Effects of varied conductor prep movements on singer muscle engagement and voicing behaviors

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine whether certain nonverbal conductor gestures might trigger varied motor behaviors in choristers as indicated by acoustical data and measurement of extrinsic laryngeal muscle activity. Participants ( N = 23) performed a melody while following a prerecorded conductor who displayed the following fully-crossed preparatory gesture conditions: (a) initial upward or downward moving arm, (b) upward moving or neutral head positioning, and (c) fisted hand or open palm. Surface electrodes measured singer posterior neck, upper trapezius, suprahyoid, and sternocleidomastoid muscle region activity during inhalation. Audio recordings provided data for acoustic and perceptual comparisons. Among primary results: (a) suprahyoid mean muscle region activity was significantly greater during upward compared to downward moving gestures; (b) sternocleidomastoid mean muscle region activity was significantly higher during fisted compared to palm open gestures; (c) posterior neck and upper trapezius mean muscle region activity displayed no significant differences during the varied conditions; (d) fisted conditions corresponded to higher mean sung amplitudes than palm open conditions; and (e) expert listeners perceived that singer inhalation was less efficient during upward compared to downward moving gestures. Results were discussed in terms of chorister responses to conductor behaviors, implications for teacher-conductor preparation, and limitations of the study.