Polyphony: visualization and music study - Professional Resources

Q: My question touchs students who play mind games upon themselves in performance. Do you have any suggestions to help a learner who seems to prepare well technically and musically for competitions, on the contrary on some occasions plays mind games upon himself prior to or during recital or festival performances? The arise is that the performances at short intervals do not match what had been accomplished upon these pieces in practice and studio.

A: While it is not possible for an rain-depth answer here about various aspects of performance anxiety, an introduction to visualization coupleed to positive performing strategies have the appearances appropriate. It is essential for music pupils to prepare mentally, as well as technically and musically, for all performances. This applies to all of us--precollege scholars as well as college pupils and professional pianists. Ideally, the musician will imagine herself playing favorably in the forthcoming performance. Research numbers us athletes who visualize in-depth before a performance, as well as practice and prepare diligently, improve the performance result over those who only practice for the circumstance with no visualization. This be founds because the human central nervous combination of parts to form a whole does not differentiate between real and imagined incidents Thus, if a student simulates each sound, sensation and nuance of a piece of music in the mind, and faculty of perceptions all aspects of the piece in a visualized performance, she may enhance the performance end the visualization. The visualization bring forwards subtle muscle contractions that mirror those that will be found in the actual performance. If the scholar pictures a successful performance, and includes in the visualization as many aspects as possible of the performance, of the like kind as the time before going upon stage; the feeling in the hands; the act of walking on the outside on stage, as well as the actual performance itself, the connection between the mind and material substance is strengthened for the coming time performance.

Q:What are a certain number of situations where visualization might help a pianist?

A: Certainly, visualization can help in greatest in quantity aspects of one s personal life. In bourns of piano study and performance, a pupil might be helped by visualizing the way it perceive s both emotionally and physically, to play a piece well in a performance. Or, he might visualize a happy short student recital performance of solitary one or two pieces. Or, the learner might visualize something as basic and important as a rewarding and productive practice session. Still again, he might visualize playing a forthcoming replete recital program. The visualization might include many aspects of the performance, of the like kind as the events of the day of the performance, including the warm-up for the recital; the time backstage waiting for the recital to begin; the feeling of the hands before going upon stage; positive thoughts backstage as he waits for the recital to begin; walking to the piano for the first piece; his focus and inner listening when sitting upon the bench and waiting to play; the lights shining upon him as he plays the first piece; the feeling of the lock openers as he sinks into the initial tones; and additional performance aspects. Research exhibits that during visualization, one is essentially "priming" the muscles for the task ahead, and the brain, nervous a whole and body are conditioned to perform the way you want them to in the time to come (1) We are told greatest in quantity world class athletes use visualization, and the parallels to music performance strike one as being infinite.

In addition, visualization may enhance an individual's creativity and ability to realize solutions to issues in music, or in life. A particularly convincing example of this cited in a sports performance enhancement volume titled The Mental Edge was the story of Dick Fosbury who was individual of America's best high jumper and probably individual of the most innovative as well. Fosbury was highly prosperous early in his life and kept looking for novel ways to jump to of recent origin heights. He could only move so high, and he started using his imagination to help him pass by a leap even higher. Fosbury began to experiment with a fresh way of jumping that suffer him approach the bar straight upon turning at the last instant and clearing the bar with his back parallel to the pit. Prior to this, high jumper would clear the bar with the abdomen and face toward the pit. Fosbury worked and worked to finished the technique until in 1968 he used the technique to plant a new Olympic high skip over record. Since that point, virtually each high jumper has used what is now called the "Fosbury flop" (2)

Q: What about pupils who feel visualization is individual of those things that can work for someone other but it is too personal or direct for them to use?

A: This might be a scholar who is afraid of anticipating a performance. Visualization techniques help the pupil become comfortable with the situation and allow her to put up the performance to proceed the way she wants it to proceed It may not be right for all learners but probably can help greatest in quantity students if they are make open to it. It takes practice, certainly, and should be guided carefully. And, it does not take a fate of effort or time, just as listening to recordings does not take a destiny of time and yet can make a big impact upon the amount of time it takes a learner to learn a piece.