Effect of Vocal Vibrato and Performer's Sex on Children's Music Preference

Abstract

This study measured the effect of low and high levels of vocal vibrato, employed by male and female performers, on the self-reported music listening preferences of upper elementary school children. A listening test was administered to 127 children from grades 4, 5, and 6 drawn from five classrooms in Lansing, Michigan. Test reliability was evaluated in terms of stability across time and internal consistency, and student behavior was observed during the test as an additional check on the validity of results. Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks tests disclosed a significant preference for low levels of vibrato and for male singers, expressed by both sexes. Both male and female listeners associated “strong” performances with male rather than female performers. The preference for low levels of vibrato and male singers was weaker in the case of female listeners, indicating an interaction between listener sex and the vocal vibrato and performer sex variables.