Seeing music performance: Visual influences on perception and experience

Drawing from ethnographic, empirical, and historical/cultural perspectives, we examine the extent to which visual aspects of music contribute to the communication that takes place between performers and their listeners. First, we introduce a framework for understanding how media and genres shape aural and visual experiences of music. Second, we present case studies of two performances, and describe the relation between visual and aural aspects of performance. Third, we report empirical evidence that visual aspects of performance reliably influence perceptions of musical structure (pitch related features) and affective interpretations of music. Finally, we trace new and old media trajectories of aural and visual dimensions of music, and highlight how our conceptions, perceptions and appreciation of music are intertwined with technological innovation and media deployment strategies.

The effects of ambient music on simulated anaesthesia monitoring

We examined the effect of no music, classical music or rock music on simulated patient monitoring. Twenty-four non-anaesthetist participants with high or low levels of musical training were trained to monitor visual and auditory displays of patients' vital signs. In nine anaesthesia test scenarios, participants were asked every 50-70 s whether one of five vital signs was abnormal and the trend of its direction. Abnormality judgements were unaffected by music or musical training. Trend judgements were more accurate when music was playing (p = 0.0004). Musical participants reported trends more accurately (p = 0.004), and non-musical participants tended to benefit more from music than did the musical participants (p = 0.063). Music may provide a pitch and rhythm standard from which participants can judge changes in vital signs from auditory displays. Nonetheless, both groups reported that it was easier to monitor the patient with no music (p = 0.0001), and easier to rely upon the auditory displays with no music (p = 0.014).

The effect of music on monitoring a simulated anaesthetised patient with sonfication

The idea of sonifying anaesthetised patients’ vital signs is gaining acceptance, but some anaesthetists are concerned about additional noise in the operating theatre. We tested the effect of ambient music (jazz, classical and rock) on participants’ ability to monitor a simulated anaesthetised patient with sonification and visual monitors. Participants liked working with ambient music when workload was low. Participants preferred rock music, but reported working better with classical. Ambient music has less effect on participants’ ability to monitor the simulated patient than a distractor task does. We discuss practical implications of these findings.