Jane Ginsborg

Shared performance cues in singing and conducting: a content analysis of talk during practice

How do musicians performing together coordinate their actions to achieve a unified performance? We observed a singer (the first author) and pianist/conductor (the third author) as they prepared for two performances of Ricercar 1 from Stravinskys Cantata, one for voice and piano and one for voice and ensemble. This article reports a content analysis of the musicians’ verbal commentaries made in two individual practice sessions and their discussions during two joint rehearsals at the beginning and end of the rehearsal period. In their individual sessions, the musicians began identifying features of the music to use as performance cues that would serve as landmarks to guide their performances. In their joint sessions, some of these features were turned into shared performance cues that could be used to coordinate their actions. The musicians’ comments show how they resolved differences in their conceptualizations of the compositional structure of the piece and how they coordinated their music-making through the use of shared performance cues.

Health-promoting behaviours in conservatoire students:

This study focuses on health-promoting behaviours in students from two conservatoires, the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM, Manchester, UK; n =199) and the Royal College of Music (RCM, London, UK; n = 74). The research questions concern (a) the levels and types of health-promoting behaviours among performance students and (b) the association of health-promoting behaviours with emotional state, perceived general self-regulation and self-efficacy. To address these questions, the students were surveyed using server-based inventories over the internet. Results revealed varying levels of adherence to individual aspects of health-promoting behaviours. No significant differences between the populations of the two conservatoires with respect to health-promoting behaviours were observed. In general, values for health responsibility, physical activity and stress management were lower than values for nutrition, interpersonal relations and spiritual growth. Significant correlations were found between all subscales of health-promoting behaviours, emotional state, self-efficacy and self-regulation. These results suggest that music performance students tend to focus more strongly on psychosocial than physical aspects of health while particularly neglecting health responsibility. It is also concluded that health-promoting behaviours are weakly and differentially associated with both positive and negative emotional states, as well as with perceived self-efficacy and self-regulation.

Going Outside Together: Good Practice with Respect to the Inclusion of Disabled Children in Primary School Playgrounds

Abstract This paper reports some of the findings of research which has investigated the inclusion of disabled children in six primary school playgrounds in Yorkshire, in England. Initially the paper sets the policy context before moving on to discuss the importance of play for children, especially in a primary school setting and particularly for disabled children in such a setting. The inclusion of disabled children is discussed with respect to a series of social and organisational issues and the good practice identified relating to these issues. The social issues include the relationships the disabled children have with their peers and with the staff. The organisational issues relate to the individual routines, moving to a new school, the benefit of staff experience and training, encouraging activity in physical education lessons which can be translated in to the playground and the benefits of extra time outside for some disabled children. All these aspects can influence whether all the children can go outside together—an important underlying factor for the inclusion of disabled children in primary school playgrounds.

Healthy behaviours in music and non‐music performance students

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the self‐reported health‐promoting behaviours of music and non‐music performance students in higher education. It also seeks to determine the extent to which perceived health and self‐reported symptoms are associated with lifestyle, emotional affect state, self‐regulation and self‐efficacy.Design/methodology/approach – Music performance students from two conservatoires (n=198) and students of nursing and biomedical science (health students) from two universities (n=65) aged 18‐26 years completed the health‐promoting lifestyle inventory; the positive and negative affect, the self‐efficacy and the self‐regulation scales, as well as reporting their present health and completing an inventory of musculo‐ and non‐musculoskeletal health problems.Findings – Music performance students score lower than health students on health responsibility, physical activity and spiritual growth; also on self‐efficacy and self‐regulation. Music performance students rate their hea...

Rehearsal talk: Familiarity and expertise in singer-pianist duos

The cognitive and social processes underlying musical and social collaboration were explored in a small-scale study of two professional and two student singer-pianist duos. Each of the eight participants rehearsed one song with his or her regular partner and a second song with a new partner of the same level of expertise; four participants rehearsed a third song with a new partner of the other level of expertise. Their talk during rehearsal was analysed to determine a) numbers and initiators of verbal exchanges, b) interactional style, c) musical dimensions, and d) rehearsal strategies. The professional duos rehearsed more efficiently, in that they talked less and sang/played more. Interactional style was overwhelmingly positive. Students were more likely than professionals to show solidarity and ask for orientation, while professionals were more likely to give and ask for opinions. Basic, interpretive and expressive musical features were found to be as salient in these single rehearsals as evidenced in earlier research investigating protracted rehearsal periods; the present study also identified a range of rehearsal strategies, although the most common was working from the beginning to the end of the song. In conclusion we make some brief suggestions for performers.

Backwards and forwards in space and time : recalling dance movement from long-term memory

Recall of complex non-verbal motor sequences, such as contemporary dance, provides insights into the structure and mechanics of human memory — specifically, cues and associations in long-term memory (LTM). In this study, four dancers recalled material — eight exercises in the form of short dances — that they had not performed for between three and 31 years. The dancers initially recalled the exercises in silence, although each one had been learned to a particular piece of music. The exercises were recalled either immediately or after an unfilled delay and using self-motion or a mannequin. Recall rates were similar across immediate and delayed conditions; self versus mannequin motion had little impact on the length of material recalled. Qualitative data indicated that music and dancer movement were important cues to LTM; transitions were sometimes forgotten; images associated with movement recall were kinaesthetic, verbal, visual and auditory. The results are consistent with accounts of LTM for other temporal arts and suggest activation of multimodal associates and images.

Learning Not to Listen: The Experiences of Musicians with Hearing Impairments.

The journey from playful musical exploration in childhood to an adult identity as a skilled musician is likely to be problematic for people with hearing impairments. Although a number of subjective accounts have been published, there is a lack of empirical research in the area. In this study, twelve musicians with hearing impairments were interviewed about their musical background, hearing loss and experiences of interactive music making. A thematic network analysis was performed on the verbatim transcripts. Musical families were shown to facilitate positive, early, influential experiences helping individuals to develop musical self-efficacy. These themes were found to operate independently of the challenges posed by a hearing impairment and in spite of negative music-making experiences. Dynamic listening styles were identified, ranging from full reliance on hearing to discriminate and even non-auditory attending. The development of listening styles was found to be crucial in negotiating problems in auditory perception caused by physiological changes in hearing level and the distorting effects of hearing aids.

Music researchers’ musical engagement

There is an increasing awareness of the importance of reflexivity across various disciplines, which encourages researchers to scrutinize their research perspectives. In order to contextualize and reflect upon research in music, this study explores the musical background, current level of musical engagement and the listening habits of music researchers. A total of 103 respondents of 17 different nationalities, working in music psychology, music science and related areas at various academic levels (e.g., doctoral students, professors and independent researchers), completed an internet survey. Questions addressed four major areas: (1) detailed demographic information and research interests; (2) musical training; (3) current musical activities (e.g., composing, conducting, improvising, listening, performing); (4) musical preferences and listening habits. Findings indicate that nearly all respondents to the survey had studied one or more musical instrument(s), and around 90% still enjoy performing music to some extent. A relatively high number of researchers had composed or improvised music, thus engaging in particularly creative musical activities. Respondents show stronger preferences for classical music and jazz/blues/RnB as compared with other musical genres. Contrary to notions of expert listening, emotional listening styles were rated as more important than analytical listening. Strong relationships between respondents’ musical practice and research were found, leading to the conclusion that music research is a highly practice-informed field.

Audience reactions to the program notes of unfamiliar music

Many classical music listeners attend concerts with some knowledge of the music to be performed, especially when the repertoire is familiar and comes from the Western music canon. In the case of music that is new to the listener and/or sung in an unfamiliar language, program notes may provide essential information; however, there is little understanding of what information should be provided or the impact of this information on the listener. This article presents the findings of practice-led research that sought to determine the types and modes of information that might enhance the experiences of both listeners and performers. Listeners (n = 29) attended a performance of unfamiliar music. The music was performed twice, with program notes shared only after the first performance. All respondents listened differently to the music once they had been given the program notes. Only 39% of listeners reported that the program notes had had a positive impact on their listening experience. More experienced listeners were far more likely to reject the program note information in favour of their own interpretation particularly if they had experiences of music-making.

Fit to Perform: An Investigation of Higher Education Music Students’ Perceptions, Attitudes, and Behaviors toward Health

Making music at the highest international standards can be rewarding, but it is also challenging, with research highlighting pernicious ways in which practicing and performing can affect performers’ health and wellbeing. Several studies indicate that music students’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward health and healthy living are less than optimal, especially considering the multiple physical and psychological demands of their day-to-day work. This article presents the results of a comprehensive screening protocol that investigated lifestyle and health-related attitudes and behaviors among 483 undergraduate and postgraduate students (mean age = 21.29 years ± 3.64; 59% women) from ten conservatoires. The protocol included questionnaires measuring wellbeing, general health, health-promoting behaviors, perfectionism, coping, sleep quality, and fatigue. On each measure, the data were compared with existing published data from similar age groups. The results indicate that music students have higher levels of wellbeing and lower fatigue than comparable samples outside of music. However, they also reveal potentially harmful perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors toward health. Specifically, engagement in health responsibility and stress management was low, which along with high perfectionistic strivings, limited use of coping strategies, poor sleep quality, and low self-rated health, paints a troubling picture both for the music students and for those who support their training. The findings point to the need for more (and more effective) health education and promotion initiatives within music education; in particular, musicians should be better equipped with mental skills to cope with constant pressure to excel and high stress levels. In part, this calls for musicians themselves to engage in healthier lifestyles, take greater responsibility for their own health, and be aware of and act upon health information in order to achieve and sustain successful practice and performance. For that to happen, however, music educators, administrators, and policy makers must play an active role in providing supportive environments where health and wellbeing is considered integral to expert music training.