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Effects of Gesture Height on Individual and Ensemble Singing: Acoustic and Perceptual Measures Lesley Maxwell Mann

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Effects of Gesture Height on Individual and Ensemble Singing: Acoustic and Perceptual Measures Lesley Maxwell Mann Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2014 Effects of Gesture Height on Individual and Ensemble Singing: Acoustic and Perceptual Measures Lesley Maxwell Mann Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC EFFECTS OF GESTURE HEIGHT ON INDIVIDUAL AND ENSEMBLE SINGING: ACOUSTIC AND PERCEPTUAL MEASURES By LESLEY MAXWELL MANN A Dissertation submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2014 Lesley Maxwell Mann defended this dissertation on May 2, 2014. The members of the supervisory committee were: John. M. Geringer Professor Directing Dissertation David Okerlund University Representative André J. Thomas Committee Member Judy K. Bowers Committee Member Kevin Fenton Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the dissertation has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii “He loved her, of course, but better than that, he chose her, day after day. Choice: that was the thing.” – Sherman Alexie To my husband, who daily chooses love and respect, and demonstrate such with his actions. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson This dissertation is the culmination of an effort made possible by the support of many. The completion of a doctoral degree truly takes a village, and I am forever indebted to the faculty at FSU. The culture of support at Florida State University honors engagement and encouragement, and fosters an unsurpassed community of collegiality. To my major professor, Dr. Geringer, I thank you for your guidance and wisdom in this endeavor. Your patience and thoughtfulness served as a consistently calming influence in the storm. To Dr. Thomas, what a journey! In the choral world, there are conductors who teach, and teachers who conduct, but you are gifted in the highest magnitude in both areas. I am so thankful for your ability to read what I have needed in countless situations, and for your candor and kindness in its delivery. To Dr. Bowers, I cannot imagine a better mentor for this profession. There can be no doubt of your impact on my teaching. Your legacy in my life is to seek excellence in music, teaching, performance, and service. To Dr. Fenton, I am forever grateful for the flame you rekindled in me for artistry in music making. My time in the Festival Singers of Florida reminded me of the kind of musician I can be, and I would not be here without that impetus. To Professor Okerlund, thank you for your willingness to take on the choral folk, and to have a candid conversation about voice use in all manner of settings. To Dr. Madsen, your lessons pervade all manners of my life. I am grateful, and I intend to pass them on. For their assistance in technical aspects of this project, I extend my gratitude to Eitaro Kawaguchi for his engineering of the head-mounted microphones, and to Chandler Bridges for his help with recording. A special thanks to the Gentex Corporation for their generous donation of microphone elements. To my colleagues in the graduate choral conducting program, I thank you for your friendship, inspiration, and laughter. I look forward to a long history of collaboration and conversation. To my parents and sister: I am uniquely blessed to have grown up in your love and according to your moral code. Your actions and words have demonstrated your steadfast faith and support of my endeavors. Thank you. To my children, your patience in my many absences over the last three years is a tribute to your resilient spirits. I hope that these traits accompany you for the rest of your lives. My love and thanks to you who are my great joy in life. To my husband, this journey constituted a great risk, with no guarantee of great reward. Thank you for living the dream with me. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ................................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ viii Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ ix 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 Need for the Study ............................................................................................................... 3 Purpose Statement ............................................................................................................... 4 Delimitations ....................................................................................................................... 4 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE .......................................................................................................... 5 Pedagogical Practices in Conducting .................................................................................. 5 Conductor Posture ............................................................................................................... 5 Hand and Arm Position ....................................................................................................... 6 Conducting Plane and Size of Beat ..................................................................................... 6 Verbal and Nonverbal Communication in Music ................................................................ 7 Time Use in Rehearsals ....................................................................................................... 8 Kinesics ............................................................................................................................. 10 Mimicry ............................................................................................................................. 11 Gesture ............................................................................................................................... 12 Conducting Emblems ........................................................................................................ 14 Conducting Gesture in Choral Performance ...................................................................... 15 Intonation ........................................................................................................................... 16 Tone Quality ...................................................................................................................... 18 Vibrato ............................................................................................................................... 21 Solo and Choral Singing Modes ........................................................................................ 25 Singer Health ..................................................................................................................... 26 Summary ............................................................................................................................ 27 3. METHOD .................................................................................................................................... 28 Phase One: Preparing the Stimulus Videos ....................................................................... 28 Conductor Selection .............................................................................................. 28 Independent Variables: Gesture Height and Sung Vowels ................................... 28 Musical Selection .................................................................................................. 29 Creating the Stimuli ............................................................................................... 29 Phase Two: Participant Performance ................................................................................. 31 Participants ............................................................................................................ 31 Phase Two Recording Venue ................................................................................ 32 Phase Two Equipment ........................................................................................... 32 Phase Two Pilot Testing ........................................................................................ 33 Phase Two Procedures ........................................................................................... 33 Phase Two Analysis .............................................................................................. 36 Phase Three: Perceptual Analysis ..................................................................................... 37 Audio Recordings for Expert Panel ....................................................................... 37 Phase Three Procedures ......................................................................................... 40 v 4. RESULTS .................................................................................................................................... 42 Purpose Statement ............................................................................................................. 42 Research Question
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