Directing Student Attention during Two-Part Dictation

Abstract

This study is an exploration of undergraduate music majors' strategies in two-part dictation. Sixty volunteers received three dictation sessions—two that directed attention to rhythm first or pitch first, and one that was nondirected. The dependent measure, written dictation accuracy, was analyzed by means of separate pitch and rhythm scores. For six counterbalanced groups (n = 10), analysis of variance showed no order effects. A repeated measures MANOVA (accuracy by condition) showed a significant effect for condition (p < .0001). Higher rhythm accuracy occurred in the rhythm-first condition when it was compared to the nondirected (p < .05) and pitch-first (p < .0001) conditions. Pitch accuracy was not affected by condition. Accuracy was unrelated to covariates examined (years of theory and counterpoint study, keyboard skill, and private strategy). Results suggest that in polyphonic dictation, attending to rhythm first and pitch afterwards may be an effective way of maximizing rhythmic accuracy.