Piano performance : strategies for score memorisation

Accurate live performance demands that player equip him/herself with a secure memorisation of the work. Most professional pianists are familiar with the four aspects of music memory, namely Kinaesthetic, Aural, Visual and Analytical Memories. However, these may not be enough in themselves to ensure freedom from momentary memory lapses on the stage. After a discussion of issues concerned with psychological memory and music cognitive memory, the dissertation outlines a memory technique, here labelled MM, which draws on the use of music mnemonics. The technique is intended to help pianists retrieve relevant information as quickly and effectively as possible during the performance, therefore avoiding or minimising mistakes. Various types of music mnemonics which the author has herself used are identified. Following this is an account of a project undertaken by the author which involved the examination of the memorisation techniques of five professional pianists while learning two contrasting pieces. The extent to which they applied the MM technique, and the specific mnemonics described in the dissertation thus far, is examined closely. So is the effectiveness of the various mnemonics in dealing with very varied repertoires

Examining the effect of practicing with different modeling conditions on the memorization of young piano students

La modélisation est une technique d'enseignement étudiée dans les domaines de l'apprentissage moteur, des neurosciences, de l'enseignement et de la musique. Cependant, on ignore si cette technique peut être efficace pour mémoriser la notation musicale pour piano, en particulier pour les jeunes élèves. Cette étude a donc examiné l'effet de la pratique instrumentale utilisant différentes conditions de modélisation sur la mémorisation d'une pièce de piano. Ces conditions de modélisation étaient les suivantes: modélisation auditive et modélisation vidéo avec indices. L'étude comportaitune quasi-expérience avec 24 jeunes élèves de piano de 3e année du Conservatoire royal de musique (CRM) au Canada ou l'équivalent. Les participants ont pratiqué avec une condition de modélisation afin de déterminer quelle condition produirait les meilleurs résultats de rétention mnémonique. Les résultats ont montré que la modélisation vidéo avec indices était l'outil de pratique le plus efficace en termes d'erreurs de notes et de rythmes, lorsqu'elle est comparée à la modélisation audio et aux groupes de pratique libre. Ces résultats appuient les recherches en neurosciences selon lesquelles l'utilisation de techniques visuelles, auditives et motrices produisent la meilleure rétention. Cela offre un grand potentiel pour l'utilisation de la modélisation vidéo avec repères comme outil de pratique pour les élèvesen piano afin d'améliorer la mémorisation.Modeling is a teaching technique that is studied in the fields of motor learning, neuroscience, teaching, and music. Yet it is unknown whether this technique can be effective in memorizing piano music especially for young students. Therefore, this study examined the effect of practicing with different modeling conditions on memorizing a piano piece. These modeling conditions were: aural modeling, and video modeling with cues. The study conducted a quasi-experiment with 24 young piano students at Grade 3 level of the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) in Canada or equivalent. Participants practiced with one modeling condition in order to measure which condition would produce best retention results. Results showed that video modeling with cues seemed to be the most effective practice tool in terms of low note mistakes and rhythm mistakes compared to audio modeling and free practice groups. This finding supports neuroscience research that states that the use of visual, aural and motor techniques produce the best memory recall. This provides great potential for using video modeling with cues as a practice tool for pianostudents for better memorization

The role of engagement and visual imagery in music listening

This thesis investigates music' responses to a selection of complete nineteenth and twentieth century piano works, with respect to their levels of musical engagement (heightened attention and interest towards the music; Olsen, Dean & Stevens, 2014) and their experience of music-induced visual imagery. Although engagement and visual imagery have been increasingly explored over the past two decades, little work has investigated the relationship between the two. Potential links, however, exist: for instance, the way visual imagery is described as one of the key mechanisms underlying listeners' emotional responses to music (Juslin et al., 2013). This thesis draws upon three different methodological approaches: two exploratory studies empirically investigate listeners' responses quantitatively, as well as qualitatively; the third study, a self-reflective account, draws upon the researcher's personal visual imagery experience as a performer.In the two empirical studies, listeners provided continuous self-report measures of their engagement with the music, as well as the occurrence of any visual imagery during listening. Time series analyses revealed that engagement with the music was significantly associated with the experience of visual imagery; this was the case in both Studies 1 and 2. Granger causality tests were carried out to investigate the details of this relationship: overall, engagement mostly predicted visual imagery in Study 1; whilst a bidirectional relation of the series emerged more frequently in Study 2. In both studies, however, differences according to the piece and to the musical experience of the listener were apparent. A selection of listeners' individual differences (such as musical experience) are also reported, with respect to engagement and visual imagery responses. A thematic analysis of the qualitative data, collected through free written annotations and face-to-face interviews, led to the emergence of nine broad ‘visual imagery types’: (1) Arbitrary, (2) Shared Musical Topics, (3) Idiosyncratic Sound Associations, (4) Emotions, (5) Material Abstraction, (6) Narratives, (7) Performance, (8) Personal Recollections, and (9) Pictorial Associations. Examples of each category, alongside insights into the diverse range of imagery experiences, are provided. Finally, the self- reflective account explores visual imagery from a different perspective: the performer as listener. A pianist's visual imagery experiences are investigated across two contexts: the practice of a piano- duet work, comparing imagery data with that of a second pianist; and practising from memory, exploring the way imagery experiences may change with the absence of the score. Links to the qualitative ‘visual imagery types’ model are drawn throughout this exploration

Third International Conference on Technologies for Music Notation and Representation TENOR 2017

The third International Conference on Technologies for Music Notation and Representation seeks to focus on a set of specific research issues associated with Music Notation that were elaborated at the first two editions of TENOR in Paris and Cambridge. The theme of the conference is vocal music, whereas the pre-conference workshops focus on innovative technological approaches to music notation

The effects of brain trauma on the memory skills of musicians

The localization of function in terms of music processing in the brain has fascinated researchers in many disciplines for well over one hundred years. Is there a central location for this specialized and complex process or does it involve many different areas of the brain? Some researchers have thought that the processing of language and music are analogous, but does the processing of music occur in the same way as language (Damasio and Damasio, 1977), (Zatorre, 1984)? In recent years the use of non-invasive imaging techniques such as the PET scan (Positron Emission Tomography) and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) have proven to be most accurate in the demonstration of brain activity (Vollmer-Haase et aI., 1998) and have led researchers to agree that there is not a specific anatomical centre for music in the brain (Baeck, 2002), (Peretz, 2002). This thesis will examine in what way and to what degree various types of Traumatic Brain Injury in musicians affect music memory. A pilot study was conducted with musicians who have not experienced brain trauma. These musicians were asked to complete a questionnaire and then were interviewed in order to understand the process with which they utilize their musical memory. Six brain-injured musicians were also interviewed in the same manner. When possible, medical records were solicited and reviewed as a means of ascertaining specifics regarding the trauma. Using then, a qualitative framework in a case study format, the questionnaire and the focused interviews will provide the data. (London, 1982), (Psathas, 1972). This format will provide a perspective that has been neglected in many studies in Neuromusicology, that of allowing the musicians to speak for themselves. The interviews are a study of the personal reflections of the musicians who are commenting on their understanding of their own experiences of musical memory. While my interest does lie in the clinical evidence provided by researchers in the field of Neuromusicology and their insights into musical memory, there has not been any extensive work written which concerns itself with the personal experiences of musicians and their subjective interpretation of these memorization processes. The balance between -\ the clinical evidence needs to be contrasted with the subjective elements of a person's selfperception and understanding. It is my aim in this study to explore these perceptions in the context of real life situations. It should also be noted that the observations made are a reflection of the subject's personal experiences and their subjective view of these experiences

Psycho-physio dynamics in violin-piano duo: a pianist's perspective

Doutoramento em MúsicaThe case study looked at psychological and physiological responses to stress in musicians, comparing a newly formed and a consolidated violin-piano duo. The common element between these duos was the pianist. Using the psychological tests (STAI Y1 and Y2, K-MPAI, MMPI-2, ICAC), the immunoassay saliva test to measure cortisol (stress hormone) and non- invasive device VitalJacket® developed at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, participants were monitored under various performance conditions. Others quantitative and qualitative dataset were collected including a pianist’s personal diary (analyzed by psychiatrist), semi-structured interviews with members of long-terms chamber music duo and perceptual evaluations (listening test) of the performances by expert listeners. The variables included two performance venues (European university and secondary school), as well as well-known repertoire, recently known repertoire and newly known repertoire. The latter was given approximately one week before each recital. The psychological and physiological dataset were collected for a total of eight recitals – two series of four recitals each. The unexpected results show that state anxiety levels and stress of the pianist, who does not present an anxious profile, either in social or in musical terms, are always higher when playing with a well-known partner. Possible explanations may be due to the highest expectations for quality of performance and implications of mirror neurons (since the reactions are very different according to the partner). In other words, the “known” (i.e., the consolidated duo) can become “trapped” within a predetermined space, especially at the psychological level, while the “unknown” (the occasional duo) seems to be less involved and therefore more reassuring and exciting in positive terms. In addition, the preference of the expert audience is for the consolidated duo.O presente estudo de caso debruça-se sobre as respostas psicológicas (ansiedade) e fisiológicas (stress) em músicos, comparando um duo de violino e piano consolidado e um recém-formado em momentos de performance. O elemento comum entre estes duos foi a pianista. Utilizando os testes psicológicos (STAI Y1 e Y2, K-MPAI, MMPI-2, ICAC), o protocolo Hight Sensivity Salivary Cortisol Enzyme Immunoassay kit da Salimetrics® para medir o cortisol (hormona do stress) e o dispositivo não invasivo VitalJacket® (para medir o batimento cardíaco) desenvolvido na Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal, os participantes foram monitorados em várias condições de desempenho. Outro conjunto de dados quantitativos e qualitativos foram coletados, incluindo o diário pessoal da pianista (analisado pelo psiquiatra), entrevistas semi-estruturadas com membros de duos de música de câmara de longo prazo e avaliação da percepção (teste auditivo) das performances realizada com ouvintes especialistas. As variáveis incluíram duas salas de concertos (sala duma universidade europeia e outra duma escola de ensino secundário), bem como repertório bem conhecido, repertório recentemente conhecido e peças nunca ensaiadas antes dos recitais. Estas últimas peças foram fornecidas aproximadamente uma semana antes de cada concerto. O conjunto dos dados psicológicos e fisiológicos foram coletados para um total de oito recitais - duas séries de quatro recitais cada. Os resultados, inesperados, mostram que os níveis de ansiedade de estado e de stress da pianista, que não apresenta um perfil de pessoa ansiosa nem em termos sociais nem em termos musicais, são sempre mais elevados quando toca com o parceiro conhecido. Possíveis explicações podem ser às expectativas mais elevadas em relação a qualidade da performance e as implicações dos neurónios a espelho (uma vez que as reações são muito diferentes conforme ao parceiro). Ou seja, um “espaço conhecido” (o duo consolidado) pode ficar “preso” dentro espaços preestabelecidos, sobretudo a nível psicológico, em quanto o “desconhecido” (o duo ocasional) parece ser menos envolvido e portanto mais tranquilizante e emocionante em termos positivos. Para além disso, a preferência de qualificados músicos ouvintes, foi para o duo consolidado

A History of the Royal (Toronto) Conservatory of Music Piano Examinations, 1887-2015: Their Impact and Influence

Since its inception in 1887, the Royal Conservatory of Music has maintained its position as one of the largest and oldest community-based music schools and education centres in North America, with an integrated examination body and a comprehensive graded curriculum, influencing and shaping the Canadian musical landscape. For the past 130 years, the Conservatory has presented a wide-ranging art music repertoire for studying piano and offered a comprehensive system for assessing students progress through its Examinations, recently retitled as The Certificate Program. The Conservatorys internal examinations began in 1887, with the external examinations following in 1898. The latter preserved the format of the former and expanded through increasing the number of the examination centres across Canada for both financial and educational reasons. Despite varying opinions of professionals and amateurs on the efficacy and value of the piano examinations in particular from the beginning, this dissertation, using historical sources and interviews, argues that over the years the structure and content of the piano examinations, while innately conservative on the whole, have kept up with a changing demographic of students across the country, and either countered or taken on the many criticisms that surrounded them over the years despite geographical and financial challenges, and indeed competition from other institutions. Recently they have been hardy enough to enter the American market. Overall, the Conservatorys examination system has created a cultural asset ideal for a country such as Canada, providing, promoting, and disseminating both the branded curriculum and controlled assessment, which contributed to the development and improvement of music education rapidly and effectively. A distinctive part of the dissertation in addition to its detailed history is the interviews with current examiners and teachers, who face a whole new set of challenges and uncharted waters as technology offers new approaches to teaching and evaluation. In this ethnographic approach, their voices add a whole new dimension to the historical survey of the examinations system, arguing that despiteor perhaps because ofthe weight of tradition they still have much to offer