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SUMMARY:The effects of visual cues and notational features on sight-readin
 g accuracy - David Duncan\, Katya Ness\, and Ian Cross (University of Camb
 ridge)
DTSTART:20251202T170000Z
DTEND:20251202T180000Z
UID:TALK237064@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:125293
DESCRIPTION:*Abstract*\n\nThe ability to read and perform from written not
 ation is a fundamental skill in many fields of music performance. While fo
 r many musicians\, staff notation is both transparent and flexible\, a med
 ium that can be used fluently and imaginatively\, it is frequently experie
 nced as complex and difficult — as a form of communication it is nobody
 ’s first language. \n\nWhen reading text\, spaces between words improves
  reading accuracy and fluency\, even when added to writing systems that do
 n’t traditionally feature them. While music reading is a more complex ta
 sk\, the introduction of white spaces to delineate units of music may deli
 mit information uptake\, analogous to how interword spacing helps readers 
 to identify word boundaries and process written information. \n\nIn this t
 alk we will present the results from a series of experiments conducted wit
 h adults at the University of Cambridge and at the Royal Northern College 
 of Music\, as well as complementary studies with children\, considering th
 e impact of the added white spaces on accuracy and fluency and reviewing t
 he main factors that appear to induce sight-reading errors.\n\n\n*Biograph
 ies*\n\nIan Cross is a Fellow of Wolfson College\, Emeritus Professor of M
 usic and Science and a Director of Research at the University of Cambridge
 \, having taught in the Faculty of Music from 1986 to 2021 and founded the
  Centre for Music & Science there in 2002. His widely-cited research on mu
 sic has encompassed psychoacoustics\, cognitive neuroscience\, experimenta
 l archaeology\, evolutionary theory and the social effects of musical inte
 raction. He is also a classical guitarist.\n\nDavid Duncan is a Fellow of 
 Clare Hall and Research Assistant on the Score Design for Music Reading pr
 oject. Prior to joining the project\, he worked in publishing as an editor
  at Edition Peters and as a developer of both graded music exams and vocat
 ional qualifications at the London College of Music and RSL Awards. He als
 o works as a music engraver\, primarily for Oxford University Press. \n\nK
 atya Ness is a doctoral student and research assistant at the University o
 f Cambridge\, working on the Leverhulme-funded Score Design for Music Read
 ing project under the supervision of Professor Ian Cross. Her research inv
 estigates how modifications to conventional notation can support children'
 s sight-reading fluency and accuracy\, building on her background in perfo
 rmance science and earlier work on how students develop sight-reading skil
 ls. Alongside her research\, she is active as a teacher and accompanist.\n
 \n\n*Zoom link*\n\nhttps://zoom.us/j/99433440421?pwd=ZWxCQXFZclRtbjNXa0s2K
 1Q2REVPZz09 (Meeting ID: 994 3344 0421\; Passcode: 714277)
LOCATION:CMS computer room\, Faculty of Music (11 West Road\, Cambridge\, 
 CB3 9DP)
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