Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Centre for the Study of Composition for Screen Incorporating research into post- secondary performance teaching Richard Parncutt University of Graz, Austria Video conference from Graz to Royal College of Music, London on 24 October 2007 Practice as Research : case study

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Music history, music theory/analysis Introduction to music psychology and performance research Physics, physiology, psychology of own instrument Efficient practice Expression: Structural and emotional communication Sight reading and improvisation Performance anxiety and music medicine Educational and developmental psychology Psychology of theory/analysis/composition Possible academic units at music academies (post-secondary music institutions)

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Why? Who benefits? What do they get? What do they want?

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research What performance students want Interesting, useful information –enjoyable, meaningful participation Plausible, authoritative presentation –teachers who also perform Employment prospects –transferable skills

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research What administrators want Success indicators  reputation of academy  future funding good entry students –based on academy’s reputation successful graduates  (inter-) national performers

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research What the general public wants (taxpayers, politicians) a rich cultural life across social groups and stata age, sex, income… a stable, bright future excellent, forward-looking institutions active, capable, caring young people

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Success indicators of music academies visible: (inter-) nationally known performers concealed: indirect contributions to cultural life  aims of academy  aims of artistic and academic teaching

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Changing contexts of music academies Academic context pressure to give degrees and do research explosion of performance research Political & economic context transparent „mission“ cost efficiency Social & market context changing musical technologies and functions flexibility of musicians/educators

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Improving educational „efficiency“ efficiency = output / input input = time, effort, cost –invested by teachers, students, state output = graduate achievement –graduates (career, personal development) –society (cultural activities)

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Planning students‘ time Performance skill depends primarily on practice time common knowledge expertise research  Little time left for academic work

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Curricular balance The optimal ratio of performance to academic work depends on… the institution –history, orientation, culture the individual student –career aims, personality, learning style

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Piano: physics, physiology, psychology Timbre: mechanics and psychology key velocity, noise, pedals, balance, onset timing Fingering: physiology and psychology constraints: physical, anatomic, motor, cognitive dependencies: expertise, interpretation Expression of structure and emotion with limited expressive possibilities

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Voice: physics, physiology, psychology VoceVista: Visual feedback for instruction in singing

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Efficient practice Diversity of approaches analysis of scores, recordings, concerts mental versus physical practice Metacognition organization, goal orientation intrinsic motivation Timing and concentration short morning sessions with breaks duration depends on task, alertness

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Expression: structural communication Structural analysis phrasing, meter, melody, harmony Accentuation in performance performed accents reinforce immanent accents Analysis for performance direct link between the two

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Expression: emotional communication Emotional cues: size & variation of… tempo, dynamic, articulation (attack / duration), timbre, durational contrast, intonation/vibrato Redundancy and ambiguity of message Relation to structural analysis Effectiveness of feedback training (Patrik Juslin)

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Performance anxiety High incidence, low awareness, little treatment Causes personality, mastery, situation perfectionism and control optimal arousal versus panic Prevention and cure physical relaxation cognition (realism, desensitization, restructuring) combinations (Yoga, hypnotherapy, Alexander) self-efficacy

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Music medicine High incidence, low awareness, little treatment Common problems –chronic tension, reduced elasticity –pelvis, lower spine, back of neck Student musicians need –knowledge –strategies –treatments

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Improvisation Psychological theory of creativity roles of knowledge, risk, evaluation, motivation, flow group versus individual creativity Stepwise approach to skill acquisition set limits: dynamics, articulations, pitches, durations expression first: syntax through semantics (Johann Lassnig-Walder)

Music & Ideas: Practice-based research Strategies to promote teaching of performance research Administration –interact to build support –maintain excellence by innovation, interdisciplinarity Students –involve in research, empower –incorporate repertoire, issues Staff –inform, involve in research –expand, diversify