Effects of Conducting Instruction on the Musical Performance of Beginning Band Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of conducting instruction on 151 beginning band students' individual rhythmic performance, group rhythmic performance, group performance of legato and staccato, and group performance of phrasing and dynamics. Eight beginning band ensembles, representing diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, were randomly selected for the study. Beginning band students and their ensembles were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. After all subjects were pretested, the experimental bands received 10 minutes of basic conducting instruction per class during a 10-week period. Posttest results demonstrated that individuals in the experimental bands improved significantly more than did individuals in the control bands (p < .001) in their rhythmic performance. Bands in the experimental group improved their rhythm-reading and phrasing abilities (p < .01) more than bands in the control group. No differences were found with regard to legato and staccato, dynamic performance, or overall performance. It was concluded that conducting was a useful tool in teaching rhythm and phrasing in an ensemble setting.

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