The Science and Psychology of Music Performance: Creative
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Parncutt, Richard / McPherson, Gary, PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press, USA, What type of practice makes a musician perfect? What sort of child is most likely to succeed on a musical instrument? What practice strategies yield the fastest improvement in skills such as sight-reading, memorization, ong>andong> intonation? Scientific ong>andong> psychological research can offer ong>answersong> to these ong>andong> other ong>questionsong> that musicians face every day. In The Science ong>andong> Psychology of Music Performance, Richard Parncutt ong>andong> Gary McPherson assemble relevant current research findings ong>andong> make them accessible to musicians ong>andong> music educators. This book describes new approaches to teaching music, learning music, ong>andong> making music at all educational ong>andong> skill levels. Each chapter represents the collaboration between a music researcher (usually a music psychologist) ong>andong> a performer or music educator. This combination of expertise results in excellent practical advice. Readers will learn, for example, that they are in the majority (57%) if they experience rapid heartbeat before performances; the chapter devoted to performance anxiety will help them decide whether beta-blocker medication, hypnotherapy, or the Alexong>andong>er Technique of relaxation might alleviate their stage fright. Another chapter outlines a step-by-step method for introducing children to musical notation, firmly based on research in cognitive development. Altogether, the 21 chapters cover the personal, environmental, ong>andong> acoustical influences that shape the learning ong>andong> performance of music.