Overview of the tested students and groups: data from the questionnaire

The graphs give an interesting overview of the student population’s background in music education. This was not the research question I wanted to address. However, it can be relevant for the reader to have an image of the group’s composition.

I wish to thank all the students and their teachers for their kind cooperation in doing these sometimes ‘crazy’ exercises.

All the tests were sung in groups. It is possible that this has influenced the sounding results, because there were strong and weak singers in each group. Sometimes the pitch was corrected at the end of an exercise by a student having perfect pitch. Or sometimes one students singing out of tune dragged the others down. Individual tests may then have shown a different result. But the group situation made the students more free to sing and willing to try different, or more difficult sight-singing exercises. Also the group discussions after singing an exercise gave valuable insights into how the students perceived the different forms of pitch notation.

All singers (9)

Average age = 22,4

Average age of starting solfège lessons =18,8

Average number of years of solfège lessons = 2,8

Average number of years of playing / singing = 5,1

All tested students (47 students)

Average age = 20,3

Average age of starting solfège lessons =14,0

Average number of years of solfège lessons = 5,3

Average number of years of playing / singing = 10,0

All students filled out a short questionnaire before the test started.

1.      Are you a singer?                                                          Yes / No

2.      Do you play an instrument?                                          Yes:  ……………   / No

3.      What is your age?                                                         …..

4.      Number of years of solfège lessons:                              …..

5.      Started solfège lessons at age:                                       …..

6.      Number of years in playing an instrument / singing:                        ….

7.      In which country did you start your musical training?                      ………………..

8.      Do you have perfect pitch?                                              Yes / No / Sometimes / I don’t know

9.      System used in solfège: relative solfa / fixed-do / letter names / numbers / other:         ……

All Dutch students (20)

Average age = 18,4

Average age of starting solfège lessons =14,1

Average number of years of solfège lessons = 4,2

Average number of years of playing / singing = 9,4

All instrumentalists (38)

Average age = 19,7

Average age of starting solfège lessons =12,8

Average number of years of solfège lessons =5,8

Average number of years of playing / singing = 11,2

All non-Dutch students (27)

Average age = 21,6

Average age of starting solfège lessons =13,9

Average number of years of solfège lessons = 6,1

Average number of years of playing / singing = 10,5