VISUAL-DISPLAYS FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF VOCAL PITCH MATCHING DEVELOPMENT

The instrumental assessment of singing development requires (1) musica lly relevant stimuli with known and readily controlled variations, (2) an interface device which gives a reliable estimate of the fundamenta l frequency of sung responses and (3) a clear and quantifiable display of vocal task stimuli and responses from which useful measurements ca n be readily taken. The first can be achieved with a music synthesizer controlled via the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), the s econd with so-called pitch extraction systems available primarily for speech applications and the third by means of a mouse-driven graphical display. This paper describes the design and implementation of a voca l pitch matching development assessment system, and illustrates its op eration with results gained from an experienced singer. The system des cribed is a development from an earlier system, which, although much m ore limited in its scope, has nevertheless been shown to be useful in primary school music teaching. It is suggested that this new implement ation will find greater application in many areas of singing teaching.