Psychology for musicians: understanding and acquiring the skills

279 Pages·2007·1.33 MB·English

by  Andreas C. Lehmann

Psychology for Musicians
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Psychology for Musicians
Understanding and Acquiring the Skills
Andreas C. Lehmann
John A. Sloboda
Robert H. Woody
1
2007
1
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Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lehmann, Andreas C., 1964–
Psychology for musicians: understanding and acquiring the skills /
Andreas C. Lehmann, John A. Sloboda, Robert H. Woody.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references
ISBN-13 978-0-19-514610-3
ISBN 0-19-514610-7
1. Musicians—Psychology. 2. Music—Psychological aspects.
I. Sloboda, John A. II. Woody, Robert H. III. Title.
ML3838.L464 2006
781'.11—dc22 2006007991
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States ofAmerica
on acid-free paper
Preface
The idea for this book came a few years back, when we were discussing the dif-
ferent classes we were teaching for musicians, psychologists, and educators.
Each ofus had discovered how difficult it was to find materials that matched the
interests and previous knowledge ofour students. All our students had experi-
ence as music listeners, and the great majority ofthem played a musical instru-
ment or sang, albeit at different levels of proficiency. Yet the questions they
posed regarding the psychology ofmusic were quite similar. This book aims to
answer precisely those questions.
The topics covered here contain relevant information for musicians who per-
form or teach, for students ofpsychology who want to know more about music
and the mind, and for musically inclined persons who seek personal growth and
enrichment. Although we steer clear ofgiving recipes for musicians on how to
do things (which is, after all, the responsibility ofmethods teachers and practi-
tioners), we try to provide a basis for informed decisions on why and how things
might or might not work. When talking to students or people in the street, we have
come across strongly held beliefs or myths about music. Some ofthem have no
sound scientific basis and, in fact, might be counterproductive. For example, it is
not true that absolute (or perfect) pitch is an indicator ofinnate musical talent,
that music is exclusively processed in the right brain hemisphere, that listening
to a lot ofMozart will make you smarter in general, or that there is just one way
oflearning to perform from memory. These and other firmly held beliefs will be
addressed in the appropriate chapters.
In order to stay close to music making and listening, we had to leave out a
wealth offascinating information that lies on the boundaries ofour main focus.
We only touch on such topics as musical acoustics and the early stages ofcog-
nitive processing (psychoacoustics), music and computer technology (music
and artificial intelligence), music theory, music therapy, music medicine, and
vi Preface
the cognitive neurosciences of music. Specialized publications exist in these
emergent fields. We have included some oftheir findings, but for more detailed
information we refer the interested reader to representative sources in those
areas.
There are many excellent publications available in the field of music psy-
chology, ranging from more general coverage (e.g., Deutsch, 1999; Hodges,
1996) to specialized topics (e.g., Peretz & Zatorre, 2003, on cognitive neuro-
science; Juslin & Sloboda, 2001, on emotion; Butler, 1992, and McAdams &
Bigand, 1993, on perception; Parncutt & McPherson, 2001, Williamon, 2004,
and Davidson, 2004, on performance; Hargreaves & North, 1997, on social
psychology; Deliège & Sloboda, 1996, Colwell, 1992, and Colwell & Richard-
son, 2002, on developmental psychology and music education). However, none
ofthose edited books attempts a panoramic view ofmusic making and listening
based on cognitive theory in conjunction with the cultural context in which the
music occurs. Perhaps the closest publication is John Sloboda’s (1985b) mono-
graph The Musical Mind,to which this book could be considered a sequel.
While being professional academics, each ofus has a distinct specialization
and musical competency. As an interdisciplinary team, we draw from our indi-
vidual fields of expertise: psychology and administration in higher education
(JAS), general and music education (RHW), and musicology and psychology
(ACL). We are all avid music lovers who enjoy listening to and making music
in different musical settings and “cultures.” Since our earlier and formative years
as performance majors or music educators, we have moved our focus to research-
ing and writing about musical topics from psychological, sociological, musico-
logical, and educational standpoints. Together we decided on the overall plan of
the book, as well as the content ofthe individual chapters. Although only one of
us was responsible for each chapter, all of us had a hand in every chapter.
Hence, this publication is a true three-author book.
This book can be used in different ways. Initially written with the classroom
situation in mind, its 12 chapters allow for use during an average semester. Fol-
lowing an introduction in which we present some basic ideas and concepts
(chapter 1), the remaining 11 chapters divide into three sections: Musical Learn-
ing, Musical Skills, and Musical Roles.
• The first part, on musical learning, contains chapters on musical develop-
ment, motivation, and practice. Chapter 2 covers the controversial debate
surrounding talent and the environment in fostering musical development,
chapter 3 addresses motivational issues in music, and chapter 4 discusses
practice as the key activity in skill building.
• The second part, on musical skills, enumerates the skills that are part of
music making, such as expressivity and interpretation (chapter 5), reading
and remembering (chapter 6), improvising and composing (chapter 7),
and managing performance anxiety (chapter 8).
Preface vii
• In the last part, on musical roles, we elaborate on the different roles that
musical actors can assume as performers (chapter 9), teachers (chapter 10),
listeners (chapter 11), and music users/consumers (chapter 12).
All chapters are structured similarly and start with a main text, which in-
cludes a briefchapter overview. The number ofreferences used in each chapter
has been intentionally limited. Interested readers can find many more by using
appropriate search terms in relevant databases or by consulting the references
mentioned under “Further Reading” as starting points. From our teaching expe-
rience, we have gathered a number of tried-and-tested self study exercises
ordemonstrations that readers can do to experience (and write about) a central
concept of the chapter. Also, knowing that our readers are likely to be most
familiar with the Western art music tradition, we have tried to broaden the
perspective by creating a box called the “Cross-cultural Perspective” (except in
chapter 12). The idea is to show how cultural practices differ across time and
space. Due to limits ofspace we have chosen one important and methodologi-
cally typical key study per chapter, which is reported in some detail. Finally, we
added a few study questions as starting points for discussions or term papers.
Many ofour students lack scientific knowledge and are not comfortable with
technical terminology and formal scientific writing. Therefore, we have—like
many other colleagues—developed ways ofputting scientific findings across in
ways that musicians are likely to understand and find relevant. This book is
written in such a manner that everybody interested in music should understand.
This book would not have reached its current form without the help of a
number of people. We thank Anders Ercisson for having inspired all of us,
Aaron Williamon, Wolfgang Auhagen, Lucy Green, two anonymous reviewers,
and various others for their helpful comments on chapter drafts. We are thank-
ful to the School ofMusic at the University ofNebraska–Lincoln, for hosting
us on their campus for a productive week during the fall of2003. We also ac-
knowledge the people at Oxford University Press, especially Linda Donnelly,
for their patience and help with this project. Most ofall, we would like to thank
Maria S. Lehmann for her editorial supervision and help throughout.
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Contents
Part I Musical Learning
1 Science and Musical Skills 5
2 Development 25
3 Motivation 44
4 Practice 61
Part II Musical Skills
5 Expression and Interpretation 85
6 Reading or Listening and Remembering 107
7 Composition and Improvisation 127
8 Managing Performance Anxiety 145
Part III Musical Roles
9 The Performer 165
10 The Teacher 185
11 The Listener 205
12 The User 224
References 243
Index 265