Search

This paper examines the social and musical co-ordination between members of a student string quartet in rehearsal and performance. Devised as an exploratory observation and interview study, a two-tier analysis of the data is undertaken. The first deals with broadly socio-cultural issues, the second with moment-by-moment social and musical co-ordination. The results indicate that there are many factors that influence the functioning of such an ensemble. These include personal concerns about particular social dynamics within the group, performance anxiety worries, as well as immediate musical demands relating to the co-ordination of content and process. The paper concludes with a discussion of ways in which further studies of social and musical co-ordination might be developed. In particular, emphasis is given to the need for the development of a comprehensive theoretical framework reflecting a more adequate conception of music ontology and encapsulating the mutuality of the multi-tier social and musical factors.

The handedness of three groups of accomplished musicians (623 instrumentalists, 331 composers, and 584 choir members) was assessed using a standard questionnaire (Oldfield, 1971). While the three groups of musicians did not differ from one another, there was evidence of a modest, but significant, increase in the proportion of left-handers and mixed-handers among the musicians when compared with a normal population. It was found, for example, that 12-2% of the male and 11-8% of the female musicians were lefthanded as defined by the Laterality Quotient (Oldfield, 1971). These figures compared with 8-5% male and 7 3% female left-handers in their respective age-matched control groups. Further evidence of an increased proportion of left-handed musicians was found for the single item, writing hand. This latter finding suggests that the differences in handedness were not simply a consequence of musical training.

Scores on the Bentley Measures of Musical Ability test (BMMA) for 897 seven-or eight-year-old children were analysed with respect to a number of factors which previous research suggested might be associated with test performance. Comparisons between the 17 schools participating revealed that the same schools tended to produce either high or low scores. Further analyses revealed a significant relationship between BMMA scores and assessments of school achievement (Standard Attainment Targets - SATs). An association was also present between those schools scoring poorly on the BMMA and those containing relatively large numbers of children receiving subsidised school meals. There was also an association with age. No significant relationship was found, however, between handedness and BMMA scores. The results not only identify some specific limitations of the BMMA, but also point to more general problems in interpreting tests designed to screen for musical ability in children.