The effect of visual and auditory feedback on adult poor-pitch remediation

Previous research has led to the hypothesis that poor-pitch singing is the result of a weakness in the auditory/vocal loop. The present study evaluated this hypothesis in a training paradigm that used visual feedback to augment potentially faulty auditory-vocal associations. Following pretest with the Seattle Singing Accuracy Protocol (SSAP), participants were randomly assigned to one of three 20-min training conditions: (1) visual feedback training with auditory doubling, in which participants could both see and hear real-time feedback showing the relationship between their sung pitch and the target, (2) auditory feedback training, where participants relied only on airborne auditory feedback from their own voice, and (3) control training which involved imitation of speech from a foreign language instruction recording. After training, the SSAP was administered again as a posttest measure. There was a general improvement from pretest to posttest across all groups. However, the effect of training was only significant for participants who received visual feedback training, with greater gains in visual training than either of the other conditions. This pattern of results was particularly pronounced for performance on 4-note melodies in the SSAP, in contrast to single pitch matching. Visual feedback may facilitate accuracy by substituting for inaccurate auditory-motor associations. The fact that training, even over a very short time-span, can have significant effects on singing underlines the importance of practice, and supports the hypothesis that singing is a learned skill that can benefit from experience and may not simply reflect an inherited talent.

Music production deficits and social bonding: The case of poor-pitch singing

Both of the companion target articles place considerable performance on music performance ability, with specific attention paid to singing in harmony for the music and social bonding (MSB) hypothesis proposed by Savage and colleagues. In this commentary, I evaluate results from recent research on singing accuracy in light of their implications for the MSB hypothesis.

The Prevalence and Correlates of Accurate Singing

The purpose of this study was to analyze a large sample of volunteers from the general population who were tested with an identical online measure of singing accuracy. A sample of 632 participants completed the Seattle Singing Accuracy Protocol (SSAP), a standardized measure of singing accuracy, available online, that includes a test of pitch discrimination and basic demographic questions. Analyses addressed basic questions relating to the distribution of singing accuracy as well as associations of singing accuracy with years of musical training, age, pitch discrimination ability, and musical self-perception. We addressed these issues with respect to the accuracy of pitch imitation, based on automated scoring of vocal fundamental frequency ( f0) in the SSAP, as well as the accuracy of singing a familiar song, based on expert ratings. Results suggest that the distribution of singing accuracy varies widely, but the modal tendency is toward accurate singing. All predictors formed unique and significant associations with singing accuracy, suggesting that multiple factors contribute to this critical musical ability. In particular, age and musical training (including instrumental training) correlate independently with singing accuracy.

Effect of vocal versus piano doubling on children’s singing accuracy

Children’s singing development is an important part of the music classroom, where instruction is often assisted by the teacher’s voice or the piano. However, it is unknown whether children sing more accurately when doubled by another voice or instruments. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of doubling timbre on children’s singing accuracy. Third- and fourth-grade children ( N = 61) performed pitch matching and song singing tasks doubled by pre-recorded vocal and piano stimuli, counterbalanced to control for order effects. Performance when doubled by voice and doubled by piano was significantly and strongly correlated, r(59) = .81, p < .001. Children performed more accurately on the vocal doubling condition than the piano ( p = .002) on pitch matching tasks, but there was no significant difference on the song singing task.

Formative assessment practices and children’s singing accuracy: A mixed methods inquiry

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine the effect of formative assessment strategies on second grade students’ singing accuracy and to examine how music educators planned for and enacted these practices. Student participants ( n = 63) were divided into three groups over a six-week period: (a) a partial treatment group where the teacher used data from the pretest to improve areas of singing weakness; (b) a full treatment group where the teacher used data to improve areas of weakness and engaged students in self- and peer-assessment techniques; and (c) a control group who received no formalized treatment. Linear regression analysis indicates that the “partial treatment” group had the largest gains in singing accuracy, but the case study analysis revealed that the teachers’ knowledge and values mediated their enactment of these practices as they adopted and adapted them in varied ways. The “partial treatment” teacher’s motivation and proclivity for creating new assessment practices indicates that gains in this group’s singing accuracy may have been due to teacher effects and not the strategies themselves. Implications for teacher professional development and practical considerations for embedding meaningful formative assessment in music contexts are provided.

The effect of concurrent visual feedback on adult singing accuracy

The purpose of this study was to test the effect of concurrent visual feedback on adult non-musicians’ growth in pitch accuracy over 10 weeks. University students not majoring in music were randomly assigned to one of two groups and played a computer game, SingingCoach, that provided concurrent visual feedback based on their singing accuracy. The pre-/post-test design with a treatment showed that both groups improved their scores significantly over 10 weeks, but the treatment group, the group that received concurrent feedback, did not score significantly higher than the control group that received no concurrent feedback. Participants’ ratings of their own singing increased significantly over the 10 weeks. Singing more often, particularly with objective, concurrent feedback, may help inexperienced singers improve their singing and their perception of their own singing potential.

The Relationship Between Portuguese Children's Use of Singing Voice and Singing Accuracy when Singing with Text and a Neutral Syllable

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Portuguese children's use of singing voice and their singing accuracy on the pitches belonging to the Singing Voice Development Measure (SVDM) criterion patterns (Rutkowski, 2015), as well as the influence on singing with a neutral syllable or text on both variables. Children aged 4 to 9 (n = 137) were administered the SVDM individually and three raters evaluated recordings of the children's singing, both for the use of singing voice (i.e., effective use of pitch range and register) and singing accuracy. Prior to data analysis, the validity and reliability of the measure was examined and assured. A significant relationship was found between both variables. Favoring the neutral syllable, significant differences were found in response mode for singing accuracy, but not for use of singing voice, suggesting that the use of neutral syllable in classroom singing activities might be beneficial to improve accuracy. Older children and girls obtained higher scores for the use of singing voice and accuracy. Within a common pitch range, children with higher SVDM scores sang accurately a higher number of pitches, suggesting that expanding children's use of singing voice might also improve singing accuracy.

Research-to-Resource: Designing Singing Assessments for Classroom Use

Research has provided several scales for valid assessments of singing skills. Singing voice development and singing accuracy (tunefulness) are frequent objectives targeted by teachers in music classrooms. Teachers and directors may find established scoring systems useful for implementing formative or summative assessments. This research-to-resource article provides examples for teachers to use or adapt to promote and encourage singing growth.