Choral singing is a complex and multifactorial activity, it is a group activity in which participants are actively involved through music and are able to transmit varied touches of human psychoemotional states. The conductor of a children’s choir must have a complex personality, he must be a passion-filled musician, a teacher, a psychologist, he must have psychosocial competences and leadership abilities. In the conductor-choir relationship, the interaction of the conductor’s self with the members of the choir is of distinct importance. In order to increase the quality of said relationship, which is the basis of a remarkable artistic performance, a new method has been approached: the Johary Window model, which can be applied by the conductor in order to obtain a viable communication between the members of the choral ensemble

Developing a Child and Adolescent Chorister Engagement Survey: Probing Perceptions of Early Collective Experiences and Outcomes

This article describes the design and implementation of a survey instrument specifically developed for 6–17-year-old Australian choral singers to access and measure participants’ perceptions of their self-esteem, self-efficacy, musical identity and social engagement as outcomes of participation in a high-quality choral ensemble. After reviewing existing music surveys and identifying their strengths, complementarities, differences and potential weaknesses, we adapted established surveys from psychology and social science literature to the choral music setting. An initial draft survey was trialled with higher education choristers and refined prior to implementation in six young choirs that were noted for their high-quality performance. Data from 202 surveys were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and this resulted in a four-factor model. The validated survey was implemented twice over a six-month period with 61 choristers drawn from three choirs. Results showed that social and psychological benefits of choir participation were evidenced, maintained and even improved over time. Findings support the suitability and psychometric soundness of this new survey instrument, and demonstrate the usefulness of adapting psychological/social survey instruments to music research.

Inclusion of a music learner with ASD through play-full intersubjectivity

Through a case study of Jad (pseudonym), a music learner with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), I sought to understand his experiences as he engaged in peer scaffolding activities of a choral ensemble. The study illuminated the role of intersubjectivity (or shared understanding) in socially mediated music learning within an environment of inclusion. Through inclusive, play-full, intersubjective attunement of younger children to Jad, he increasingly took on a role as an empathetic teacher-helper, initially with his younger sister, then with other young children, then with the entire ensemble. Jad also increasingly displayed musical agency through physical movement during music-making, contributing to others’ understanding and musical agency. The findings describe intersections of play with intersubjectivity, focusing on learner attunement to affect and emotion in fostering an inclusive music education experience. Making space for peer scaffolding and playfulness within this music learning environment fostered shared understanding and empathy among all learners, including one with ASD.

Akabeko Ensemble: Cultural multimodal helical computer music installation

In this study, we made “Aka-beko” choral ensemble. It comprises an octave of a chromatic musical scale, arranged in a helix and populated by animated oxen, instances of a regional mascot, who lift their heads and sing when triggered by events from a realtime MIDI keyboard controller. The application installation in the University of Aizu UBIC 3D Theater features stereographic display and spatialized sound.

Effects of applause magnitude and musical style on listeners’ evaluations of choral performances

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 interest was the degree to which these effects might differ between music majors and non-music majors. University singers ( N = 117) listened to six excerpts recorded by a university choral ensemble and rated the performance quality of each excerpt. Across these recordings, they heard three identical recordings of a motet and three identical recordings of a spiritual with unique applause conditions attached. Listeners’ ratings were influenced by the magnitude of audience applause to a limited degree, but this effect interacted with musical style and presentation order. We observed no differences between the ratings of music and non-music majors, however. Results are interpreted in light of previous research on majority effects, and implications of these results regarding performance evaluation and concert programming are discussed.

Voice Change and Singing Experiences of Adolescent Females

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how undergraduate- and graduate-level choristers perceived the influence of adolescent female voice change on their singing experiences since the age of 11 years old. Data included individual and focus group interviews with 17 female collegiate choral singers enrolled in one of two women’s choirs at a large midwestern university. Three overarching themes emerged: perceptions of vocal development, teacher influence, and emotion. Findings revealed that participants’ perceptions of singing experiences since age 11 largely revolved around vocal challenges, fear, and insecurity and have remained mostly negative even after the passing of time. Experiences in choir were not necessarily positive, and participants perceived their individual vocal needs as secondary to the needs of the larger choral ensemble. Out of fear of hurting the larger choir, participants remained passive and did not self-advocate, resulting in additional challenges with self-confidence and struggles pertaining to singer identity development during adolescence and into adulthood.