The development and validation of a system for the observation and analysis of choral conductor gestures

Abstract

In the acquisition of a skill, feedback is one of the most important factors. Until the advent of relatively inexpensive videotape recording equipment, the student who was attempting to acquire conducting skills had to rely upon verbal feedback from the instructor and visual feedback as he practiced in front of a mirror. Now, however, videotape can be used as a feedback mechanism through which students can see themselves as their ensemble sees them. Watching the videotape alone, though, is almost useless unless the student is given a specific set of objectives for which he is striving. To provide a more specific form of feedback- which may be used with or without videotape recordings- the Choral Conductor Observation System (CCOS) was developed. The basic system consists of 17 categories which describe the specific gestures used by conductors of musical organizations. To test the reliability and validity of the system it was utilized in a pilot study at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and in an experimental study conducted at the University of Texas at Austin. The capability of CCOS to provide a valid scheme for assessing the students' acquisition of conducting skills was shown by comparing grades derived from the coding system with grades assigned by the instructors at both the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and the University of Texas at Austin. The comparisons produced a validity coefficient of .73 at the former site and .74 at the latter, well within the acceptable range..