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Artistic Experiences and Social Interaction in Virtual Choir

Authors:
Artistic Experiences and Social Interaction in
Virtual Choir
Indra K. Wardani1, Henry Yuda Oktadus2, Djohan3, Phakkharawat Sittiprapaporn4
1,2Department of Music Education, Indonesia Institute of the Arts Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia;
Email: indrakwardani@gmail.com (I.W.); henry.yuda@gmail.com (H.Y.O.)
3Department of Music Performance, Indonesia Institute of the Arts Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia;
Email: djohan.djohan@yahoo.com (D.)
4Neuropsychological Research Laboratory, Neuroscience Research Center
School of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine,
Mae Fah Luang University, Bangkok, Thailand; Email: wichian.sit@mfu.ac.th (P.S.)
AbstractThe pandemic of COVID-19 had forced choir
enthusiast to swift from in-person live performance into online-
based activity, virtual choir. Even though this form of
performance be seen as an alternative of choir continuity during
uncertain times, this practice is problematic when it comes to
the absence of social interaction and the reduction of artistic
experience because of digital technology. The virtual choir
created new paradigm of artistic achievement in choir with the
presence of digital audio workstation where all voices are
treated as database and audio engineer has a big role in creating
the final artistic result. This research tries to explore the
phenomena through exploratory sequential approach employed
65 singers, 14 conductors, and 5 audio engineer (N=84) using
quick online survey and in-depth interview. The result showed
the three main case and the exploration on (1) the role of audio
engineer as artistic creator to take over the singers and
conductor, (2) the reduction of artistic experience due to digital
approach, and (3) the absence of in-person social interaction in
providing social experience as well as achieving artistic goals.
Keywordsvirtual choir, artistic experience, social interaction
I. INTRODUCTION
Many studies have indicated that singing together has a
positive impact on social experiences. Several investigations
have revealed how choirs can facilitate positive social
processes, such as enhanced communication skills [1],
improved self-esteem [2], and increased social cohesion [3],
[4]. This is possible because activities in the choir, as well as
other group musical activities, can provide a sense of secure
and pleasant experience when social interaction is carried out
for artistic collaboration [5]. The sense of security and
enjoyment that come from group music activities thus opens
up greater opportunities for individuals who are involved
interpersonally in musical activities. According to Elvers,
Fischinger, and Steffens [6], engaging in a long period of time
in a prosocial environment accompanied by fun musical
activities can ultimately increase empathy. The ability to
empathize can develop in these conditions because, according
to Luca et al. [7], empathy is indeed one of the key aspects that
operate in the process of communication and teamwork to
achieve goals in group music activities
On the other hand, social processes that benefit the
experience of choir members heavily depend on physical
space, which provides a direct experience for the social
interaction and artistic collaboration required in the choir.
This is related to the fact that the choir is a form of collective
artistic work. Choir artistic collaboration involves a group of
individuals coming together to create music as a team [8].
The choir is more than just a group of individual sounds; it
involves various artistic aspects that are formed through joint
work and adjustments between singers. One aspect that is
taken into account, for example, is sound as an acoustic
phenomenon that depends on the acoustics of the building
and the spacing and formation of the singers. This means that
there is an aspect related to how singers position themselves
with each other as part of a collective artistic experience
toward creating a harmonious sound [8].
Titze [9] provides evidence of how the artistic work
related to the adjustment of the voice of each singer is carried
out. His analysis of changes in formant frequency shows that
every singer involved in the choir, both soloists and choir
team members, make sound adjustments to ensure that each
individual voice remains blended and can achieve an artistic
choral sound. In addition, adjustments were also made to the
choir members so that they could hear the team more evenly
and obtain a collective sound profile. This indicates that there
is a reciprocal relationship between artistic and social
experiences that occur in the choir.
However, these processes face new challenges following the
social conditions that arose as a result of the outbreak of the
Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Restriction must be imposed on
collective activities, such as those that occur in choirs,
considering that singing together is an activity with a high
transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2 [10]. Thus, choir activities
must be suspended during the pandemic. Since then, various
collective activities have had to shift from physical space to
the space provided by digital technology, including choirs
and musical activities in general.
Regarding the relocation of collective activities to digital
spaces, several academics point to the potential for social
activities mediated by digital technology to provide positive
feedback for social interaction and social life. Bertrand et al.
[11] and Rueda and Lara [12] reveal that there are
opportunities to practice empathy skills using the potential
provided by digital technology. Empathy skills, which play
an important role in social behavior and intergroup relations,
can be trained using virtual reality. This is accomplished by
utilizing various biofeedback information from a person's
expression, which is modeled by an avatar for learning
expression recognition. The learning outcomes of this
information can be used to recognize other people's emotions,
self-reflection, and the subject's awareness of its presence in
social situations.
The use of digital technology has become the only option
for choir training and performances to continue the routines
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2023 Joint International Conference on Digital Arts, Media and Technology with ECTI Northern Section Conference on Electrical, Electronics, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering (ECTI DAMT & NCON) | 979-8-3503-9654-6/23/$31.00 ©2023 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/ECTIDAMTNCON57770.2023.10139589
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of various choir groups during the pandemic. This is evident
in the form of their activity, which is called a virtual choir.
The term "Virtual Choir" is used to refer to any type of choir-
related activity or production that involves members
rehearsing or performing without being physically present in
the same space [13]. Eren and Öztuğ [14] also recognize the
positive implications that can be derived from virtual choirs.
They have demonstrated that virtual choir recording
technology can help choir students practice more efficiently
by serving as a role model to encourage the development of
musical aspects such as conscious-listening, accurate
intonation, and perception of pacing.
In contrast, Feindler et al. [15] argue that the use of digital
technology in art education, including virtual choir, may not
necessarily replicate the same benefits as physical
interactions and may even devalue the values that have been
fought for through arts advocacy, such as supporting learners
and their social well-being. They also suggest that the
emphasis on replicating the in-person teaching model in
online learning may neglect the artistic processes that are
essential for learners to develop their musical and social
skills, such as composition, small ensembles, and reflective
and responsive listening. Therefore, it is important for
educators and schools to formulate a new model of art
learning that takes into account the unique challenges and
opportunities presented by digital technology. According to
Kerry [16], virtual choirs tend to devalue social and artistic
experiences because they heavily rely on digital production
techniques that involve extensive editing. As a result, the
virtual choir mainly relies on the simulated effect that results
from digital editing, as opposed to the actual performance of
a live choir. Rather than members performing together as a
cohesive unit, a single image and sound recording are edited
to create the illusion of a choir singing together.
Consequently, both the social and artistic experiences that are
typically associated with choirs are not fully realized in
virtual choirs.
The relocation of collective activities to digital platforms
creates conditions that are different from face-to-face
activities, such as social interaction in musical choir
collaborations. Research has shown a reduced quality of
social experience in musical collaborations that occur in
virtual choirs. However, previous studies have also
demonstrated a reciprocal relationship between artistic
collaboration and the social interaction required in group
music activities, especially choirs. If the social interaction
required for artistic collaboration through digital mediation is
hindered, then it can be assumed that the role of each choir
member in contributing creative ideas and adjustments to one
another will also diminish, along with the quality of
experience felt by the members. This indicates the need for
further investigation into the consequences of reduced social
collaboration in a virtual choir on the experiences and
individual roles in the artistic formation of singers and
conductors in such collaborations.
II. MATERIALS AND METHOD
This is a mixed-method research that employed 65 singers,
14 conductors, and 5 audio engineers (N=84) in an exploratory
sequential approach. The first step of this research involved an
in-depth interview with 2 singers (F1, F2), 2 conductors (F2,
F3), and 2 audio engineers (F3, F4) and followed by a
quantitative data collection to explore the prevalence of
themes emerging in qualitative data analysis. The data from
in-depth interview was transcribed and analyzed using
inductive Thematic Analysis to generate the highlighted
themes from the interviewee. The themes are also used as a
reference to design the questionnaire in a 5-likert scale
indicating subjects’ agreement and disagreement towards
certain statements from Strongly Agree (SA) scored 5 to
Strongly Disagree (SD) scored 1.
III. RESULTS
A. The takeover of artistic role from conductor-singer into
audio engineer and Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
The main issue that is highlighted in virtual choir is the
inclination of audio engineers to take over the role of
conductor and singers during virtual choir production. Is it
shown in both qualitative and quantitative data on how both
conductors and audio engineers admit this situation. We can
understand how it is impossible to do virtual choir without
editing since the main characteristic of it is the compilation of
individual recordings into a single music track, but it might go
further since the singers didn’t have that much portion in
maintaining their recordings once it was on the editing stage.
For example, a singer may or may not realize whether their
voice recording is being used or not in the final virtual choir
products. And this is a very common practice where audio
engineers, with or without the approval of the conductor,
erased or not include a specific vocal track. One main reason
for how this artistic experience is reduced drastically is the big
role that audio engineers have in this virtual scheme that
primarily requires audio editing. Audio engineers understand
their big role in generating the best possible performance of
virtual choir through their editing processes even though they
avoided overtly corrected audio such as pitch correction and
time delay modification to make sure that all voice recordings
achieve a tidy rhythmic execution.
B. The reduction of artistic experience during virtual choir
process
One of the most prominent things of any musical activity
is the artistic experience that emerged and internalized by the
musician. The virtual choir seemed to be unable to provide
certain artistic experience or so to speak as it reduced the
artistic experience in some senses. The table below shown the
opinion of singers regarding to artistic experience.
Meanwhile, the conductors tend to decrease their artistic and
musical standards knowing the limitations of their singers'
device and technology as well as the impossibility to achieve
certain artistic and musical standards through this scheme.
Their ability to distinguish proper choral sound make them
able to identify whether a virtual choir is overly edited and
tend to assume virtual choir sound unnatural and robotic.
Thus, they prefer the artistic result of live in-person choir
compared to virtual choir with all of its flaws.
C. The absence of social interaction in achieving artistic
goals
Now it is clear that during the individual recordings there
is no social interaction to lead them into a social experience in
achieving artistic aspects of musicality. The idea of choir
continuity that is standing as the main reason on why virtual
choir seemed as an alternative can easily be questioned. It is
reported to make people easily bored compared to in-person
choir, the feeling of detachment from the group, even the
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unwillingness to make another virtual choir project in the
future.
IV. DISCUSSION
The data analysis showed the main case of artistic
experience reduction due to two main factors: the presence of
digital technology with all of its possibility and limitation; and
the absence of in-person social interaction that affect the
artistic achievement. Choir as a musical activity mainly try to
achieve the acoustical artistic so-called choral sound and the
more general nuances namely artistic impression. The choral
sound is formed mainly by blending and balancing of the
singers in section and between sections where it requires them
to be able to listen and adjust their own voice. Meanwhile, the
artistic impression required singers and conductor to
communicate reciprocally over and over to maintain certain
focus and mental state among choir members.
The first factor that causes a reduction in artistic
experience in a virtual choir is due to changes in the roles and
processes of the conductor's artistic execution and decision-
making. These changes inevitably occur because the virtual
choir is mediated through digital technology and engineers,
who largely determine the end result of all processes involved
in the virtual choir. From the rehearsal process to the
recording, the singers were not involved collectively but
practiced and recorded separately. Meanwhile, the conductor
is only involved in the editing process and does not actually
conduct the choir in the edited video. This condition
distinguishes a virtual choir from an in-person choir, where
each member is involved in artistic formation. This condition
is considered artistically unfavorable by the singers because
they lose their sense of unity and harmony. This shows that
the reduction in artistic experience in the virtual choir also
has an impact on the quality of the social experience of the
choir members as a team. This can happen because the artistic
process in the choir itself should ideally be carried out
together to achieve a choral sound as a collective artistic goal
[9][17]. The loss of the sense of unity felt by singers in the
virtual choir can be seen as a sign that those who are used to
being involved in in-person choirs feel that social interaction
is an important prerequisite for group music activities. In
other words, this investigation supports the idea that
interpersonal skills can be developed through group music
activities [5][8]. On the other hand, artistic endeavors that are
carried out without involving much social interaction, as
conductors and sound engineers do in the editing process,
show that there is no opportunity to develop the positive
social experiences that collective artistic work offers. In this
process, the singer's role as a team member is treated as
nothing more than a sound database. Individual artistic
contributions are not as important, in contrast to in-person
choirs where the presence of individuals who are not yet
musically mature is still taken into account, either by
reducing the volume or changing positions [18].
The second factor to be assumed as reducing artistic
experience is the absence of in-person social interaction
during virtual choir. As a collective activity, in-person social
interaction is frequently mentioned and discussed as it is
assumed to be the fundamental of many social-related
benefits [19][23]. Now that in-person social interaction is
absent, it is plausible to reconsider and re-questioning virtual
choir as a collective musical activity. Previous research on
virtual choir emphasized the virtual choir as an alternative of
choir continuity that is needed by the singers during
pandemic and isolation times [13], but we need to be more
scrutiny in accepting this idea. The data obtained in this
research showed that despite the continuity, virtual choir
schemes tend to make the singers feel bored easily even to be
reluctant in re-joining the virtual choir production after
certain numbers of participations. It can be assumed that the
concept of continuity in virtual choir may not be sustainable
as the choir enthusiasts tend to choose the in-person live
choir. Further, the absence of in-person social interaction has
potential in detaining the achievement of artistic aspect as a
result of the minimal musical interaction employed in the
activity.
Previous research showed how social skills, empathy, is
important in helping individuals to understand a non-verbal
communication to gain better ensemble quality [24].
Empathy as a social skill is also seen to be prominent in
rhythmic entrainment [25] that is important for collective
musical activity. Not only that social skills are needed in
collective musical activity to achieve its artistic goals, the
social interaction in collective musical activity is also
expected to foster empathy as a social skill. The importance
and benefits of this reciprocal relation between empathy and
musical activity seemed to require social interaction to
provide certain social experience for the individuals. Another
previous research showed how virtual choir and its absence
of social interaction prone to negate its potential in promoting
social skills in individuals [26] but haven’t explored more
how its absence also disables the choir to achieve its artistic
goals. The in-person social interaction in choir enables
singers to adjust their singing technique to achieve better
vocal production and avoid vocal tension by watching the
conductors’ hand and gesture [27][28]. Another research also
showed how conductor’s gesture can be suggestive for
singers to execute certain dynamics and element of tempo
[29]. Gonzo [30] explained that in vocal lesson the idea of
modelling where singers need to imitate certain technique as
well as body movement is prominent. Meanwhile, other
studies showed that empathy as a social skill enable
individuals to read or imitate facial expression and body
gesture in a better way [31][32]. Is it convincing that
empathic skills can be beneficial for individuals in achieving
certain musical aspect in regard to artistic goals and the in-
person interpersonal interaction might facilitate them in
fostering these social skills? This reciprocal relation can only
happen when both aspects namely the musical interaction and
social interaction intersect in a specific manner without any
barrier such as the absence of the in-person interaction per se.
CONCLUSION
This research emphasized the abandoned disadvantage of
virtual choir towards the artistic experience namely its
reduction that is caused by two main factors: the presence of
technology and the absence of in-person social interaction.
Through this research we might want to reconsider the form
of musical activity that is not only focusing on the continuity
by sacrifice the main property of artistic activity: the artistic
experience. It is also a reflection on how we should engage
with technology in artistic practice to maintain productivity
without hampering the side of humanity. This study might be
lack in the data richness for the sample distribution and
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numbers so that the next research may be more scrutiny in
gaining better data through bigger sample for the quantitative
survey and make a more comprehensive in-depth interview for
the qualitative data exploration.
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
Conceptualization, I.K.W., and D.; methodology, I.K.W.,
H.Y.O., and D.; software, I.K.W., and H.Y.O; validation, D.
and P.S.; formal analysis, I.K.W., H.Y.O. and P.S.;
investigation, D., and P.S.; resources, I.K.W., H.Y.O., and
D.; data curation, I.K.W., H.Y.O., and D.; writingoriginal
draft preparation, I.K.W., H.Y.O., D. and P.S.; writing
review and editing, I.K.W., H.Y.O., D., and P.S.;
visualization, P.S.; supervision, D.; project administration,
D.; funding acquisition, I.K.W., H.Y.O., and D.. All authors
have read and agreed to the published version of the
manuscript. I.K.W. is a corresponding author. The authors
declare no conflict of interest.
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Article
"The relevance of the studied issue is the need to identify the main trends in choral performance, and determine the principles of the work of conductors and choral artists in the context of renewal of the components in this field. The aim of the research is to study the problem of current global trends in the development of choral performance as a complex multifaceted and integral phenomenon. Its practical methods (audio search; audio selection; audio analysis) were used in the research. The aspects of modern choral performance (interdisciplinary; socio-cultural; as well as artistic management; professional training; modern engineering technologies; information and communication space; technologies aimed at preserving human and professional resources) were identified. The current components of activity in the field of modern choral art were established. The directions of modern choral practice were identified (activation of the musical group in the life of society; expansion of traditional executive functions; growth of the genre stylistic palette of the choral repertoire). The system of key modernized methods of interpreting choral works of the 20th and 21st centuries was studied (principles of intonation; the principle of expanding the range; the principle of enriching the technical means of interpretation; the principles of forming the performance texture; the principle of interpreting the verbal text in the context of the choral score; the principle of creating different types of sound). The general features of modern choral performance in Ukraine and in the world were studied. The results can be applied in the process of researching future choral performing practice and preparing the relevant studies. The prospects of research in this field of musical culture are to enrich the theoretical and practical sectors of choral art as a complex system which is open for updates. Keywords: choral art, choir, choral work, performance interpretation, choral genre, choral style, timbre dramaturgy, performance analysis."
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The pandemic has forced choir practitioners and enthusiasts to shift from in-person rehearsal and performance to online and virtual choir performance. The virtual choir is seen as an alternative to choir activity during the pandemic. However, it also generates another concern related to its inclination to reduce the role of the conductor, singers, and social interaction in achieving musical targets and enhance the so-called social skills, empathy. The study employs two conductors in an in-depth interview to understand the condition and dynamics of online rehearsal and virtual choir performance. The exploration of the data emphasized three important themes: (1) the role of virtual choir to choir continuity, (2) the impact of virtual choir technology in reducing individuals’ role, and (3) the absence of in-person social interaction in empathy enhancement. Paduan Suara Virtual: Bernyanyi bersama, seorang diri Abstrak Pandemi memaksa praktisi dan penggemar paduan suara untuk beralih dari latihan dan penampilan live menjadi skema latihan online dan pertunjukan virtual. Paduan suara virtual dipandang sebagai alternatif untuk tetap menjalankan aktivitas paduan suara di kala pandemi. Namun, paduan suara virtual juga memunculkan keprihatikan dan perhatian khusus terkait kecenderungan untuk mereduksi peran konduktor, penyanyi, dan interaksi sosial dalam mencapai target musikal dan juga peningkatan keterampilan sosial, salah satunya empati. Penelitian ini berupa wawancara terfokus pada dua konduktor paduan suara yang bertujuan untuk menggali pemahaman terkait kondisi dan dinamika latihan daring dan pertunjukan paduan suara virtual. Hasil ekspolasi data dan analisis menunjukkan tiga tema penting yakni (1) peran paduan suara virtual untuk keberlanjutan aktivitas paduan suara, (2) dampak teknologi yang digunakan dalam paduan suara virtual terhadap reduksi peran humanis, dan (3) ketiadaan interaksi interpersonal secara langsung dan dampaknya terhadap peningkatan empati.
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The history of humankind is full of examples that indicate a constant desire to make human beings more moral. Nowadays, technological breakthroughs might have a significant impact on our moral character and abilities. This is the case of Virtual Reality (VR) technologies. The aim of this paper is to consider the ethical aspects of the use of VR in enhancing empathy. First, we will offer an introduction to VR, explaining its fundamental features, devices and concepts. Then, we will approach the characterization of VR as an “empathy machine,” showing why this medium has aroused so much interest and why, nevertheless, we do not believe it is the ideal way to enhance empathy. As an alternative, we will consider fostering empathy-related abilities through virtual embodiment in avatars. In the conclusion, however, we will examine some of the serious concerns related to the ethical relevance of empathy and will defend the philosophical case for a reason-guided empathy, also suggesting specific guidelines for possible future developments of empathy enhancement projects through VR embodied experiences.
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As countries around the world went into lockdown in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, people looked for virtual ways of reducing social isolation. Amongst these online interactions, a relatively new phenomenon – the virtual choir – grew in popularity. As part of a wider study on virtual choirs, this study analyses the multimodal performance of, and textual audience responses to, ‘The Birth of the Virtual Choir’, posted on YouTube in June 2020. The study uses a combination of Mediated Discourse Analysis (Norris and Jones, 2005) and the theoretical concept of liminality (Turner, 1974; van Gennep, 1960) as a means of understanding how one performance in this new genre was used to reflect personal crises during the pandemic and enforced lockdowns. It argues that the song mirrors a process of separation, transition and reaggregation in both time and space, consistent with rites of passages and liminal experiences, whereby social actors are isolated, use creative ways to find order to the chaos, then reintegrate into society as changed subjects. It also demonstrates how online creativity and illusion highlighted one choir’s experience on life and lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic, many of which appeared to ring true for their wider audience and other virtual choirs being born into the Covid era.
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Introduction: There is increasing evidence of the social, physical and cognitive benefits of group-singing for people living with dementia and their family carers. However, COVID-19 has necessitated the suspension of in-person group-singing globally. This study explores the impact of COVID-19 on dementia-inclusive singing groups and choirs in Ireland, and their facilitators’ responses. It seeks to contribute to the limited literature on online group-singing and music telehealth for people living with dementia and family carers. It strives to provide facilitators with practical information to adapt their programmes for online delivery and continue to support the health and well-being of these populations. Method: This study adopted a qualitative methodological approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with facilitators of dementia-inclusive singing groups or choirs in Ireland (n = 12). Results: Four main themes were generated inductively from the data using Thematic Analysis: accessibility of online delivery; online vs in-person delivery; importance of social connection; adaptability and resilience. Discussion: This study provides a mixed picture of opportunities and challenges arising from online music programmes. Initial evidence indicates the ability of facilitators to successfully deliver online music programmes to a proportion of people living with dementia and family carers and the capacity of members of these populations to engage with them. The findings support the development of sustainable online groups and resources to increase the accessibility of dementia-inclusive singing groups and support community-dwelling people with dementia living in rural and remote areas or with health or mobility challenges. However, challenges of digital inclusion exist. © 2021 GAMUT–The Grieg Academy Music Therapy Research Centre.
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To start off this special issue on COVID-19 and K-12 arts education, this article places the impact of COVID-19 on public education into context, and drills down to how the pandemic affected the delivery of arts education. The article begins with an overview of the inequities revealed in our public education system by COVID-19. While many of these have been revealed and studied before, the pandemic brought them to the routine attention of the public in a way that earlier advocacy and research efforts have not. The article then addresses how these inequities have influenced the availability and quality of arts education offered during the pandemic, showcasing the continued “second class” status of arts education in public education planning and delivery. Finally, the article ends with some positive outcomes one year into the pandemic for arts education, suggesting possibilities for the future post pandemic, as well as implications and potential warning signs for the next 24 months to come.
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This work is aimed at outlining a repertoire of conductors’ gestures. In this perspective, it presents two studies that investigate a specific subset of the body signals of orchestra and choir conductors, namely, the gestures for musical intensity. First, an observational qualitative study, based on a systematic coding of a corpus of fragments from orchestra concerts and rehearsals, singled out 21 gestures, in which either the gesture as a whole or some aspects of it conveyed indications for forte, piano, crescendo, or diminuendo; some are symbolic gestures, used either with the same meaning as in everyday interaction or with one specific of conductors; others are iconic gestures, both directly or indirectly iconic. Second, in a perception study, a questionnaire submitted to 77 participants tested if 8 gestures of intensity out of the 21 singled out by the coding study are in fact shared and understood, and whether they are better interpreted by music experts than by laypeople. Results showed that the tested gestures are fairly comprehensible, not only by experts but also by non-expert participants, probably due, for some gestures, to their high level of iconicity, and for others to their closeness to everyday gestures.