Transcript Can research help artists? Current research on music performance

Can research help artists?
Current research on
music performance
Richard Parncutt
University of Graz, Austria
Kunstuniversität Graz, 7.11.05
Changing contexts of music academies
Academic context
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pressure  degrees, research
parallel development of performance research
Political context
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transparent „mission“
cost efficiency
Social context
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changing demands on musicians/educators
flexibility of job markets
A possible aim
Improve „efficiency“ of music academy?
efficiency = „output“ / „input“
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„Input“ = time, effort, costs
– invested by teachers, students, state
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„Output“ = musical achievement of graduates
– enjoyed by society (that pays the taxes)
– enjoyed by country (international competition)
A possible way forward
The optimal ratio of performance to scholarship
in the curriculum…
…depends on the institution
• history
• orientation
• culture
…depends on the individual student
• career aims
• personality and approach to learning
…could be determined empirically
Approach of this talk
1. Survey promising research
– What is interesting for music students?
– What can speed their progress?
2. Address practical and political issues
– Why not currently taught?
– Anticipated effect of introduction
– Strategies to encourage introduction
Enriching the curriculum
Possible academic courses:
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Music history, music theory/analysis
General intro: music psychology / music performance research
Physics, physiology, psychology of own instrument
Efficient practice
Expression
Improvisation
Performance anxiety
Music medicine
Educational / developmental psychology
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Psychology of theory/analysis/composition
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Should these be electives for all students?
If so, for what proportion of program?
Assumption
Academic work should take
up a small proportion of a
student‘s total study time.
Physics, physiology and psychology of piano
Students know surprisingly little about:
 Relevant mechanics, acoustics, physiology
 Timbre
– key velocity, noise, pedals, balance, onset timing
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Fingering
– constraints: physical, anatomic, motor, cognitive
– dependencies: expertise, interpretation
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Structural and emotional communication
– with limited expressive possibilities
Physics, physiology, psychology of singing
VoceVista: Visual feedback for instruction in singing
Efficient practice
Diversity of approaches:
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Study and analysis of scores
Mental and physical practice
Listen to recordings and concerts
Metacognition
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organization, goal orientation
Intrinsic motivation
Many short sessions with breaks
Structural communication
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Structure:
– phrasing, meter, melody, harmony
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Expression and accentuation
– Immanent versus performed accents
– Performed accents reinforce immanent accents
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A good theory
– is simple and applicable
– allows meaningful analysis of own repertoire
Emotional communication
Cues
– size/variation of: tempo, dynamic, articulation
(attack / duration), timbre, durational contrast,
intonation/vibrato
Redundancy and ambiguity of message
 Relation to structure
 Effectiveness of feedback training
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Improvisation
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Psychology of speech acquisition
 imitate  improvise  notate  transcribe
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Stepwise approach
– set limits (dynamics, articulations, pitches, durations)
– expression first: syntax through semantics
– combine structural elements with musical skills
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Psychological theory of creativity
– knowledge, risk, evaluation, motivation, flow
– balance group and individual work
Performance anxiety
High incidence, low awareness / treatment:
 Optimal arousal versus panic
 Personality, mastery, situation
 Perfectionism and control
 Treatments and exercises
– physical (relaxation)
– cognitive (realism, desensitization, restructuring)
– combined (Yoga, hypnotherapy, Alexander technique)
Music medicine
High incidence, low awareness / treatment:
 Common problems
– chronic tension, reduced elasticity of muscles
– pelvis, lower spine, back of neck
– specific to instrument, technique, repertoire, physique
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Student musicians need:
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knowledge (relevant anatomy, physiology)
strategies (exercises, sport, nutrition)
treatments (active interventions, avoiding overload)
information specific to children (for teaching)
Why important?
– Prevention is better (cheaper, more effective) than cure!
Psychology of music education (1)
Student-teacher interaction
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Research
– child’s, teacher’s, parent’s attributions of success and failure
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Results
– teachers don’t discuss failures or feel responsible
– girls attribute more than boys to uncontrollable factors
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Strategies
– attribution training, self-efficacy, stress management,
motivational feedback
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Aims
– realism, confidence, motivation, progress
Psychology of music education (2)
„Sound before sign”
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Psychological background: language acquisition
– hear, understand, imitate, improvise, write, read; interact
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Historical context
– improvisation died out in 19th century
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Pedagogical context
– modern music teachers feel inadequate / don’t improvise
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Strategies
– start early (plasticity), one skill at a time, improv. against
accomp., notate improvs., multiple representations…
My sources
Parncutt & McPherson (OUP 2002)
 Students: Gasenzer, Goebl, Holming,
Lassnig-Waldner, Jost, Painsi
 Talks at
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– Psychology and Music Education (Padova
2004)
– Performance Matters (Porto 2005)
Frequent objections 1: Course content
Foreign ideas and other teachers interfere with teaching!
 It‘s about ideas, not “truth”.
 Students should learn to evaluate ideas.
 Eminent performers typically had many teachers.
 Students have rights and intellectual freedom.
Analytic thinking inhibits spontaneity!
 Analytic thinking is confined to practising.
 Many eminent performers promote analytic approaches.
We never learned or needed this material!
 No specialist keeps track of developments in all relevant fields.
 Students may become better musicians than their teachers.
 Beethoven had no Bachelor‘s degree 
Frequent objections 2: Pedagogical tradition
Why change a successful pedagogical tradition?
 Improve procedural-episodic-semantic balance.
 Every student generation has new influences and expectations.
A strong teacher-student relationship is important!
 Contact time can include applied research and co-teaching.
 Students respect teachers who are open to outside influences.
Practice time is important! (cf. expertise research)
 Optimal amount is clearly less than 100% of curriculum.
 Practice time is physiologically and cognitively constrained.
We cannot foresee the benefits!
 Evaluate a trial course.
 Trust other experts.
Strategies
…for music academics who want to promote
performance research in their institution
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Engage with administration
Understand democracy
Maintain excellence through innovation
Support students‘ analytic thinking
Promote interdisciplinarity
Optimize course content
Inform and involve teachers
Empower students
Introduce new courses gradually
Expand and diversify teaching staff
Engage with administration
… to build understanding and support for
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academic courses in general
music performance research specifically
Understand democracy
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Music:
performers > academics, theorists, composers
Origins:
• performance as primary aim of music academies
• idea of genius performer
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Musicology:
historical > systematic & ethno- musicologists
Origins:
• 19th-century position of musicology within humanities
• idea of art/music historians as aesthetic arbiters
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Classic cases of entrenched majorities and minorities
Excellence, tradition and innovation
Maintain excellence by balancing past and future
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preserve tradition and continuity
– complement, don’t overthrow
– balance tradition and innovation
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be pro-active
– anticipate new developments
– take advantage of currently available means
Support students‘ analytic thinking
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Musicians and artists
holistic, intuitive, qualitative, „right brain“
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Nonmusicians and researchers
analytic, logical, quantitative, „left brain“
Whether stereotype or trend, everyone needs both!
 Music students need support in analytic thinking
Promote interdisciplinarity
Difficult boundaries:
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humanities
sciences
practice
Necessary:
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specialism
openness, respect, curiosity
Unnecessary:
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specialist knowledge outside specialism
 mission statement
Optimize course content
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have researcher-performers teach
illustrate all theory with familiar musical examples
balance lecture and workshop styles
monitor and respond to student priorities and thinking
Outside the course:
 adapt research content to teaching needs
Inform and involve academic staff
Inform by:
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posters
launching events
accessible literature
Involve in:
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performance research (planning, execution)
associated teaching
research advisory committees
- especially heads of departments (keyboards, strings…)
Academic staff should:
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feel ownership of and identification with research
take over promotion of research and teaching
Empower students
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course evaluations
 mechanisms for requesting
courses
 mentor’s reports
 student evaluation of program
 “design your elective” option
Introduce new courses gradually
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Year 1 or 2 (or later):
– general introduction
• music psychology
• music performance research
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Year 2 or 3 (or later):
– specialized options
• primarily directed at non-researching performers
• may be prerequisite for doctorate
Expand and diversify teaching staff
Scenario 1
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director applies for new position
find suitable person
Scenario 2
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change curriculum
 temporary staff to teach new units
 evaluate
 apply for permanent staff
Enriching the curriculum
Possible academic courses:



Music history, music theory/analysis
General intro: music psychology / music performance
research
Physics, physiology, psychology of own instrument
Efficient practice
Expression
Improvisation
Performance anxiety
Music medicine
Educational / developmental psychology

Psychology of theory/analysis/composition






Strategies
…for music academics who want to promote
performance research in their institution










Engage with administration
Understand democracy
Maintain excellence through innovation
Support students‘ analytic thinking
Promote interdisciplinarity
Optimize course content
Inform and involve teachers
Empower students
Introduce new courses gradually
Expand and diversify teaching staff