ARCHIVE 2016 NAfME Music Research and Teacher Education National Conference

Perception and Cognition SRIG Session

Friday, March 18, 2016, 10:30-12:00

Chastain Room I/J

Reconsidering Error in Music Learning

Lani Hamilton and Dr. Robert A. Duke, University of Texas

We found that the frequency of error-making during music practice (i.e., discrepancies between what musicians intend and what they perceive about their playing) does not vary across levels of experience and expertise. Rather, as musicians develop increasing levels of skill, they also develop increasing levels of discrimination about their performances.

Construction and Validation of a Computerized Assessment of Children’s Singing Accuracy

Dr. Steven Demorest, Northwestern University

Dr. Peter Q. Pfordresher, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

The goal of this NAfME/SRME funded research project was to develop an automated measure of singing accuracy and related tasks for use by teachers and researchers. This presentation will review the tasks, the acoustic scoring procedures, and the quality of the initial data we are receiving from the online measure.

The window to the mind: Analysis of visual gaze and attention in skilled music teachers

Travis Marcum and Dr. Robert A. Duke, University of Texas

Perceptual acuity plays a key role in a teacher’s ability to improve student performance. Using eye-tracking technology with violin teachers during instruction of a familiar and novel student, we found that visual fixations reflected teachers’ attentional focus and were related to the assessment of student performance in compelling ways.