Exploring synergy in a mobile learning model for piano playing ornaments exercise with local musical heritage

This study addresses the potential of a mobile learning model that integrates local Malaysian musical heritage in piano ornaments finger exercise. An asynchronous model adapted from the concept of karaoke was designed aiming at a synergy of piano exercise, edutainment, and heritage education with visual and auditory accompaniments. We aimed to raise interest and motivation for piano playing ornaments exercise among learners during practice while raising awareness of local musical heritage. A total of 30 piano students aged 13 to 15 years participated in this intervention study; they were equally divided into a control group and an experimental group. The pre- and post-intervention assessments revealed an increase in the levels of motivation, awareness of local musical heritage, and perceived satisfaction factors for the new mobile learning model.

Characteristics of Generation Z Piano Students From the Perspective of Piano Teachers

The aim of this research is to determine the characteristics of Generation Z piano students from the perspective of piano teachers. The sample of the study consists of 40 piano teachers working in state conservatories with piano departments in Turkey. The data were collected with the “Teacher Opinion Form” consisting of 24 questions, which took its final form with expert opinions, and the findings were tabulated. As a result of the research, it has been determined that the majority of Generation Z piano students are generally impatient, have high self-confidence but low self-awareness in terms of personality traits. In terms of studying and learning characteristics, they experience great difficulties in their individual studies without support, they do not know their own learning methods, they have difficulty in managing their study time properly, and their professional curiosity is not high. When students are evaluated according to their emotional state, they are temperamental, have difficulty accepting criticism and lose their belief in success quickly. Piano students, according to their digital literacy, are hasty and play fast due to the habit of quick action/quick response habit acquired from the digital environment, and they quickly get bored with the works they are practicing as they are unable to balance between the regular flow of new information in the digital environment and the flow in real life. It is also among the results obtained that the students of Generation Z, who were born into technology, do not use this technology efficiently in terms of contribution to the piano lesson. In the light of these results obtained, suggestions regarding the piano education of Generation Z and future field studies were presented.

The Communication of Timbral Intentions Between Pianists and Listeners and Its Dependence on Auditory-Visual Conditions

The perceptual experiment reported in this article explored whether the communication of five pairs of timbral intentions (bright/dark, heavy/light, round/sharp, tense/relaxed, and dry/velvety) between pianists and listeners is reliable and the extent to which performers' gestures provide visual cues that influence the perceived timbre. Three pianists played three musical excerpts with 10 different timbral intentions (3 × 10 = 30 music stimuli) and 21 piano students were asked to rate perceived timbral qualities on both unipolar Likert scales and non-verbal sensory scales (shape, size, and brightness) under three modes (vision-alone, audio-alone, and audio-visual). The results revealed that nine of the timbral intentions were reliably communicated between the pianists and the listeners, except for the dark timbre. The communication of tense and relaxed timbres was improved by the visual conditions regardless of who is performing; for the rest, we found the individuality in each pianist's preference for using visual cues. The results also revealed a strong cross-modal association between timbre and shape. This study implies that the communication of piano timbre is not based on acoustic cues alone but relates to a shared understanding of sensorimotor experiences between the performers and the listeners.

The specifics of the influence of the russian method of teaching piano on the professional training of pianists in China

The object of the research is the process of the formation of the piano performing school and the methods of teaching pianists in colleges and conservatories in China during the 20th century in the context of the influence of the Russian method of music education. The study reveals the reasons that led to the spread of the high finger technique and the corresponding teaching methodology, which determine the specifics of the formation of piano technique among piano students in China, as well as the obstacles that prevent the more active implementation of the technique of playing using the arm weight for more expressive interpretation of the compositions. The results of the study can be applied in assessing the prospects for the development of music education in China and finding ways to further improve it.

Optimalisasi Kompetensi Primavista Mahasiswa Instrumen Pokok Piano Melalui Metode Drill

Every musical instrument that is taken at the college "demands" students to be mastery learning, in both theoretical and practical aspects, as well as possible. However, in the process, there are obstacles that often arise. As in learning the Piano Major course. Based on observations in class, students are constrained in terms of primavista. With the character of the piano score that is consisting of two staves, students are constrained to coordinate their cognitive processing when reading piano scores, with the application of their ten fingers when playing the piano. This study discusses the primavistalearning of piano with the drill method. The type of research conducted was qualitative research, which was conducted in Music Arts Study Program, Universitas Negeri Surabaya.Based on the results, there was a significant improvement in the students' ability to apply the music notation they had read primavistly. In the pre-test session, most of the students' scores were below 40%. However, when the post-test session was conducted, the results of the work shown were very satisfactory. All students were able to achieve scores above 70%. Based on these results, it can be stated that the drill method has succeeded in optimizing the development of primavistaabilities of piano students. It is hoped that this method can be used routinely in piano classes so that students' primavistaabilities can be further honed.Keywords: piano, primavista, drill method.

The Role of Instructional Scaffolding to Facilitate Problem Solving Skills in Music Improvisation

This study aims to investigate the role of instructional scaffolding in developing problem-solving skills in melodic improvisation among beginner piano students. Three action research cycles were implemented to identify the effectiveness of scaffolding instructions. The process of measuring students’ problem-solving skills in improvisation is audio-recorded and further transcribed onto music scores in the third action research cycle for data analysis. The findings showed a positive development and improvement in the students’ problem-solving skills and filled the knowledge void for music teachers to plan and teach music improvisation progressively. These findings were helpful for music teachers to implement future musical tasks in creative activities.

What makes practice perfect? How tertiary piano students self-regulate play and non-play strategies for performance success

Self-regulated practice is critical to musicians’ development, but it is unclear what components of practice contribute to performance quality. This study aimed to explore tertiary music students’ practice using performance evaluations as indicators of practice efficacy. Five tertiary piano students prepared a quick study task of two pieces for a mock performance, in 2 hours over 2 days. An expert panel evaluated the mock performances and performers were ranked accordingly. Practice session recordings and interview transcripts were analysed according to the three phases of Self-Regulated Learning (forethought, performance, self-reflection) and linked to the pianists’ final performance evaluations. Successful pianists planned their practice and set interpretative goals, while their less successful peers practiced reactively without planning. The highest-ranked pianist’s self-regulation was facilitated by non-play practice which involved taking long pauses and using strategies such as score study, mark score, and listen to own recording. The lowest-ranked pianist failed to identify problems or self-evaluate effectively. Future studies should explore the use and content of non-play practice strategies, especially self-recording, to empower music students to develop and self-regulate their practice. The quick study task provided an effective practice assessment tool and could be used to diagnose and track practice approaches.

The effects of sensory deprivations during the initial practice of short piano pieces: An experiment with four students at different academic levels

This article discusses the effects of sensory deprivations during the initial practice of four short piano compositions in both deprivation and postdeprivation situations. Four different experimental conditions were employed: (A) deprivation of the piano, with visual decoding of the score; (B) deprivation of the piano and score, with auditory decoding of a commercial recording of the practiced composition; (C) deprivation of the sound response, with the score being decoded in a turned-off digital piano; and (D) deprivation of the score, with the recording being decoded on an acoustic piano. Four participants, all piano students, were part of the research sample: one who was taking piano classes in the university’s extension program; two undergraduate participants, a sophomore and a senior; and a student in the graduate program. Three participants managed to recreate the auditory information they did not have as a function of the condition of deprivation based on their own manipulations and aural skills. The effects of the deprivations on the four participants while practicing raised their awareness of how to use their personal skills to extract information from their practice sessions and affected their aims regarding the pieces they practiced.

Pursuing Artful Movement Science in Music Performance: Single Subject Motor Analysis With Two Elite Pianists

Piano performance motor learning research requires more “artful” methodologies if it is to meaningfully address music performance as a corporeal art. To date, research has been sparse and it has typically constrained multiple performance variables in order to isolate specific phenomena. This approach has denied the fundamental ethos of music performance which, for elite performers, is an act of interpretation, not mere reproduction. Piano performances are intentionally manipulated for artistic expression. We documented motor movements in the complex task of performance of the first six measures of Chopin’s “Revolutionary” Etude by two anthropometrically different elite pianists. We then discussed their motor strategy selections as influenced by anthropometry and the composer’s musical directives. To quantify the joint angles of the trunk, shoulders, elbows, and wrists, we used a VICON 3 D motion capture system and biomechanical modeling. A Kistler force plate (1 N, Swiss) quantified center of gravity (COG) shifts. Changes in COG and trunk angles had considerable influence on the distal segments of the upper limbs. The shorter pianist used an anticipatory strategy, employing larger shifts in COG and trunk angles to produce dynamic stability as compensation for a smaller stature. Both pianists took advantage of low inertial left shoulder internal rotation and adduction to accommodate large leaps in the music. For the right arm, motor strategizing was confounded by rests in the music. These two cases illustrated, in principle, that expert pianists’ individualized motor behaviors can be explained as compensatory efforts to accommodate both musical goals and anthropometric constraints. Motor learning among piano students can benefit from systematic attention to motor strategies that consider both of these factors.

Music Performance Anxiety Among Undergraduates Piano Majors

<p>The experience of anxiety when performing music is considered problematic for musicians of various levels. Feelings of fear and nervousness when perform music in front of audience also happened in pianist. By knowing the concept of anxiety, hopes both lecturer and students can reduce this syndrome. This article aims to determine the characteristics of anxiety that appear in undergraduates piano majors. Literature review method was conduct to search information related to MPA on undergraduates piano majors. The results of this study are MPA in undergraduates piano majors occurs due to internal factors including gender, lack of practice, perfectionist student character and piano students’ perceptions of the audience and the future careers and external factors which include the piano learning process mostly uses a teacher centered approach, teacher and audience evaluations of piano student performances, and room conditions.</p>