Instrumentalists' Assessment of Solo Performances with Compact Disc, Piano, or No Accompaniment

Abstract

Middle school and high school instrumentalists listened to 12 instrumental performances: four with no accompaniment, four with piano accompaniment, and four with compact disc accompaniment. Listeners (N = 188) judged the soloist's performance quality and indicated the performance's best feature and aspect needing most improvement. Listeners also rated their preference for each accompaniment. Materials were taken from popular beginning band method books. Results showed that accompaniment condition significantly affected performance quality ratings, with CD accompaniments rated highest and piano accompaniments lowest. Significant interactions revealed that younger students were swayed most by the accompaniment condition; certain popular music styles appeared most influential. There was a significant but modest relationship between greater preference for the accompaniment style and higher performance quality ratings. For preference, girls and boys responded significantly differently to the accompaniment styles. Overall, students consistently assigned the best feature and aspect needing most practice across accompaniment conditions.

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