Michele Biasutti

A comparison of modes of communication between members of a string quartet and a jazz sextet

This study revealed the modes of communication employed between the members of a professional string quartet during rehearsal and performance. Results of this study enabled comparison with modes of communication employed by a student jazz sextet revealed in a previous study by the first author. Six modes of communication were revealed in both studies (i.e., verbal and non-verbal, instruction/cooperation/ collaboration). Results indicated that the modes of communication employed by both groups of musicians (i.e., the string quartet and the jazz sextet) were the same, although, at times, the content of the communication differed based on the presence of a pre-composed score and conventions of the musical genre. Participants in both studies confirmed researcher interpretations of the modes of communication during member checks. Results also indicated that when playing from a pre-composed score the string quartet were able to become empathetically attuned and produce ‘spontaneous musical variations’ during performance. The authors propose that these spontaneous musical variations are examples of ‘empathetic creativity’.

Dimensions of Music Improvisation

This article reports research employing a quantitative approach to investigating the specific cognitive processes adopted and musical abilities required during musical improvisation. Two questionnaires were used: the Improvisation Processes Questionnaire and the Improvisation Abilities Questionnaire. Participants were 76 adult musicians, each of them with at least two years improvisation experience. Factor analysis extracted five dimensions for the Improvisation Processes Questionnaire (anticipation, emotive communication, flow, feedback and use of repertoire) and two dimensions for the Improvisation Abilities Questionnaire (musical practice and basic skills). Data were subjected to ANOVA for each of the 5 + 2 factors, considering the influence of three concurrent variables (instrument played, being or not being skilled at several instruments and kind of preferred music for performances). Results revealed a significant interaction between instrument played and the dimension basic skills, and between being or not being skilled at several instruments and the dimension flow. Significant Pearson correlations were found between flow and anticipation, between flow and musical practice, between anticipation and basic skills, between repertoire and emotive communication, between repertoire and feedback, between musical practice and basic skills. The interactions between the factors and the importance of the dimensions are discussed considering also how an improviser can improve performance levels.

Non-music specialist trainee primary school teachers’ confidence in teaching music in the classroom

Prior research has revealed that non-music specialist trainee primary school teachers lack confidence in teaching music in spite of changes to teacher training and the introduction of music in the National Curriculum in England. The current study investigated the effects on non-music specialist trainee primary teachers’ confidence to teach music in the classroom after having experienced six keyboard-based ‘blues activities’ presented in an asynchronous e-learning environment. Participants were videotaped as they worked with music technology and a ‘remote facilitator’, to play a 12-bar improvised blues with both hands together. Participants also took part in individual, semi-structured interviews before and after engaging in the ‘blues activities’. Video and interview data was analysed employing inductive, qualitative procedures. This exploratory intervention study was undertaken with three participants and is reported as three individual case studies. After the ‘blues activities’ intervention, all participants were able to play the 12-bar improvised blues with both hands together and reported improvements in their confidence to teach music in the primary school classroom. The results also revealed improvements in participant perceptions of their own musicality when compared with ‘other musicians’ and links between perceptions of their own musicality and prior musical experience. Implications for future research and music education are discussed.

Modes of Communication Between Members of a String Quartet

This qualitative case study revealed the modes of communication employed between members of a professional string quartet during rehearsal and performance. Six modes of communication and two levels of attunement were revealed. The modes of communication were interpreted as verbal and non-verbal: instruction, cooperation, and collaboration. The levels of attunement were interpreted as sympathetic and empathetic. Results indicated that the members of the string quartet were able to become empathetically attuned and produce spontaneous musical variations during performance. These spontaneous musical variations were interpreted as examples of empathetic creativity. Participants confirmed researcher interpretations of the six modes of communication, sympathetic and empathic attunement, and empathetic creativity during member checks. The authors propose that spontaneous musical variations are examples of empathetic creativity. The findings of the current qualitative case study support the findings of a previous study conducted with a jazz sextet (Seddon, 2005). Implications of the findings of the current study for small group communication and creativity are discussed.

A validity and reliability study of the Attitudes toward Sustainable Development scale

This article describes the development and validation of the Attitudes toward Sustainable Development scale, a quantitative 20-item scale that measures Italian university students’ attitudes toward sustainable development. A total of 484 undergraduate students completed the questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the scale was statistically tested by computing the KMO and Bartlett tests and via an exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, a confirmatory factor analysis and a multi-group invariance testing. The results of the principal components factor analysis show that the scale consists of the following four dimensions, with five items in each: environment, economy, society and education. The overall structure and measurement of the scale are confirmed by the confirmatory factor analysis and by the multi-group invariance testing. Internal reliability, which was found using Cronbach’s alpha, varies between .660 and .854. The results show that the instrument meets the validity and reliability criteria. To demonstrate its utility, the scale was applied to detect differences in sustainable development attitudes among students pursuing degrees in psychology and in agriculture. Relevant differences were detected for the dimensions of environment and society. The Attitudes toward Sustainable Development scale could be useful for understanding the ways in which students think about sustainability issues and could be used to investigate the relationship between sustainability attitudes and other variables.

Orchestra rehearsal strategies: Conductor and performer views

This article is a qualitative study of conductor and performer views of orchestra rehearsal strategies. Twenty professional musicians (10 conductors and 10 performers) participated in a research survey studying orchestra rehearsal strategies including organisation, rehearsal methods, rehearsal priorities and conductor/player rehearsal skills. A qualitative analysis of the answers given by participants was undertaken using an inductive method and two main themes emerged: social issues of collective study, and strategies for collective study. Analysis of this study provides evidence of orchestra rehearsal strategies employed by conductors and performers, who all showed a common orientation in the use of metacognition strategies; they also shared a goal-oriented practice approach, and awareness of rehearsal organisation. The research reveals the relationship between cognitive and social dimensions and that the ability to develop a coherent rehearsal plan was related to the importance of creating a friendly environment considering the performers’ needs. Also, management and problem solving skills were considered of great significance for a conductor as professional rehearsals are inevitably subject to restrictive time constraints.

Interdisciplinary project-based learning: an online wiki experience in teacher education

In the current research study the use of Wikis as an online didactic tool to apply project-based learning in higher education was reported. The study was conducted in university teacher education programmes. During the online activities, participants developed interdisciplinary projects for the primary school working collaboratively in small groups in a Wiki virtual environment within the Moodle platform. Science was at the core of the projects and acted as an organising hub to finding links with other disciplines. A mixed-methods approach involving the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data was adopted in the current research study. The authors developed the following three instruments in order to measure both processes and outcomes of the online activities: the interdisciplinary project-based learning questionnaire, the reflection questionnaire and a rubric for assessing interdisciplinary projects. The current paper focuses only on the qualitative data, which were subjected to an inductive content analysis. Results provided evidence of the processes involved during the collaborative activities and that online activities can develop teachers’ abilities to design projects in interdisciplinary contexts. The discussion highlights the aspects of the online environment that made the collaborative work effective in learning. Future implications and suggestions for teacher education programmes are discussed.

The role of coping strategy and experience in predicting music performance anxiety

Music performance anxiety (MPA), a condition common among musicians, consists of an anxious state characterized by cognitive, psychological, and physiological arousal. Musicians often establish strategies for coping with MPA. The aim of the current study is to analyze the correlation between MPA factors and coping strategies, and to determine the relevance of coping strategies and other variables, such as gender, experience, and weekly hours of individual music practice, in predicting MPA. Data on MPA and coping strategies were collected using two questionnaires: the Performance Anxiety Inventory (PAI) and the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced-New Italian Version (COPE-NVI). The participants were 171 musicians divided into the following two groups: 97 advanced music conservatory students and 74 professional musicians. The results indicate that coping strategies based on demand of social support and avoidance strategies have a positive correlation with MPA. Advanced students reported higher levels of MPA than professional musicians. In addition, regression analysis provides evidence that variance in MPA can be explained in part by experience (professional musicians versus advanced students), hours of individual practice per week and coping strategies based on social support and avoidance strategies. The findings underscore the importance of understanding processes involved in MPA and the need to learn adaptive strategies for coping with stressful events.

Improvisation in dance education: teacher views

In this paper, a qualitative study of teacher views on improvisation practices in dance education is reported. Eleven professional dance teachers with a wide experience in using improvisation in dance teaching participated in the study answering to a semi-structured interview, which included various questions about aspects of improvisation in dance education such as meanings, motor and mental abilities involved, basic exercises, most frequently used ideas for teaching and organisation of a typical lesson. A qualitative analysis was performed using an inductive method, which provided evidence of various teaching processes during dance improvisation and the techniques employed by teachers in dance education. Teachers demonstrated awareness about the potentialities of improvisation in dance education as well as skills and competences developed during the educational activities. A learner-centred approach in dance improvisation teaching and the relationship between motor, cognitive and emotive domains were evident. The results are discussed in relation to the use of improvisation in dance education.

Pedagogical applications of cognitive research on musical improvisation

This paper presents a model for the implementation of educational activities involving musical improvisation that is based on a review of the literature on the psychology of music. Psychology of music is a complex field of research in which quantitative and qualitative methods have been employed involving participants ranging from novices to expert performers. The cognitive research has been analyzed to propose a pedagogical approach to the development of processes rather than products that focus on an expert’s use of improvisation. The intention is to delineate a reflective approach that goes beyond the mere instruction of some current practices of teaching improvisation in jazz pedagogy. The review highlights that improvisation is a complex, multidimensional act that involves creative and performance behaviors in real-time in addition to processes such as sensory and perceptual encoding, motor control, performance monitoring, and memory storage and recall. Educational applications for the following processes are outlined: anticipation, use of repertoire, emotive communication, feedback, and flow. These characteristics are discussed in relation to the design of a pedagogical approach to musical improvisation based on reflection and metacognition development.