Classical Singers Learning and Memorising a New Song: An Observational Study

Abstract

Classically-trained instrumental musicians' practising strategies, and changes in strategy use as expertise develops, have been identified in observational and case studies. Unlike instrumentalists, classically-trained singers perform words as well as music and must therefore use different memorising strategies. The present study aimed to identify these, to compare the extent to which they were used by singers of varying levels of expertise and to assess which strategies were most likely to be effective. Thirteen participants learned and memorised the same song over the course of six 15-minute practice sessions, which were audiotaped. One major finding was that experienced professional singers were not necessarily faster, more accurate memorisers than student and amateur singers, so the strategies they used were not necessarily the most effective. Generally, participants began by practising the music separately from the words and went on to practise words and music together. They began by reading the song from the musical score and went on to practise it from memory once they were confident that they could sing it accurately. Fast, accurate memorisers began memorising earlier and were more likely than slower, less accurate memorisers to count beats aloud during the learning process. This suggests that effective song memorisation requires not only basic musical expertise but also the use of a strategic approach to the memorising task.