The Relationship of Speech Fre-quency and v ocal Modeling

to the Pitch Matching Abilities of Children

Selected Research
Speech Frequency
Valerie Trollinger-: Relationships between Pitch-Matching Accuracy, Speech
Fundamental Frequency, Speech Range, Age, and Gender in
American English-Speaking Preschool Children- {2003)
Journal of Research in Music Education, 51.(1), 78-94.
Subjects: Children ages 4-6 .yrs old from three ges>graphic locations in the U.S. (N = 70)
Method: TI1e researcher recorded spontaneous speech and echo.:singing activities for each
participant. The data was analyzed for fundamental frequency (Fo ).
Results: All four variables were predictors for pitCh matching accuracy A;ge: -Qlder :students matched pitch better than younger students
Gerider: ,Girls niatcheG1 pitcb better than noys
Speech Fo: Higher voices matched pitch better than lowervoices
Speech R~ge:: H~gher voiced children 'Sa.I\g less flat :fuan lower
w:.oiced c1:ii1dFe.n '
\ ...

41

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Vocal Modeling
Woman''s voice Tesuits in.m.ore.. accurate pitcb matching than .a :mari' s voice (Green, 1990;
Yarborough, Green, Benson, & Bowers, 1991 )
Woman''s voice and child ' s voice produce relatively equal accuracy in pitch matching
(GFeen, 1990; Hermanson,.1971 ; Yarborough, Bowers, & Benson,
1992)
Piano, oscillator, and sine-wave produce less pitch accuracy than human voices
(Hermanson, 1971; Price, Yarborough, Jones, & Moore, 1994;
Yarbrough, Morrison, Kairick, & Dunn, 1995)
Male timbre and falsetto - girls responded more accurately to higher stimuli and boys

responded more accurately to lower stimuli {Pri.c e, Y aiborough,

Jones, & Moore, 1994; Yarbrough, Morrison, Karrick, & Dunn,
1995)
Vibrato -makes no difference for certain singers, but uncertain singers responded more
accurately to no vibrato (Yarborough, Bowers, & Benson, 1992)

References
Green, G. A. (1990). The effect ofvocalmodeling ~npitch-matchihg accuracy of
elementary school children. Journal ofResearch rn Music Education, 38 (3), 225231.
Hermanson, L. W. (1971). An investigation ofthe effects of timbre on simultaneous
vocal pitch acuity of young children (Doctoral dissertation, Colurilbia University) .
. Price, H. E., Yarborough, C., Jones, M ..& Moore, R. S. (1994). Effects ofmale timbre,
falsetto; and sine-wave. models on interval matching byinaccuiate singers.
Jow-nal ofResearch in Music Education, 42 (4), 269-284.
Trollinger, V. L. (2003). Relationships between pitch-matching accuracy, speech
fundamental frequency, speechrange, age, and gender in AmericanEnglisbspeaking preschool children. Journal of Resea7ch in Music Education, 5i (1), 7894.
Yarborough,.C, Bowers~ J., .& Benson, W. (1992). The effect of vibrato in the pitchmatching accuracy ofcertain and uncertain singers. Journal ofResearch in Music
Education, 40 (1),.30-38.
Yarborough, C. M., Green, G. A., Benson, W. &Bowers, J. (1991). Inaccurate singers:
An exploratory study of variables affecting pitch:..matching. Bulletin of the
Councilfor Research in Music Education, 107, 23-34.
Yarbrough, C., Morrison, S. J., Karrick, B., & Dunn, D: E. (1995). The effect of male
falsetto onthe pitch-matching accuracy of uncertain boy singers, grades K~8 .
. Update: Applications ofResearch in Music Education, 14 (1), 4-10.