EFFECTS of PREFERRED and NONPREFERRED MUSIC on CONTINUOUS CYCLING EXERCISE PERFORMANCE

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of preferred and nonpreferred music on exercise distance, Heart Rate (HR), and Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) during continuous cycling exercise performed at high intensity Fifteen participants performed five test sessions During two sessions, they cycled with fixed workload on ergometer to determine the Critical Power (Cl') intensity Then, they performed three more sessions cycling at CP intensity listening to Preferred Music, listening to Nonpreferred Music, and No Music The HR responses in the exercise sessions did not differ among all conditions However, the RPE was higher for Nonpreferred Music than in the other conditions The performance under Preferred Music (9 8 +/- 4 6km) was greater than under Nonpreferred Music (7 1 +/- 3 5km) conditions Therefore, listening to Preferred Music during continuous cycling exercise at high intensity can Increase the exercise distance, and individuals listening to Nonpreferred Music can perceive more discomfort caused by the exercise

Music tempo's effect on exercise performance: comment on dyer and mckune

Dyer and McKune (2013) stated that music tempo has no influence on performance, physiological, and psychophysical variables in well-trained cyclists during high intensity endurance tasks. However, there are important limitations in the methodology of the study. The participants'music preferences and tempo change were not well measured. It is not possible to affirm that music tempo does not influence athletes'performance. Potential areas of future research include: (a) use of instruments to assess the qualities of music; (b) standardizing music of tempo according to exercise type (e.g., running, cycling, etc.); (c) considering training level of the participants (i.e., athletes and non-athletes); and (d) use of instruments to assess concentration during exercise.

Pre-task music improves swimming performance

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of pre--task music on swimming performance and other psychological variables. A randomized counterbalanced within--subjects (experimental and control condition) design was employed. Eighteen regional level male swimmers performed two 200m freestyle swimming time trials. Participants were exposed to either 5min of self--selected music (pre--task music condition) or 5min of silence (control condition) and, after 1 minute, performed the swimming task. Swimming time was significantly shorter (--1.44%) in the pre--task music condition. Listening to pre--task music increased motivation to perform the swimming task, while arousal remained unchanged. While fatigue increased after the swimming task in both conditions, vigour, ratings of perceived exertion and affective valence were unaltered. It is concluded, for the first time, that pre--task music improves swimming performance.

Listening to music in the first, but not the last 1.5 km of a 5-km running trial alters pacing strategy and improves performance

We examined the effects of listening to music on attentional focus, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), pacing strategy and performance during a simulated 5-km running race. 15 participants performed 2 controlled trials to establish their best baseline time, followed by 2 counterbalanced experimental trials during which they listened to music during the first (M-start) or the last (M-finish) 1.5 km. The mean running velocity during the first 1.5 km was significantly higher in M-start than in the fastest control condition (p < 0.05), but there was no difference in velocity between conditions during the last 1.5 km (p > 0.05). The faster first 1.5 m in M-start was accompanied by a reduction in associative thoughts compared with the fastest control condition. There were no significant differences in RPE between conditions (p > 0.05). These results suggest that listening to music at the beginning of a trial may draw the attentional focus away from internal sensations of fatigue to thoughts about the external environment. However, along with the reduction in associative thoughts and the increase in running velocity while listening to music, the RPE increased linearly and similarly under all conditions, suggesting that the change in velocity throughout the race may be to maintain the same rate of RPE increase.

The Church Music Program: The Effect of Moving from Performance-based to Education-based Emphasis in a Church Music Program

This research project sought to answer the primary research question: What occurs when the music program in a church changes its emphasis from performance to education? This qualitative study of a church choir included participant observation of Wednesday evening and Sunday morning rehearsals over a 12 week period, individual interviews, group interviews, written responses, and written and visual assessment of musical skills. The goal was a rich description of the participants and emerging themes resulting from the shift in emphasis. Analysis of data occurred through inductive processing. Data was initially coded and then the codes were categorized into sub-themes, and finally into major themes. Early analysis of the data began with reflection in a researcher journal. Following the completion of the study the journal was entered into a word processor, as were transcriptions of videotaped rehearsals, and written reflections from the participants. After all data had been reviewed repeatedly and entered into the word processor, it was coded, reexamined, and finally categorized into sub-themes and themes. After coding and identification of major themes and sub-themes the finding were challenged by looking for disconfirming evidence. Finally, after the completion of the analysis stage, member checks were conducted. The results of the analysis of data revealed themes that could be associated either with the choir or the director. The key themes primarily associated with the choir were: Response to the change in rehearsal format; Attitude toward learning; Appropriateness of community learning model; and, Member's perceptions of the results of the program. The key themes associated with the director were identified as: Conductor assuming the role of educator; Conductor recognizing the choir as learners; Conductor treating rehearsals as a time for teaching and learning; and, Conductor's perception of the effectiveness of the change in focus. The study concluded that a change in focus from performance to education did not noticeably improve the sound of the choir after twelve-weeks. There were however, indications that improvements were being made by the individual members. Further study of the effects over a longer period of time is recommended.

A manual of orchestration, designed especially to enable amateurs to follow intelligently the performance of orchestral music.

Mode of access: Internet.

The sound of whiteness: early music vocal performance practice in Britain

American Musicological Society annual meeting, San Francisco, 10 Nov. 2011

Gestural communication of music structure during solo classical piano performance

The production and perception of music is a multimodal activity involving auditory, visual and conceptual processing, integrating these with prior knowledge and environmental experience. Musicians utilise expressive physical nuances to highlight salient features of the score. The question arises within the literature as to whether performers’ non-technical, non-sound-producing movements may be communicatively meaningful and convey important structural information to audience members and co-performers. In the light of previous performance research (Vines et al., 2006, Wanderley, 2002, Davidson, 1993), and considering findings within co-speech gestural research and auditory and audio-visual neuroscience, this thesis examines the nature of those movements not directly necessary for the production of sound, and their particular influence on audience perception. Within the current research 3D performance analysis is conducted using the Vicon 12- camera system and Nexus data-processing software. Performance gestures are identified as repeated patterns of motion relating to music structure, which not only express phrasing and structural hierarchy but are consistently and accurately interpreted as such by a perceiving audience. Gestural characteristics are analysed across performers and performance style using two Chopin preludes selected for their diverse yet comparable structures (Opus 28:7 and 6). Effects on perceptual judgements of presentation modes (visual-only, auditory-only, audiovisual, full- and point-light) and viewing conditions are explored. This thesis argues that while performance style is highly idiosyncratic, piano performers reliably generate structural gestures through repeated patterns of upper-body movement. The shapes and locations of phrasing motions are identified particular to the sample of performers investigated. Findings demonstrate that despite the personalised nature of the gestures, performers use increased velocity of movements to emphasise musical structure and that observers accurately and consistently locate phrasing junctures where these patterns and variation in motion magnitude, shape and velocity occur. By viewing performance motions in polar (spherical) rather than cartesian coordinate space it is possible to get mathematically closer to the movement generated by each of the nine performers, revealing distinct patterns of motion relating to phrasing structures, regardless of intended performance style. These patterns are highly individualised both to each performer and performed piece. Instantaneous velocity analysis indicates a right-directed bias of performance motion variation at salient structural features within individual performances. Perceptual analyses demonstrate that audience members are able to accurately and effectively detect phrasing structure from performance motion alone. This ability persists even for degraded point-light performances, where all extraneous environmental information has been removed. The relative contributions of audio, visual and audiovisual judgements demonstrate that the visual component of a performance does positively impact on the over- all accuracy of phrasing judgements, indicating that receivers are most effective in their recognition of structural segmentations when they can both see and hear a performance. Observers appear to make use of a rapid online judgement heuristics, adjusting response processes quickly to adapt and perform accurately across multiple modes of presentation and performance style. In line with existent theories within the literature, it is proposed that this processing ability may be related to cognitive and perceptual interpretation of syntax within gestural communication during social interaction and speech. Findings of this research may have future impact on performance pedagogy, computational analysis and performance research, as well as potentially influencing future investigations of the cognitive aspects of musical and gestural understanding.

Pathfinder. Performance at the Sonorities Festival of Contemporary Music 2016

Pathfinder (2016) is an audiovisual performance-game for a solo drummer,exploring the synergies between multiple contemporary creative practices.The work navigates between music composition, improvisation, projection/ light art and game art. At its heart lies a bespoke electro-acoustic instrument,the augmented drum-kit, used not only to provide the sonic content of the work in real-time, but also as a highly expressive game controller that interacts with an instrument-specific game. The musical instrument offers a much wider range of expressive possibilities, control and tactile feedback in comparison to a traditional general-purpose game controller, and as a result it affords a very diverse and nuanced gameplay performance. Live electronics, lights, projections and the drum-kit all make up the performance-game’s universe, within which the performer has to explore, adjust, navigate and complete a journey.