Tempo Perception and Performance of Elementary Students, Grades 3-6

Abstract

The tempo perception and performance abilities of 80 elementary students in Grades 3-6 were investigated by means of two tests of tempo perception and one test of tempo performance. Scores for (a) the detection of gradual tempo changes, (b) the discrimination of differences in tempo pairs, and (c) the steadiness of tempo performance increased in a linear fashion from Grade 3 to Grade 6. Although scores for the accuracy ofreproducing a given tempo also increased with grade, a linear trend was not found. “In-tempo” responses increased significantly with grade level. The effect of training was significant only for the accuracy of reproducing a given tempo. All perception and performance scores increased as tempos increased, and subjects most often performed faster than the given tempo. The correlations among all measures tended to increase in strength with grade level, and all correlations involving the aggregate of scores from Grades 3-6 were significant.