Eyes on the conductor: understanding musicians’ visual focus of attention while viewing a conductor

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.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Music Education (UMKC)

Grantor

University of Missouri--Kansas City

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Brown, Abbie Dawn

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Hamilton, Lani M.
• Parisi, Joseph

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10355/109266

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/109266