The Effect of Implied Performer Age and Group Membership on Evaluations of Music Performances

Abstract

This study examined the effects of implied performer age and group membership on listeners’ evaluations of music performances. Undergraduate music majors ( n = 23), nonmusic majors ( n = 17), and members of a New Horizons ensemble ( n = 16) were presented with six 30-second excerpts of concert band performances. Excerpts were presented to all respondents in three implied performer age conditions: audio-only (no implied age), audiovisual presentations that featured digital images of middle school concert bands, and audiovisual presentations that featured digital images of older adult concert bands. Respondents ( N = 56) used 10-point scales to rate each performance on tone, rhythmic precision, and dynamic contrast. Results of a repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated that audio-only presentations were rated significantly lower than audiovisual presentations, and music majors rated performances significantly lower than other respondents.