Exploring emotive listening experiences through continuous measurement of self–report and listening profiles

Thesis (MMus)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012Training can enable performers to express music in a personal and emotional way while communicating aesthetic impressions to an audience. Little research has been done on the emotive experiences of performing musicians listening to their own performances. The main goal of this study was to develop a reliable way to investigate emotive content of such experiences through a combination of listening profiles and continuous measurement. This empirical, methodological study used a mixed-method design. Responses from formally and informally trained musicians were tested. The methodology consists of two parts: listening profiles (Part I), and the continuous measurement of self-reported emotional response to music (Part II), supported by interviews. Part I consists of a demographic questionnaire, a listening test and a personality test. Part II consists of a computerised questionnaire with four questions: 1) word sorting, 2) word, colours, and facial expressions checklists, which participants use to indicate their emotional responses while the music plays, 3) free description, and 4) rating scales. Data was obtained during three test periods. Part I results revealed that personality, illness, preferences, and psychological factors influence the emotive content of listening experiences. Participants’ response time and manner of word sorting was also supportive of their profiles. Part II results revealed that listeners pay attention to both structural and performance elements as well as emotive content in both prescribed and personal musical tracks. Only a few participants were able to identify the predetermined emotion of the prescribed musical tracks. Participants’ experiences seemed to be influenced by training and personal preferences. Listening to their own recorded performances, informally trained participants were able to focus progressively less on performance elements and more on emotive content, while formally trained participants seemed to focus progressively more on performance elements, and less on emotive content.Master