{"id":{"repo_id":"umkc","oai_identifier":"oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/109266"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/umkc/oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/109266","repository":{"repo_id":"umkc","name":"University of Missouri - Kansas City","base_url":"https://mospace.umsystem.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Eyes on the conductor: understanding musicians’ visual focus of attention while viewing a conductor","abstract":"This paper explores the relationship between ensemble musicians and conductors, focusing on the visual attention and cognitive processes involved in interpreting conducting gestures. Through a review of existing literature, we establish a foundational understanding of how musicians allocate attention and process visual cues from a conductor in real-time performance. Chapter 1 discusses the perceptual demands placed on musicians, emphasizing the importance of attentional resources needed to accurately respond to a conductor's gestures. Chapter 2 presents a study on the visual focus of ensemble musicians during a live rehearsal, revealing how musicians engage with the conductor’s face, hands, and baton to track tempo, expressivity, and musical coordination. Chapter 3 details a pilot study that laid the groundwork for investigating musicians' visual attention patterns when viewing conductors through eye-tracking technology, providing insights into the effectiveness of controlled experimental setups. Chapter 4 expands the pilot study by examining how musicians allocate attention to various focal points of the conductor, finding that the face and torso are prioritized in the interpretation of conducting gestures, with the baton receiving comparatively less focus. Collectively, the findings highlight the complex, goal-directed nature of visual engagement in ensemble performance, offering valuable insights into how musicians navigate the conductor-performer interaction to achieve synchronization and expressive performance.","abstract_html":"This paper explores the relationship between ensemble musicians and conductors, focusing on the visual attention and cognitive processes involved in interpreting conducting gestures. Through a review of existing literature, we establish a foundational understanding of how musicians allocate attention and process visual cues from a conductor in real-time performance. Chapter 1 discusses the perceptual demands placed on musicians, emphasizing the importance of attentional resources needed to accurately respond to a conductor's gestures. Chapter 2 presents a study on the visual focus of ensemble musicians during a live rehearsal, revealing how musicians engage with the conductor’s face, hands, and baton to track tempo, expressivity, and musical coordination. Chapter 3 details a pilot study that laid the groundwork for investigating musicians' visual attention patterns when viewing conductors through eye-tracking technology, providing insights into the effectiveness of controlled experimental setups. Chapter 4 expands the pilot study by examining how musicians allocate attention to various focal points of the conductor, finding that the face and torso are prioritized in the interpretation of conducting gestures, with the baton receiving comparatively less focus. Collectively, the findings highlight the complex, goal-directed nature of visual engagement in ensemble performance, offering valuable insights into how musicians navigate the conductor-performer interaction to achieve synchronization and expressive performance.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Brown, Abbie Dawn"],"institution":"University of Missouri--Kansas City","degree_name":"Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":"Music Education (UMKC)","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Hamilton, Lani M.","Parisi, Joseph"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025","date_published":"2025","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:16:44Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10355/109266","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Hamilton, Lani M.","Parisi, Joseph"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Brown, Abbie Dawn"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-08-05T14:51:19Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-08-05T14:51:19Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Music Education (UMKC)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Missouri--Kansas City"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10355/109266"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Title from PDF of title page viewed August 05, 2025","Dissertation advisors: Lani M. Hamilton and Joseph Parisi","Vita","Includes bibliographical references (pages 104-109)","Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Conservatory of Music. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2025"]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This paper explores the relationship between ensemble musicians and conductors, focusing on the visual attention and cognitive processes involved in interpreting conducting gestures. Through a review of existing literature, we establish a foundational understanding of how musicians allocate attention and process visual cues from a conductor in real-time performance. Chapter 1 discusses the perceptual demands placed on musicians, emphasizing the importance of attentional resources needed to accurately respond to a conductor's gestures. Chapter 2 presents a study on the visual focus of ensemble musicians during a live rehearsal, revealing how musicians engage with the conductor’s face, hands, and baton to track tempo, expressivity, and musical coordination. Chapter 3 details a pilot study that laid the groundwork for investigating musicians' visual attention patterns when viewing conductors through eye-tracking technology, providing insights into the effectiveness of controlled experimental setups. Chapter 4 expands the pilot study by examining how musicians allocate attention to various focal points of the conductor, finding that the face and torso are prioritized in the interpretation of conducting gestures, with the baton receiving comparatively less focus. Collectively, the findings highlight the complex, goal-directed nature of visual engagement in ensemble performance, offering valuable insights into how musicians navigate the conductor-performer interaction to achieve synchronization and expressive performance."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Eyes on the conductor: understanding musicians’ visual focus of attention while viewing a conductor"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Hamilton, Lani M.","Parisi, Joseph"],"dc:creator":["Brown, Abbie Dawn"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-08-05T14:51:19Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-08-05T14:51:19Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025"],"dc:description":["Title from PDF of title page viewed August 05, 2025","Dissertation advisors: Lani M. Hamilton and Joseph Parisi","Vita","Includes bibliographical references (pages 104-109)","Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Conservatory of Music. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2025"],"dc:description.abstract":["This paper explores the relationship between ensemble musicians and conductors, focusing on the visual attention and cognitive processes involved in interpreting conducting gestures. Through a review of existing literature, we establish a foundational understanding of how musicians allocate attention and process visual cues from a conductor in real-time performance. Chapter 1 discusses the perceptual demands placed on musicians, emphasizing the importance of attentional resources needed to accurately respond to a conductor's gestures. Chapter 2 presents a study on the visual focus of ensemble musicians during a live rehearsal, revealing how musicians engage with the conductor’s face, hands, and baton to track tempo, expressivity, and musical coordination. Chapter 3 details a pilot study that laid the groundwork for investigating musicians' visual attention patterns when viewing conductors through eye-tracking technology, providing insights into the effectiveness of controlled experimental setups. Chapter 4 expands the pilot study by examining how musicians allocate attention to various focal points of the conductor, finding that the face and torso are prioritized in the interpretation of conducting gestures, with the baton receiving comparatively less focus. Collectively, the findings highlight the complex, goal-directed nature of visual engagement in ensemble performance, offering valuable insights into how musicians navigate the conductor-performer interaction to achieve synchronization and expressive performance."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10355/109266"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:title":["Eyes on the conductor: understanding musicians’ visual focus of attention while viewing a conductor"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Music Education (UMKC)"],"thesis:degree_level":["Doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)"],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Missouri--Kansas City"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:16:44Z"}