A Preliminary Study: Is the Metronome Harmful Or Helpful?
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australian asociety s for mumsic A preliminary study: is the e ducation incorporatede metronome harmful or helpful? Patricia Arthur1, Sieu Khuu1 and Diana Blom2 1 University of New South Wales, School of Optometry and Vision Science,Sydney, Australia 2 University of Western Sydney, School of Communication Arts, Sydney, Australia Abstract The metronome is a frequently used time-keeping tool in music instrument practice. However, if its speed is set beyond a comfortable level for the performer, their eye movement (EM) patterns can betray pressure that might have been placed on the visual processing system. The patterns of the eyes moving forward or back, (saccades); when the eye stops between saccades to take in visual information, (fixations) and/or the time taken to programme a saccade (saccadic latency), are indicative of processing ability and differ with expertise. What is not known is how various levels of speed demand might affect the EM patterns of musicians with differing sight-reading abilities. This study measured the EM patterns of expert and non-expert music sight-readers. Musical excerpts were played on a keyboard – initially at the individual’s fastest speed ensuring accuracy and then at a metronome setting of 120MM. The study showed that imposing excessive relative speed demands on less skilled sight-readers resulted in an inability to sustain performance. While this result might be expected, examination of the EM patterns of the experts indicated that smaller speed increments relative to their fastest accurate speed, resulted in less processing stress. Key words: sight-reading, piano, expertise, eye movements, cognition, metronome Australian Journal of Music Education 2016: 50(2), 71-82 Introduction related to higher scores in a given performance grade examination. In addition, its use significantly The metronome is a time-keeping device that increased at Grade 6 level and beyond (Hallam, emits clicks or tones at a prescribed rate. It is Rinta, Varvarigou & Creech, 2012). Conversely, valuable for teaching the rudiments of pulse they showed that there is minimal use of the and metre and can also be used as an adjunct metronome up to 6th grade level. It is surprising to mastering notation (Miller, 2012). There then, that the metronome’s importance is stressed is a general consensus that the metronome in early percussion instruction albeit with little is an indispensable tool for helping novice specific direction and features in the practice percussionists keep in time, but there is little patterns of more experienced musicians, but advice or few suggestions given as to how best to appears to be somewhat overlooked in other early use it other than to simply use it (Falle, 2011). instrumental teaching. All musicians – not just Recent research has shown that, as the level of percussionists – need to keep accurate time. a musician’s expertise increases, so too does the Accuracy of time-keeping can be judged by use of the metronome in their personal practice. measuring the asynchrony threshold. It is the The authors also showed that metronome use Australian Journal of Music Education 71 Arthur, Khuu and Blom difference between when a rhythmic series of EMs with the dwell time between EMs, which sounds occur and how closely an individual can is used to gather such information, being of tap along with that rhythm. A person with a low shorter duration. This phenomenon is known as threshold can tap more accurately to a beat. That ‘chunking’. It is a characteristic of an experts’ ability is, there is a smaller time difference between the to group individual items into fewer aggregates for onset of the beat and the actual tap than for a efficiency of processing (Ashby et al., 2005; Gobet person with a higher threshold. In an ensemble et al., 2001; Heller, 1982; Kowler, 2011; Legge, 2007; setting particularly, it is important that musicians Meseguer et al., 2002; Rayner, 1998; Rayner, Chace, are synchronised with their conductor and with Slattery & Ashby, 2006; Truitt, Clifton, Pollatsek & one another. Rayner, 1997; Underwood et al., 1990) with the Differences in the asynchrony threshold have subsequent increased speed that is characteristic been found, not only between musicians and non- of expertise in general (Bilalic, Langner, Ulrich, musicians, but between the types of instrument & Grodd, 2011; Ericsson, Krampe, Tesch-Romer, played and the players’ level of expertise (Krause, 1993; Ericsson, Roring, & Nandagopal, 2007; Pollok & Schnitzler, 2010). It was found that Farrington-Darby & Wilson, 2006; Gauthier & professional pianists and percussionists had Bukach, 2007). Chunking EM patterns have also equivalent asynchrony thresholds while amateur been demonstrated in musicians as they read pianists and non-musicians had increasing higher score (Furneaux & Land, 1999; Goolsby, 1987; thresholds and were also less sensitive to timing Kinsler & Carpenter, 1995; Schmidt, 1981; Sloboda changes (Ehrle & Samson, 2005; Krause et al., 2010; 1974, 1977; Truitt et al., 1997; Wolf, 1976; Wurtz et Repp, 2010). Synchronising was also found to be al., 2009). Conversely, novice text readers back- superior in those musicians who had commenced track and re-fixate more often to assistance lexical training before the age of 7 and that this earlier and semantic processing (Rayner et al., 2006) and trained group could also more accurately is indicative of reading comprehension difficulties synchronise with a visual stimulus (Watanabe, (Underwood et al., 1990). Savion-Lemieux & Penhune, 2007). When When functional visual parameters are imposed comparing the ability to synchronise a tap with an on print stimuli, the features of EMs change. auditory stimulus or a visual stimulus, it was found For example, when print is blurred, the number, that that participants were able to synchronise direction, speed and/or latency, of the forward more accurately with auditory over visual (Repp & and regressive EMS, (saccades), will change. Penel, 2002). When more features such as size and spacing are Not only is performance skill linked with superior changed the dwell time, (fixation), characteristics asynchrony thresholds and use of the metronome of number and/or duration are affected (Legge, by higher grades in private practice, differences 2007). Recent research demonstrated that are also evident in the EM patterns of music when musicians read score with disrupted sight-readers of different expertise levels (Kinsler visual notation, such as the absence of bar & Carpenter, 1995; Sloboda, 1977; Wurtz, Mueri & lines and irregularity of note spacing, saccadic Wiesendanger, 2009). These patterns are similar latency was significantly increased in expert to those found in the literature on text reading. sight-readers only (Arthur, Khuu & Blom, 2016). For example, skilled text readers are more efficient Increased saccadic latency is a response to visual because they utilise shorter duration fixations and uncertainty (Cameron, 1995) and this is suggestive execute fewer regressive saccades (Underwood, of processing stress in the expert group. This is Hubbard &Wilkinson, 1990). That is, the expert can because ‘chunking’ had been disrupted when process visual information using fewer backward the stimuli did not conform to visual expectation 72 50(2) 2016 Metronome: harmful or helpful? – visual stress. In a similar way, little is known Examinations Board (AMEB) provides graded about processing stresses that might occur when assessments of student achievement in musical musicians have timing pressure imposed upon instrument performance, singing, music theory, performance by using a metronome and how this musicianship, speech and drama.) might affect EM patterns. This level had been proposed as a benchmark in The present study investigated the EM patterns a previous study (Waters, Townsend & Underwood, of expert and non-expert music sight-readers of 1998). 8 subjects were placed in the expert keyboard scores as they read and played musical sight-readers’ category and 10 in the non-expert excerpts initially without and then with the aid of accordingly. a metronome. Fixation duration, the number and speed of forward and regressive saccades and their Stimulus latency were measured. It was hypothesised that EM patterns would show evidence of cognitive 4-bar individual melodies were composed (see processing load when excessive timing demands Figure 1 and Appendix 1), each written in the are imposed suggesting a point, beyond which, treble clef, to be played by the right hand and the metronome could be more harmful than limited to white notes only. A single line of music helpful. on one stave had previously been found to provide an adequate stimulus to assess expertise (Wong & Gauthier, 2009). The authors found Methods that multiple staves were more likely to measure Participants performance differences rather than the EM Following the granting of ethics approval from characteristics being investigated. an Australian Human Research Ethics Advisory The musical passages were presented with a Committee to perform the study, participants note head size equivalent to N10 print viewed were recruited from within a university at 60 cm. This size was chosen as it is twice the student body and reimbursed for their time. size of print deemed to require ‘normal’ vision in Consideration for inclusion in the study was Optometric terms and to fall within the critical based upon an individual self-selecting their print size that allows efficient EMs (Legge, ability to perform, on a keyboard, a sample sight- 2007). Due to recruitment limitations and time reading melody as it appeared on the recruitment constraints, only one metronome speed was poster (see Figure 1). Each observer wore full tested. 120MM, (120 beats per minute), was visual correction if applicable and was capable of chosen as it represented the upper end of the 6/6 (normal) vision or better at a viewing distance ‘moderato’ speed range and was readily divisible of 60cm. by 60 seconds. As such, there were 2 crotchets per Eighteen subjects were recruited. Expertise beat, with each musical excerpt, being four bars of in sight-reading was assigned according to the 4/4 time, taking 8 seconds to play.