Geringer, J.M. and Madsen, C.K. (1995-1996) Focus of Attention to Elements:  Listening Patterns of Musicians and Non-musicians. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 127, 80-87.

• Synopsis
• Critique
• Article Citation (for complete article, see hard copy)

Synopsis

This study sought to replicate and expand previous research to find if there are aspects of the music listening experience that consistently differ as a function of music training.  120 subjects were tested individually as they listened to instrumental music excerpts.  Subjects manipulated a Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI) which indicated their focus of attention to the specified musical elements.  Musical examples used were identical to those used in previous research.  The relationship between responses of music majors versus non-music majors was explored using mean percentages per music element as well as preferential ratings of listeners.  Data from this study was then compared to previous study using Spearman correlations.  The authors found that there was a difference in listening patterns between non-music and music majors, showing that musicians more often regarded timbre as a prominent element, while non-musicians gave more focus to dynamics and melody.  Overall it was found that for both groups melody had a higher correlation to listener partiality than the other elements. 

Critique

Results of this study could be particularly helpful to the general music educator in situations where a student population exists that contains highly disparate music skill levels.  More often than not, this is the sort of situation a public school teacher like me must deal with. 

 

The results of the study showed that timbre was a musical concept more likely to be used by musicians than non-musicians.  The study also found that non-musicians tended to give higher percentages to dynamics and melody.  These results made sense to me for several reasons.  I think that the concepts of dynamics and melody are far easier to understand than are the more abstract concepts of rhythm and timbre.  Therefore, it is comprehensible that musicians would be more comfortable recognizing and relating those elements.  As an elementary music teacher, I also find that I teach the simpler concepts more often and spend less time on an element like timbre because it is an idea I am not as comfortable teaching at a basic level.  This is something I hadn’t realized about my teaching and now that I am cognizant of it, I will attempt to find more effective ways to relate these complex concepts to the elementary age student.

 

As I conduct more and more listening exercises, I’m finding that I’d like to better arm my students with the vocabulary and knowledge to communicate their thoughts and ideas in musical terms.  This study suggests that such an endeavor might lead to higher order thinking skills, since musicians were more likely to prefer more complex styles of music.

  

Another thought that I took from this article is in regard to the subjects’ preference for pieces in which the melody was more salient.  When I am teaching pieces for the purpose of recognition as I have been for the Music Memory contest, perhaps I should spend more time teaching the predominant melodies.  If the students are able to sing the melody of a piece, it follows that their enjoyment of it may increase and thus they are more likely to remember it when assessed at a later date.  At least that’s what the results of this study might suggest.  Next year I hope to put that theory into practice as I prepare my students for another contest.

 

I realize that I am taking results of a test that involved college level students and applying it to elementary age children, and therefore the same ideas may not be relevant.  Still, I believe that these concepts are appropriate enough to explore in a different context.