The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a microcomputer-assisted instructional program on the ability of college choral ensemble members to sing melodic configurations at sight.A two-way analysis of variance was constructed to research four questions. After a microcomputer was obtained and set up, two criterion tests--the Singing AchievementTest (Bowles) and a microcomputer-generated sightsinging test (MGST)--were given to forty-one members of choral performing ensembles at Fort Wayne Bible College. The students were divided into two ability groups based upon the Singing Achievement Test pretest scores. Each ability group was then randomly divided into experimental and control groups by means of a table of random numbers. There was no attempt made to single out participants with special abilities or trainingAn eight-week experiment with the microcomputer program, MELODIOUS DICTATOR, was constructed consisting of three non-consecutive fifteen-minute periods per week for all experimental group participants. The control group attended choral rehearsals with the experimental group but had no exposure to the computer program. After the eight weeks, the same criterion tests were readministered to all participants. An Opinionnaire was also completed by the students in the experimental group.Data-were processed statistically by the use of a two-way analysis of variance. The ability level group and the experimental/control group were independent variables. Pretest scores for Singing Achievement Test, melodic errors-Singing Achievement Test, and microcomputer-generated sightsinging test, and posttest scores for the same three tests were the dependent variables. Results of these data and observations from the Opinionnaire led to the following conclusions:1. There was no significant effect on the ability of college choral ensemble members to sing melodic configurations at sight through the use of the MELODIOUS DICTATOR as measured by mean scores of two criterion posttests.2. Differences in criterion posttest mean scores between high and low ability groups were significant at the .05 level.3. The MELODIOUS DICTATOR assisted students in the development of their melodic dictation skills as measured by the difference between the first and last experiment total notes notated and total notes notated correctly. However, no relationship was found between success as measured by the MELODIOUS DICTATOR and the individual student's perception of success as measured by the Opinionnaire.4. Students did have a somewhat positive attitude toward the MELODIOUS DICTATOR as revealed by the Opinionnaire.While the MELODIOUS DICTATOR did not seem to improve sightsinging skills significantly, benefits of the CAI program were evident through direct contact between the program and the students. The need for supervision, tutoring, and maintenance was negligible. Students also expressed interest in other experiences with the microcomputer according to the results of the Opinionnaire.

Föreliggande arbete inriktar sig på kommunikation mellan sångare och medmusiker i ensemblesammanhang utifrån det multimodala och designteoretiska perspektivets syn på kommunikation och lärandeförutsättningar. Med hjälp av videoobservationer av min egen kommunikation i en ensemble på högskolenivå har jag analyserat fram vilka olika semiotiska resurser som används samt intentionerna bakom dem. Resultatet visar att kommunikationen ensemblemedlemmarna emellan tillkommer först efter en tid in i lärandeprocessen och att det, för egen del, är sången som verkar som den främsta kommunikatören i det här sammanhanget.  Dynamik, tydlighet och lekfullhet skvallrar om säkerhet eller osäkerhet i form och melodi samt fungerar som en vägledning om var jag befinner mig i lärandeprocessen. I diskussionen tar jag bland annat upp hur den första ensemblelektionen byggs upp i enighet med det multimodala perspektivets syn på bra lärandeförutsättningar samt vad kroppsspråk har för betydelse för kommunikation i ensemblesammanhang. / The study focuses on how singers communicate with their fellow musicians in music ensembles considering the multimodal perspective of communication and learning conditions. With the help of video recordings of my own communication within an ensemble I have analysed which semiotic resources that are used and my underlying intentions with them. The result shows that the communication between the group members first are established after a while into the learning process and that the singing part shows to be the prime communicator for me in this case where dynamic, articulating and playfulness indicate security or insecurity about the form of the song and the melody. It also works as a guide to where I am at in the learning process. In the chapter on discussion I present, among other things, how the first ensemble lesson is created due to the multimodal perspective on favourable learning conditions and also the importance of body language for favourable communication in music ensembles.

There are different ways of developing a second language. The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate whether and possibly how music, focused on singing, can improve the development of Swedish as a second language. Through interviews with three vocal teachers, from three different schools in Sweden, and observations of one of the vocal teachers, information about how they work and think about the subject has been collected. The vocal teachers teach groups of second language learners by singing songs made especially for second language learning. The vocal teachers consider singing beneficial in the development of the pronunciation and improvement of the prosody, which affects the students’ capacity to sound like a native Swedish speaker. They also mention factors which contradict the positive improvement of the language learning, for example when the prosody in singing does not coincide with the prosody in speech, which inhibits learning. The teachers are however in agreement about singing being beneficial and the categories of prosody, joy and pleasure are emphasized.

The primary objective of this study is to explore the social functions of drumming and singing based on the perspectives of three Northwest First Nations teachers named James (ʔUu-Kwa-Qum) [pronounced: OO-Kwa-Koom] Swan of the Ahousaht Nuu-chah-nulth Nation, Ax7wil [ACKh-wheel] of the Secwepemc [She-KWE-pem] and St̓át̓imc [Stat-lee-um-c] Nations, and Spuska7 [SPU-skah] of the St̓át̓imc Nations. It further aims to determine whether the author’s etic, or outsider, perspective on function can contribute new and useful insights into how drumming and singing function in diverse First Nations cultural contexts. Community involvement prior to the initiation of this study constituted a fundamental methodological step. Such involvement resulted in the acquaintances of James (ʔUu-Kwa-Qum) Swan, Ax7wil, and Spuska7, and facilitated participation in certain drumming and singing practices. Following processes of request for teachings and ethical and informed consent, interviews were conducted with James, Ax7wil, and Spuska7, which were transcribed and used as primary resources for this largely biographical study. The method of collaborative ethnography was applied, with each chapter being provided to the respective teacher for editing three weeks prior to a follow-up editing meeting. The combination of interview data and participatory research through community involvement resulted in a unique merging of observation, experience, and interpretation from three distinct perspectives: an intercultural perspective, between Nuu-chah-nulth, Secwepemc, and St̓át̓imc First Nations; an interpersonal perspective, between James, Ax7wil, and Spuska7; and an etic perspective, from the author’s analysis of data observed, experienced, and collected. Two main conclusions were drawn from this multivalent approach: firstly, while purpose and function, as defined from emic, or insider, perspectives were often analogous, the author’s etic analysis frequently defined functions distinct from purposes emically described. This difference was tentatively attributed to the fact that function, that is, what drumming and singing effectively do for those involved, may not be fully experienced by those lacking cultural background and understanding, and thus analysed and defined according to broader criteria. Secondly, it was suggested that from the author’s etic perspective, though the purpose of diverse drumming and singing practices according to the teachings of James (ʔUu-Kwa-Qum) Swan, Ax7wil, and Spuska7 were multifarious, a general overriding function was found to be the strengthening and affirmation of specific social relationships. / Graduate

No description available.

An emergent qualitative design provided the scaffolding for the micro-analysis of video footage and subsequent video-cued discussion with four reviewers. The collated material was used to prepare thick descriptions which were annotated for infant and therapist behaviours. A further thematic analysis of these behaviours provided 14 sets of behaviours used by the medically fragile newborn infants to indicate availability for interplay and 20 sets of behaviours used by the therapist in response to the infant. The interaction of these categorised behaviours provided seven markers of interplay between the music therapist and the medically fragile newborn infant.

Professional operatic singing can be performed technically for practice and rehearsal, or with heightened emotion through intention to communicate with an audience. Previous studies of respiration in operatic singing have not taken into account the professional performer�s ability to differentiate at will between rehearsal and performance modes of singing. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the differences between singing �with intention to communicate� (as if performing) and singing �technically� (as if in rehearsal). The hypothesis is that this specified change of condition would change the respiratory patterns employed by the singers. Estimation of respiratory patterns was obtained using magnetometers. Performance singing was labelled �IC� (intention to communicate). Rehearsal singing was labelled �T� (technical) and also included �TL� (technical loud) and �TS� (technical soft). Each of the five singers performed two tasks (a free choice aria in Italian, and a set song). Only intra-subject analysis was used. One thousand and one breaths were analysed. These were then matched, so that only complete musical phrases (sung six times by the same singer) were compared with each other. Seven hundred and sixty-two matched phrases were analysed in this way. Measured variables were initiation lung volume (ILV), termination lung volume (TLV), the amount of lung volume expired (LVE), %VC released per second (Flow), the expiratory time (Te), and inspiratory time (Ti). Sound pressure level (SPL) was measured. This study also examined the ability of experienced listeners to distinguish between the T and IC performances from DAT recordings. Findings show that in comparison with T singing, IC singing used more air, with a greater percentage of vital capacity expired per second, but without a simple association with sound pressure level or expiratory time. Listeners were able to distinguish IC from T performances, demonstrating a perceived difference in the quality of the vocal output. These results demonstrate that performance intention to communicate, compared to rehearsal, results in a measurable difference in respiratory parameters, and therefore needs to be specified in future research.

An acoustic comparison of sung and spoken vowels for three New Zealand singers investigates the phonetics of pronunciation in popular music. The singers recited the lyrics to their songs and recordings of their sung vocals were also obtained, creating a dataset of paired sung and recited words. Interviews with the singers were conducted so that the pronunciation used in reciting could be compared with a more conversational style. Eight vowels were analysed in these three conditions: DRESS, TRAP, THOUGHT, LOT, START, GOOSE, GOAT and PRICE. As well as providing data for phonetic analysis, the interviews elicited information about the singers’ musical influences, and investigated the singers’ stances towards the use of New Zealand English (NZE) in singing. The results of the comparison of singing and speech reflect the singers’ various stances to some extent. Overall, however, there are strikingly few cases where pairs of sung and spoken vowels have similar pronunciations. The predominance of ‘American’ vowels in the singing of all three participants, despite stated intentions to use New Zealand forms, suggests that the American-influenced singing style is the default in this context. This finding contrasts with early research on singing pronunciation in popular music, which described the use of American pronunciation in pop music as an act of identity which involved effort and awareness (Trudgill, 1983). The results presented here support the claims of more recent studies which suggest, conversely, that it is the use of non-American accent features which requires a wilful act of identity (Beal, 2009; O'Hanlon, 2006). An important consideration in the interpretation of vowel differences between singing and speech is the role played by the act of singing itself. It has been argued that there may be a general preference for increased sonority in singing (Morrissey, 2008) which would lead to the use of more open vowel sounds. This issue is explored and some evidence is found for a sonority-related effect. However, singing inherent effects like this can only explain a portion of the variability between singing and speaking. Most of the differences between singing and speech appear to be caused by social and stylistic motivations. To investigate why American-influenced pronunciation might be the default in the singing of pop music, a perception experiment was conducted to examine the phenomenon from the perspective of the listener. Participants were played words from a continuum that ranged between bed and bad, and they responded by circling whichever word they heard on a response sheet. The perception of ambiguous tokens was found to differ significantly according to whether or not the words were expected to be spoken or sung. These results are discussed with reference to exemplar theories of speech perception, arguing that the differences between singing and speech arise due to context-specific activation of phonetically detailed memories. This perspective can also be applied to the processes which underlie the production of vowels in sung contexts. Singers draw on their memories of popular music when they sing. Their use of American pronunciation in singing is therefore the result of the fact that a majority of their memories of pop singing involve American-influenced phonetic forms.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2007. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 153-160). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2007. Graduate Programme in Ethnomusicology and Musicology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 372-386). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:NR29325