Music Preference 1 - Brent Hugh's personal and business web pages

Music Preference 53
correct, audience members whose opinions are not yet set at this age should have a broader
interest in a wider range of musics, a wider range of musical knowledge, and perhaps more
accurate knowledge of these musics. They may demonstrate a more refined taste or ability to
make fine musical discriminations, but it may be necessary to follow the development of these
audience members for a further decade or two before the more refined taste and fine
discrimination become apparent.
5. The common teaching situations in which the presenter is a music educator (rather than
the performer, as in this study) and/or the music is played via recordings (rather than live, as in
this study), could be studied. This research would help isolate to what extent preference
differences are due to (a) simple communication of information and knowledge about the
composers and music to audience members, giving audience members context for the music they
hear, and (b) rapport created between the performer and the audience, which may be established
during discussion about the music and continued and expanded during the performance of the
music.
6. Different techniques for altering music preference could be studied. For instance, studies
could compare (a) informational presentations via text (program notes), videotape, and live
performer, or (b) presentations in which the presenter gives simple information about the music
vs. presentations in which the presenter tries to make the audience feel an emotional association
with the music. These studies, again, could help confirm whether the effect of informational
presentations on music preference is due to information received or to the social and emotional
responses evoked.
7. A wider range of recital audiences could be studied. The fact that some age groups have a
different (even a negative) response to spoken introductions to the music suggests that other