Characteristics of the sense of time in students of music schools

Abstract

Characteristics of the sense of time in students of music schools were studied. The subjects were 32 adults aged 16-26 and 17 children aged 7-13 with different specialization (strings, brass, drums and keyboards musical instruments) and skill level (higher and secondary music school). The method of reproduction of time intervals (1,5 and 1,67 seconds) was used in the first experiment. The subjects were exposed to metronome ticking. In the second experiment the intervals for reproduction were empty (2,3 and 5 seconds). Children were retested in four years. After the first set of experiments teachers assessed children’s motivation using 7-point scale as well as the sense of rhythm and gave their forecast of children’s success. It is shown that mean relative error and variation of reproduction of empty intervals depend on age of children and professional experience of adult musicians which doesn’t match B.I. Tsukanov’s hypotheses about “innateness” of this error and its independence of professional musicians experience. It is suggested that complex criterion for musical giftedness including relative error of reproduction of empty intervals and motivation level should be probabilistic and vague.