Employing cognitive chunking techniques to enhance sight-reading performance of undergraduate group-piano students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of cognitive chunking techniques among first-semester group-piano music majors. The ability to group discrete pieces of information into larger, more meaningful chunks is essential for efficient cognitive processing. Since reading keyboard music and playing the piano is a cognitively complex task, the ability to recognize patterns and execute the necessary motor skills is critical for proficiency in sight-playing. Three groups of beginning group-piano students ( N = 43) worked on 12 sight-reading examples during six class sessions. A control group rehearsed the examples without benefit of rhythm or pitch drills. Two experimental groups drilled either rhythm or pitch patterns prior to practicing the sight-reading exercises. Following the treatment phase, all subjects were tested on three sightreading examples to determine whether rhythmic and pitch chunking drills impacted reading performance at the keyboard. Subjects were evaluated on rhythmic accuracy, pitch accuracy and continuity. There were significant improvements from pretest to posttest in several subcategories. The pitch experimental group improved significantly in pitch, rhythm and continuity accuracy. The rhythm experimental group improved in rhythm and continuity, while the control group improved only in pitch accuracy. Experimental subjects reported significant engagement in rhythm and pitch chunking even if lack of motor skills impaired the actual performance.