The Effects of Sequence on Expressivity in Solo Singing of Young Voices

Abstract Some choral method textbook authors suggest teaching rhythm, pitch, and text first prior to introducing expressive elements (post-expression sequence), while others recommend teaching expressive elements from the beginning alongside rhythm, pitch, and text (infused-expression sequence). The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether the sequence in which a solo singer learns the elements of a song (e.g., rhythm, pitch, text, expression) influences the musical expression (e.g., articulation, dynamics) of their performance in an online setting. Participants included 58 fifth through eighth graders from three elementary schools and three middle schools located in the southeast United States. Participants learned two different songs at home from a digital recording under two different sequences (infused-expression, post-expression). Results showed that when students learned a song using an infused-expression sequence they performed more expressively than students who learned a song using a post-expression sequence. Introducing expressive elements early resulted in a more expressive performance. Implications for the use and benefits of infused-expression sequencing as well as future research will be discussed.