SUPERVISOR:
Hi, Joanna, good to meet you. Now, before we discuss your new research project, Id like to hear something about the psychology study you did last yearfor your Masters degree. So how did you choose your subjects for that?
JOANNA:
Well, I had six subjects, all professional musicians, and all female. Three were violinists and there was also a cello player and a pianist and a flute player. They
were all very highly regarded in the music world and theyd done quite extensive tours in different continents, and quite a few had won prizes and competitionsas well.
SUPERVISOR:
And they were quite young, werent they?
JOANNA:
Yes, between 25 and 29 - the mean was 27.8. I wasnt specifically looking for artists whod produced recordings. but this is something thats just taken forgranted these days. and they all had.
SUPERVISOR:
Right. Now you collected your data through telephone interviews, didnt you?
JOANNA:
Yes. I realised if I was going to interview leading musicians itd only be possible over the phone because theyre so busy. I recorded them using a telephonerecording adaptor. Id been worried about the quality, but it worked out allright. I managed at least a 30-minute interview with each subject, sometimeslonger.
SUPERVISOR:
Did doing it on the phone make it more stressful?
JOANNA:
Id thought it might... it was all quite informal though and in fact they seemed
very keen to talk. And I dont think using the phone meant I got less rich data, rather the opposite in fact.
SUPERVISOR:
Interesting. And you were looking at how performers dress for concert performances?
JOANNA:
Thats right. My research investigated the way players see their role as a musician and how this is linked to the type of clothing they decide to wear. But
that focus didnt emerge immediately. When I started I was more interested in trying to investigate the impact of what was worn on those listening, and also
whether someone like a violinist might adopt a different style of clothing from, say, someone playing the flute or the trumpet.
SUPERVISOR:
Its interesting that the choice of dress is up to the individual, isnt it?
JOANNA:
Yes, youd expect there to be rules about it in orchestras, but thats quite rare.
SUPERVISOR:
You only had women performers in your study. Was that because male musicians are less worried about fashion?
JOANNA:
I think a lot of the men are very much influenced by fashion, but in social terms the choices they have are more limited ... theyd really upset audiences if theystrayed away from quite narrow boundaries.
SUPERVISOR:
Hmm. Now, popular music has quite different expectations. Did you read Mike Frosts article about the dress of women performers in popular music?
JOANNA:
No.
SUPERVISOR:
He points out that a lot of female singers and musicians in popular music tend to dress down in performances, and wear less feminine clothes, like jeans instead
of skirts, and he suggests this is because otherwise theyd just be discounted as trivial.
JOANNA:
But you could argue theyre just wearing whats practical ... I mean, a pop-music concert is usually a pretty energetic affair.
SUPERVISOR:
Yes, he doesnt make that point, but I think youre probably right. I was interested by the effect of the audience at a musical performance when it cameto the choice of dress.
JOANNA:
The subjects I interviewed felt this was really important. Its all to do with what
we understand by performance as a public event. They believed the audience had certain expectations and it was up to them as performers to fulfil theseexpectations, to show a kind of esteem ...
SUPERVISOR:
... they werent afraid of looking as if theyd made an effort to look good.
JOANNA:
Mmm. I think in the past the audience would have had those expectations of one another too, but thats not really the case now, not in the UK anyway.
SUPERVISOR:
No.
JOANNA:
And I also got interested in what sports scientists are doing too, with regard to clothing.
SUPERVISOR:
Musicians are quite vulnerable physically, arent they, because the movements they carry out are very intensive and repetitive, so Id imagine some featuresof sports clothing could safeguard the players from the potentially dangerouseffects of this sort of thing.
Q30
JOANNA:
Yes, but musicians dont really consider it. They avoid clothing that obviously restricts their movements, but thats as far as they go.
SUPERVISOR:
Anyway, coming back to your own research, do you have any idea where youre going from here?
JOANNA:
I was thinking of doing a study using an audience, including ...