Singing with Gesture: Acoustic and Perceptual Measures of Solo Singers

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the potential effects of two singer gestures on performances of solo singers (N = 32). Participants sang two songs ("Over the Rainbow" with low, circular arm gesture and "Singin' in the Rain" with pointing gesture) five times: Baseline (without singer gesture), three iterations of each song paired with a singer gesture, and a post-test (without singer gesture). This investigation measured acoustic (F-o and amplitude) and perceptual (participant perceptual questionnaire) differences of solo singers. Results indicated significant differences in acoustic measures of intonation between baseline and gestural iterations while employing an upward pointing gesture. However, no significant differences in amplitude were found between iterations of the songs sung with and without gestures. The majority of participant perceptions of singing with gesture related to intonation and timbre when using gestures. Results were discussed in terms of singing pedagogy, limitations of the study, and suggestions for further research.