Renee Timmers
Biographic Data
| ID | 1097984 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Renee Timmers |
| GIVEN NAMES | Renee |
| FAMILY NAME | Timmers |
| SIGNATURE | TIMMERS R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Sheffield |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1981-0834 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2000 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
How is musical expertise related to executive functions? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Relationships Between Visual Imagery, Emotion, and Music During Music Performance
Research has explored the relationship between visual imagery (VI) and emotion in music listening. However, less is known about musicians’ perspectives on, and experiences of, the relationship between VI, emotion, and music during music performance. Eight piano students and two piano tutors performed three variations from Mozart’s “Ah, vous dirai-je, maman” twice (natural and with emotion). After performing an excerpt, participants explained thei…
Introducing and testing a Bayesian emotions-in-music model (BEiMM)
What is the basis for listeners to perceive music as expressive of emotions? For almost three decades, the cues-based lens model has been the primary method to predict perceived emotions from musical properties. This paper introduces a much-needed updated model that integrates listeners' subjective conceptualisations with cues-based signification. Our Bayesian Emotions in Music Model (BEiMM) uses Bayes' rule to predict emotion in music from the p…
Characterizing music for sleep
There is widespread interest in the use of music to help with sleep, although there is little clear understanding of the features that distinguish music for sleep from music for other purposes. We asked if music intended to facilitate sleep is distinct from music more generally considered as relaxing by comparing the features of tracks comprising three types of playlist on the music streaming service Spotify. Ninety playlists to facilitate sleep,…
The patient musician
The findings indicate the necessity of integrating a positive approach to (performance) anxiety, establishing secure environments for vulnerable students beyond their academic settings, and enhancing students' awareness of available (medical) standard multidisciplinary treatments. The emergence of a specialized, board-certified field of musicians' medicine within the medical field is a promising development that could provide support to musicians…
Comparing Engagement Across Online Arts Forms in Older Adults
This research developed a nuanced video analysis method to evaluate experiences of creative arts workshops. Such methodologies are essential for distinguishing the impact of interventions, allowing for a differentiated approach in prescribing arts interventions for health and wellbeing outcomes
Action, emotion, and music-colour synaesthesia
Synaesthesia has been conceptualised as a joining of sensory experiences. Taking a holistic, embodied perspective, we investigate in this paper the role of action and emotion, testing hypotheses related to (1) changes to action-related qualities of a musical stimulus affect the resulting synaesthetic experience; (2) a comparable relationship exists between music, sensorimotor and emotional responses in synaesthetes and the general population; and…
Distinguishing between musical excerpts learned by novices individually or in pairs
In a previous study, we found that musical learning of novices was equally accurate (in terms of playing the correct rhythms and pitches) when learning in a solo or duo setting. Intrigued by these findings, we conducted a follow-up experiment investigating whether the learning outcomes differed in subjective terms as perceived by listeners judging the performances. Here, expert musicians were asked to discern whether melodies learned under condit…
Digital adaptations to arts programme delivery for people living with dementia in response to the Covid-19 pandemic
Despite challenges, the range of interactions across activities demonstrated various ways for people living with dementia to make a contribution, feeding into the feelings of purpose and belonging in the online/digital community
Reassessing the goals of musical activities for people living with dementia
A risk present in medically informed psychosocial interventions for dementia, including musical interventions, is the potential to overly prioritise the reduction of cognitive decline, which can inadvertently emphasise deterioration and loss of skills and capacities. This focus can lead to disempowering people living with dementia rather than supporting and building on the skills that remain. In this paper, we present approaches linked with a mor…
The emotion trajectory of self-selected jazz music with lyrics
This study explored how lyrics, participant-selected music, and emotion trajectory impact self-reported emotional (happiness, sadness, arousal, and valence) and physiological (heart, respiration, and skin conductance rates) responses. Participants were matched (based on sex, age, musicianship, and lyric preference) and assigned to a lyric or instrumental group. Each participant experienced one emotion trajectory (happy-sad or sad-happy), with alt…
‘Just notes’
Expressiveness is an important aspect of an excellent music performance as it adds quality and interest to the playing and listening experience. Although several studies have investigated tertiary students’ learning of expressiveness, little is known about effective approaches for teaching children to perform expressively. In the present project, 16 young musicians (aged 9–16, with performance levels at Pre-Grade 1 – Grade 8) took part in a video…
Young Musicians' Learning of Expressive Performance
Until recently little was known through systematic research about effective teaching methods to enhance children's expressiveness in music performance. A previous experimental study indicated that a dialogic teaching approach, consisting of questions and dialogue, improves pupils' expressive performance. Developing from this, a participatory action research study was conducted with the following objectives: (1) To explore how dialogic teaching an…
Learning Music From Each Other
In an experimental study, we investigated how well novices can learn from each other in situations of technology-aided musical skill acquisition, comparing joint and solo learning, and learning through imitation, synchronization, and turn-taking. Fifty-four participants became familiar, either solo or in pairs, with three short musical melodies and then individually performed each from memory. Each melody was learned in a different way: participa…
Stream segregation revisited
Exploring pianists’ embodied concepts of piano timbre
Whether piano touch can influence piano timbre or not is a highly contested topic between acousticians and musicians. To gain insight into the ways in which pianists understand and use timbre, eight piano students were interviewed about their conceptualisation of timbre and ways of producing different timbres on the piano. Results indicate that pianists interpret timbre holistically as the overall sonic outcome and use embodied conceptualisations…
Creativity, Collaboration and Development in Jeremy Thurlow's Ouija for Peter Sheppard Skærved
This article documents and analyses a creative collaboration between the composer Jeremy Thurlow and the violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved in the production of Ouija, a work for solo violin and laptop computer. The article situates the account of this creative process within recent literature on distributed and collaborative creativity, and focuses on three aspects of the project: verbal interaction between the two musicians, analysed in terms of …
Real-Time Visual Feedback for Learning to Perform Short Rhythms with Expressive Variations in Timing and Loudness
According to learning theories and empirical observations, communication between teachers and students is a crucial factor in effective learning of musical expressions. One possibility for improving this communication could be the introduction of visual feedback (VFB) in the lesson. In the current study, a new type of real-time VFB is proposed, which represents changes in acoustical parameters (loudness and timing) as parameters of an abstract vi…
Vocal Expression in Recorded Performances of Schubert Songs
This exploratory study focuses on the relationship between vocal expression, musical structure, and emotion in recorded performances by famous singers of three Schubert songs. Measurement of variations in tempo, dynamics, and pitch showed highly systematic relationships with the music's structural and emotional characteristics, particularly as regards emotional activity and valence. Relationships with emotional activity were consistent across bot…
The Influence of Musical Context on Tempo Rubato
Different pieces of music offer different expressive possibilities. Even a single piece of music offers the possibility to be treated in several expressive ways see (Repp, 1998). How much of this variety of possible interpretations is exhibited in actual performances of the music? Do pianists make use of the different parameters of the piece to shape their performance? Do variety in performances and variety in musical parameters relate to each ot…
Digital adaptations to arts programme delivery for people living with dementia in response to the Covid-19 pandemic
Despite challenges, the range of interactions across activities demonstrated various ways for people living with dementia to make a contribution, feeding into the feelings of purpose and belonging in the online/digital community
The Influence of Musical Context on Tempo Rubato
Different pieces of music offer different expressive possibilities. Even a single piece of music offers the possibility to be treated in several expressive ways see (Repp, 1998). How much of this variety of possible interpretations is exhibited in actual performances of the music? Do pianists make use of the different parameters of the piece to shape their performance? Do variety in performances and variety in musical parameters relate to each ot…
Real-Time Visual Feedback for Learning to Perform Short Rhythms with Expressive Variations in Timing and Loudness
According to learning theories and empirical observations, communication between teachers and students is a crucial factor in effective learning of musical expressions. One possibility for improving this communication could be the introduction of visual feedback (VFB) in the lesson. In the current study, a new type of real-time VFB is proposed, which represents changes in acoustical parameters (loudness and timing) as parameters of an abstract vi…
The Influence of Musical Context on Tempo Rubato
Different pieces of music offer different expressive possibilities. Even a single piece of music offers the possibility to be treated in several expressive ways see (Repp, 1998). How much of this variety of possible interpretations is exhibited in actual performances of the music? Do pianists make use of the different parameters of the piece to shape their performance? Do variety in performances and variety in musical parameters relate to each ot…
Vocal Expression in Recorded Performances of Schubert Songs
This exploratory study focuses on the relationship between vocal expression, musical structure, and emotion in recorded performances by famous singers of three Schubert songs. Measurement of variations in tempo, dynamics, and pitch showed highly systematic relationships with the music's structural and emotional characteristics, particularly as regards emotional activity and valence. Relationships with emotional activity were consistent across bot…
Real-Time Visual Feedback for Learning to Perform Short Rhythms with Expressive Variations in Timing and Loudness
According to learning theories and empirical observations, communication between teachers and students is a crucial factor in effective learning of musical expressions. One possibility for improving this communication could be the introduction of visual feedback (VFB) in the lesson. In the current study, a new type of real-time VFB is proposed, which represents changes in acoustical parameters (loudness and timing) as parameters of an abstract vi…
Creativity, Collaboration and Development in Jeremy Thurlow's Ouija for Peter Sheppard Skærved
This article documents and analyses a creative collaboration between the composer Jeremy Thurlow and the violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved in the production of Ouija, a work for solo violin and laptop computer. The article situates the account of this creative process within recent literature on distributed and collaborative creativity, and focuses on three aspects of the project: verbal interaction between the two musicians, analysed in terms of …
Young Musicians' Learning of Expressive Performance
Until recently little was known through systematic research about effective teaching methods to enhance children's expressiveness in music performance. A previous experimental study indicated that a dialogic teaching approach, consisting of questions and dialogue, improves pupils' expressive performance. Developing from this, a participatory action research study was conducted with the following objectives: (1) To explore how dialogic teaching an…
Learning Music From Each Other
In an experimental study, we investigated how well novices can learn from each other in situations of technology-aided musical skill acquisition, comparing joint and solo learning, and learning through imitation, synchronization, and turn-taking. Fifty-four participants became familiar, either solo or in pairs, with three short musical melodies and then individually performed each from memory. Each melody was learned in a different way: participa…
Stream segregation revisited
Exploring pianists’ embodied concepts of piano timbre
Whether piano touch can influence piano timbre or not is a highly contested topic between acousticians and musicians. To gain insight into the ways in which pianists understand and use timbre, eight piano students were interviewed about their conceptualisation of timbre and ways of producing different timbres on the piano. Results indicate that pianists interpret timbre holistically as the overall sonic outcome and use embodied conceptualisations…
‘Just notes’
Expressiveness is an important aspect of an excellent music performance as it adds quality and interest to the playing and listening experience. Although several studies have investigated tertiary students’ learning of expressiveness, little is known about effective approaches for teaching children to perform expressively. In the present project, 16 young musicians (aged 9–16, with performance levels at Pre-Grade 1 – Grade 8) took part in a video…
The emotion trajectory of self-selected jazz music with lyrics
This study explored how lyrics, participant-selected music, and emotion trajectory impact self-reported emotional (happiness, sadness, arousal, and valence) and physiological (heart, respiration, and skin conductance rates) responses. Participants were matched (based on sex, age, musicianship, and lyric preference) and assigned to a lyric or instrumental group. Each participant experienced one emotion trajectory (happy-sad or sad-happy), with alt…
Action, emotion, and music-colour synaesthesia
Synaesthesia has been conceptualised as a joining of sensory experiences. Taking a holistic, embodied perspective, we investigate in this paper the role of action and emotion, testing hypotheses related to (1) changes to action-related qualities of a musical stimulus affect the resulting synaesthetic experience; (2) a comparable relationship exists between music, sensorimotor and emotional responses in synaesthetes and the general population; and…
Distinguishing between musical excerpts learned by novices individually or in pairs
In a previous study, we found that musical learning of novices was equally accurate (in terms of playing the correct rhythms and pitches) when learning in a solo or duo setting. Intrigued by these findings, we conducted a follow-up experiment investigating whether the learning outcomes differed in subjective terms as perceived by listeners judging the performances. Here, expert musicians were asked to discern whether melodies learned under condit…
Digital adaptations to arts programme delivery for people living with dementia in response to the Covid-19 pandemic
Despite challenges, the range of interactions across activities demonstrated various ways for people living with dementia to make a contribution, feeding into the feelings of purpose and belonging in the online/digital community
Reassessing the goals of musical activities for people living with dementia
A risk present in medically informed psychosocial interventions for dementia, including musical interventions, is the potential to overly prioritise the reduction of cognitive decline, which can inadvertently emphasise deterioration and loss of skills and capacities. This focus can lead to disempowering people living with dementia rather than supporting and building on the skills that remain. In this paper, we present approaches linked with a mor…
Characterizing music for sleep
There is widespread interest in the use of music to help with sleep, although there is little clear understanding of the features that distinguish music for sleep from music for other purposes. We asked if music intended to facilitate sleep is distinct from music more generally considered as relaxing by comparing the features of tracks comprising three types of playlist on the music streaming service Spotify. Ninety playlists to facilitate sleep,…
The patient musician
The findings indicate the necessity of integrating a positive approach to (performance) anxiety, establishing secure environments for vulnerable students beyond their academic settings, and enhancing students' awareness of available (medical) standard multidisciplinary treatments. The emergence of a specialized, board-certified field of musicians' medicine within the medical field is a promising development that could provide support to musicians…
Comparing Engagement Across Online Arts Forms in Older Adults
This research developed a nuanced video analysis method to evaluate experiences of creative arts workshops. Such methodologies are essential for distinguishing the impact of interventions, allowing for a differentiated approach in prescribing arts interventions for health and wellbeing outcomes
How is musical expertise related to executive functions? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Relationships Between Visual Imagery, Emotion, and Music During Music Performance
Research has explored the relationship between visual imagery (VI) and emotion in music listening. However, less is known about musicians’ perspectives on, and experiences of, the relationship between VI, emotion, and music during music performance. Eight piano students and two piano tutors performed three variations from Mozart’s “Ah, vous dirai-je, maman” twice (natural and with emotion). After performing an excerpt, participants explained thei…
Introducing and testing a Bayesian emotions-in-music model (BEiMM)
What is the basis for listeners to perceive music as expressive of emotions? For almost three decades, the cues-based lens model has been the primary method to predict perceived emotions from musical properties. This paper introduces a much-needed updated model that integrates listeners' subjective conceptualisations with cues-based signification. Our Bayesian Emotions in Music Model (BEiMM) uses Bayes' rule to predict emotion in music from the p…
Neuroscience and Music Perception (15 works) · Psychology (15 works) · Musical (11 works) · Cognitive psychology (10 works) · Computer Science (10 works) · Diverse Music Education Insights (9 works) · Visual arts (9 works) · Social Psychology (7 works) · Art (6 works) · Communication (5 works)