Experiments

Abstract

Chapter 8 of Performing Music Research examines the experiment as a means of assessing new ideas and initiatives, producing evidence that can support crucial developments in the lives and education of musicians. It outlines several key types of experiment, defined by how people are divided into groups, what those groups do, and how those groups are compared; it also considers how experimental strategies can be used to examine changes in an individual over a period of time. The chapter discusses guidelines for the effective design and conduct of experiments. Finally, it describes how to document the method and how to achieve rigor and validity in experimental research.