Critique Johnson

Please click this to open this as a Microsoft Word document. (or right-click and save)

Johnson, C. M., Fredrickson, W. E., Achey C. A., & Gentry, G. R. (2003). The effect of nonverbal elements of conducting on the overall evaluation of student and professional conductors. Journal of Band Research 38(2). 64.

This article focuses on the relationship between several different nonverbal elements of conducting and the overall effectiveness of a given conductor. Through research in the field of conducting, the authors of this study picked out five nonverbal traits of conducting that they thought added to the overall effectiveness of a conductor. These five traits were right arm movement, left arm movement, eye contact, facial expression and body movement. The authors of this study know that these are not the only elements that signify an effective director, but mastery of these elements can lead to more effective musical rehearsals and performances.

This study was conducted on the grounds of two midwestern universities. One hundred ten college students participated in reviewing a nine minute video tape based on very specific sets of factors. Through the use of computer aided data collection, the subjects of the study rated certain nonverbal conducting elements of both professional and student conductors. At the conclusion of each video clip, the reviewers had the opportunity to rate the overall effectiveness of each of the conductors.

Upon performing correlation calculations, the authors found that the data for the student conductors was quite different from that of the professional conductors. With regard to the videos of the student conductors, there was a high correlation between overall effectiveness and the movement of the right and left arm. The data for the professional conductors show that there is a lower correlation for right arm movement as a predictor of overall effect. The ratings for body and left arm movement turned out to have the highest correlation to overall effectiveness.

There are many educators throughout the field of music that seek to find the most efficient way to teach students how to conduct. Through experience, certain professors have come across their own method of teaching college conducting classes. It is quite difficult to give a student enough conducting expertise over the course of one or two college semesters. This has led to a number of different studies in an attempt to find the best way, or the most important techniques, to teach conducting.

As verbal instruction is an important aspect of the educational process, the ability of a music teacher to conduct effectively is just as – if not more – important. I feel that the five nonverbal elements that the authors chose to study will lead to a greater understanding of how conducting should be taught. The authors of this study believe that based upon the data collected, there may be a way to rank certain conducting techniques in an order of importance as they pertain to the overall effectiveness of a conductor.

The manner in which the data were collected in this study seemed to be quite efficient. The author explained that through the use of a mechanical pointing device hooked up to a computer, the subjects were able to turn a pointer to a particular setting to notate a response. I agree with the author that this method of data collection is an appropriate one for this study. As three groups of people view the same video and judge different elements of the same performance, it is important for the ratings to be time synchronized. I also feel that the overall design of the study was well thought out and implemented.

As the authors of the study explained their calculations, I feel that the data support their conclusions. The data show that the subjects focused on different nonverbal elements of conducting in their assessments of the student and the professional conductors. The authors offer some explanation for this. One explanation provided by the authors states that the professionals may have been evaluated differently because they have had much more experience. This experience has created fluidity in their performance and that little attention need be paid to their right arm movement. I tend to agree with this statement. When the subjects observe the student conductors, they view more of the mechanics of conducting; hence, the high correlation of the right and left arm movement to the overall effectiveness of the conductor.

Based upon the data collected, the authors provide implications for this study. They feel that they have shown that not all elements are of equal importance when judging the overall effectiveness of a conductor. They surmise that it may be possible to list, in order of importance, different nonverbal conducting techniques. They feel that young conductors should first become comfortable with their right arm movements. Following that, they should learn different gestures with their left arm and then they should learn how to use their whole body in their gestural vocabulary.

I feel that this paper has contributed to my development as a teacher. It has lead me to think more about my conducting behaviors while on the podium. In my present elementary school band position, it is important for me to instill good performance and watching techniques in my students. In order for my students to get used to following my nonverbal directions, I have to be sure that they are communicated accurately. I also feel that it is important to subject myself to comments from my colleagues. While I get comments on my rehearsal techniques on a fairly regular basis, I should be on the lookout for comments on my nonverbal conducting techniques.