BACKGROUND Estimating engagement levels from postural micromovements has been summarized by some researchers as: increased proximity to the screen is a marker for engagement, while increased postural movement is a signal for disengagement or negative affect. However, these findings are inconclusive: the movement hypothesis challenges other findings of dyadic interaction in humans, and experimen...

This paper reports various aspects of the computer music realization of “Speakings” for live electronic and large orchestra by composer Jonathan Harvey, with the artistic aim of making an orchestra speak through computer music processes. The underlying project asks for various computer music techniques: whether through computer aided compositions as an aid for composer’s writing of instrumental...

Music with lyrics about helping is shown to reduce aggression in the laboratory. This paper tests whether the prosocial lyric effect generalizes to reducing customer aggression in the workplace. A field experiment involved changing the hold music played to customers of a call center. The results of a 3 week study suggested that music significantly affected customers, but not in the way suggeste...

Musicians tend to strive for flawless performance and perfection, avoiding errors at all costs. Dealing with errors while practicing or performing is often frustrating and can lead to anger and despair, which can explain musicians' generally negative attitude toward errors and the tendency to aim for flawless learning in instrumental music education. But even the best performances are rarely er...

To achieve my goal, I developed a theory of musical features inspired by Ullman's Goldilocks theory for visual features. I implemented a computer program that analyzes instrumental (MIDI) versions of the songs to extract relevant parameters for my model. This program also identifies music pieces based on a melody contour of varying length and complexity. Finally I experimentally verified the hy...

Within the past fifteen years, the klezmer (East European instrumental Jewish Music) music scene has included music of Transylvania (usually Kalotaszeg) that is stylistically specific to that region, even when the tunes played are considered Jewish. Popular groups such as Muzsikás and Di Naye Kapelye have circulated and popularized a limited standard repertoire, which has served partially to re...

Is there a distinction between New Interfaces for Musical Expression and New Interfaces for Controlling Sound? This article begins with a brief overview of expression in musical performance, and examines some of the characteristics of effective “expressive” computer music instruments. It becomes apparent that sophisticated musical expression requires not only a good control interface but also v...