Piano Studies Research Articles

Contemporary music in the strategies of R. Tureck’s creative activity

Statement of the problem. Rosalyn Tureck is a significant figure in the history of twentieth-century piano art, whose multifaceted activities had a significant impact on both performance and composing. Her achievements in actualizing Bach’s music cannot be over estimated. At the same time, it was R. Tureck who did much to popularize contemporary art. The pianist’s discography contains many opuses by composers of her time, including those dedicated to her. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the study. The purpose of the study is to outline the directions of R. Tureck’s creative activity as a vivid example of the consistent and successful implementation of an actualizing performance strategy. The study is based on traditional methods of musicology (historical, genre-stylistic, systemic) as well as the method of interpretive analysis. In the research process, we used works that can be divided into 3 groups: R. Tureck’s autobiography; books on the work of American composers and those who contributed to the development of the country’s musical culture (D. Kämper, E. Z. Posell, J. W. Polisi, W. Simmons, S. Swayne, V. J. Kimberling), as well as W. J. Ton’s thesis; and comments to the CD “Premiere Performances”. The performance and structural analysis of the works on R. Tureck’s CD “Première Performances” (Two Studies for Violin and Piano by L. Dallapiccola, Concerto for Piano and Small Orchestra by W. Schuman, and Sonata No. 1 for Piano by D. Diamond), is the first such attempt in Ukrainian musicology. Results. At the time of R. Tureck’s active performing career, musical life was saturated with interesting ideas, discoveries, and new names. However, the avant-garde searches of American composers often remained unheeded by performers. In this regard, the creative activity of R. Tureck, who in 1948 created a society to popularize contemporary music, is exceptional. Her album “Première Performances” with works by contemporary composers was released in 1995. It contains recordings of premiere performances of opuses by D. Diamond, L. Dallapiccola and W. Schuman, the analysis of which is presented in the article. Conclusions. The popularization of contemporary music was an integral part of R. Tureck’s creative activity, due to which many American composers of the twentieth century got a chance to be “heard”. The basic strategies of this vector of her activity are determined: - mandatory performance of new works; - rethinking of contemporary music through previous historical periods; - direct cooperation with artists.

Social Learning Experience and Its Impact on Piano Performance among Chinese Students

This study explores the benefits of piano study for students' personal and professional development, the challenges of online piano instruction, and potential solutions to these problems. Surveying both students and educators in China, this study employs a descriptive research strategy rooted in a blend of positivism and interpretivism to ascertain their stand on the matter. Everyone agrees that learning to play the piano has positive effects on one's intellectual and ethical development, according to the results. It was obvious that social skills were crucial; musicians' skill levels usually rose after collaborating with peers and working on group projects. Nevertheless, challenges related to social learning were found. Some of the suggested methods include interactive video courses and online peer cooperation. By bringing attention to the significance of both human and technology resources, this research contributes to the continuing discussion on what constitutes excellent music education.

The Establishment and Practice of a Blended Teaching Model for Piano Music Education

Abstract This study explores a blended learning model for piano music education, merging traditional classroom instruction with an online personalized learning system to boost resource efficiency, student engagement, and learning outcomes. Utilizing the item collaborative filtering (CF) and learning style filtering recommendation algorithms, we tailored teaching materials to individual student needs, significantly improving match accuracy between resources and learners. Results from implementing this optimized hybrid teaching approach showed a 15% increase in course ratings, a 20% rise in student participation, and a marked enhancement in learners’ interest in piano studies. Additionally, learner satisfaction soared by 25% due to the learning style-based algorithm’s ability to personalize resource allocation. This research underscores the effectiveness of combining blended teaching models with personalized learning systems in elevating piano education quality and efficacy.

The Relationship Between Colour and Music in the Art of Composer Ede Terényi

"From his early youth, the composer lived his whole life under the spell of colors and color combinations. His talent as an artist was already apparent at the age of six, when, in addition to his piano studies, he enjoyed drawing plants and flowers in school notebooks. He kept his first vase, on one side of which he drew a bouquet of flowers sprouting from a heart on a bright pale green background when he was in high school, and on the other side a deer flying through a bush and a pine tree. She always felt a special fascination for the pine tree, seeing it as a symbol, its scent, and its green color as magical. He was similarly attracted to green grassy lawns and the changing colors of autumn leaves, which he saw as a symphony. These childhood experiences are also reflected in his colorful graphics. This paper presents the relationship between color and music in Ede Terényi’s compositions, and the composer’s conception of tonal aesthetics, the relationship between tonalities and colors. Keywords: Ede Terényi, composer, music compositions, colors, tonalities, graphics"

Subjektiivsuse aspekt Aurora Semperi kontserdikriitikas aastail 1938–1940 ja 1957–1965

The article examines the subjective aspect in concert reviews by Estonian music critic, pianist, teacher and music historian Aurora Semper (1899–1982), investigating whether and how different socio-political context influenced the manifestation of Semper’s subjective evaluations and taste in her writings for the newspapers Postimees (1938–1940) and Sirp ja Vasar (1956–1965). The paper focuses on the question of to what extent Semper’s subjective aesthetic understandings developed by the 1930s, such as seeing chamber music at the top of the hierarchy of musical genres, her educational background, including piano studies and the experience of West European musical life, were expressed during the Soviet regime with its demands on re-evaluation of music according to the Marxist-Leninist ideology. Comparing Semper’s reviews written in the late 1930s and 1960s, enough common features emerge. The found similarities include the preference for chamber music/ensembles and symphony concerts as well as the focus on the performance aspect, interest in historical issues and the observation of the long-term development of the collective/artist. Also, the attitude towards contemporary music is generally supportive and favourable. As a difference, one can notice the absence of stage works’ reviews in Semper’s Soviet-era writings and a stronger ideological message which is not emphasized but which Semper expressed when necessary in her attitudes, as well as the use of language and emphases. It can therefore be concluded that Aurora Semper’s subjectivity, which was strongly shaped by her studies in Europe (Germany, France) in the 1920s, broad mind and curiosity for knowledge, marriage to an intelligent and tolerant writer and politician Johannes Semper, music history teaching experience and a delicate character, became visible in the relatively free press of the independent Estonia in the 1930s and remained generally unchanged, despite the new socio-political context, in the much more rigid and ideologically controlled Soviet years.

THE FUNCTION OF ANALOGY IN PIANO PEDAGOGY

The paper explains the role played by the practice of analogical reasoning in piano lessons, especially at the beginner level. The first stage of piano studies is the most important one in raising musicians. In order to develop a young student’s understanding and appreciation of music and piano playing, teachers use interesting and logically connected stories with plenty of entertaining characters, colorful illustrations and imaginative scenes. Comprehensive analogies with images of characters and their adventures used to introduce and expand on musical concepts in working with beginners make complicated playing techniques understandable and acceptable to them. It is very important to invoke students’ imagination and creativity using fantasy, as well as analogies from everyday life, in order to help them to envisage musical images and express them through physical movements. By making progress in piano playing, students also improve their problem-solving skills in the arts, sciences, natural environment and social life.

A Study on how Relaxed Technical Approaches affect Perceived Tension and Performance in Pianists

The pianoforte is one of the most popular musical instruments that has attracted by any individuals at any age in any part of the world. Much of the music that had been composed for various keyboard instruments in different periods of history is often performed in the present-day acoustic piano. As a result, many music students who enroll in piano study are regularly at risk of acquiring poor technical approaches at the keyboard, which often leads to physical tension, continuous pain, injuries and a slower rate of progress. Therefore, this pilot study explored relaxed technical concepts which may help pianists to be more efficient technically in their performances. The purpose of this research study was to examine how the application of an appropriate technical concept to a technically challenging extract of a piece of music affects the perceived physical tension of piano students. It also sought to determine whether the implementation of physically relaxed approaches aids in diminishing physical tension and increasing the performance level of piano students. 26 undergraduates studying piano at the University of Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo, Sri Lanka participated in this research study. The technical approach termed ‘the underwave and overwave motion’, a relaxed technical approach of Ortmann and Taubman was applied to minimize physical tension. Participants of this research study were required to perform and record their playing for two days and the music tracks were adjudicated by five judges. The collected data were statistically analyzed by the Shapiro-Wilk test to verify the relationship between the use of piano technique, performance, and perceived tension. The perceived tension difference was computed based on the collected data as ‘performance difference = day one performance minus day two performance; and perceived tension difference = day two perceived tension minus day one perceived tension’. Based on the results, the application of appropriate technical approaches to technically challenging extracts of music minimized the perceived physical tension and also improved the tone quality of the performance.

Somatic education approaches in piano studies: A snapshot of Spanish conservatoire practices

Somatic education in professional instrumental teaching is an emerging field in Spanish conservatoire culture. Although we find that the Alexander Technique was included in some European institutions since the middle of the XXth Century, this was not the case in the Spanish context. By means of a qualitative study, through document analysis and fifteen in-depth interviews with somatic teachers, the statutory frameworks of professional Piano studies and teaching plans related to somatic education in Spanish conservatoires, the principles that support them and the current practices that are undertaken in professional piano studies were analyzed. We found that there are eclectic approaches and practices in correlation with the background of the teachers in charge of the courses. Four main orientations can be described: somatic education per se; ergonomics and postural technique; body communication, training and technique; and mental and concentration control techniques. Further research to explore the interrelationships between somatic approaches and instrumental teaching would greatly benefit the field.

Piano etudes by Lo Maisho: trends in the development of the genre

In the modern professional piano art of China, the genre of piano etude is an important part of musical culture and occupies a special place in the history of Chinese music. The first samples of etudes for piano by Chinese composers date back to the 20s of the last century and were created as pieces for the development of the pianist's technical skills. During the development of the genre, the artistic value of the sketches has increased: from a play of a technical nature, the sketches have become independent, dramaturgically constructed compositions. The composers rely on the intonation features of national music, use the melodies of traditional Chinese songs, and resort to modern writing techniques. However, innovation is usually limited to this. The young Chinese composer Luo Maisho created a series of etudes in which, on the one hand, he inherits traditional methods of composition, on the other, he violates the established foundations. For the first time, the metrorhythm region becomes a donor for structural transformations. The author of the article introduces the work of the young composer, offers an excursion into the history of the development of the piano etude genre in China, provides an analysis of the metrorhythmic organization of Lo Maisho's etudes. Thus, the purpose of the study is to analyze new trends in the development of the piano etude genre in China, the subject is the metrorhythmic organization of the musical fabric. In piano studies, Lo Maisho reaches a new level in the progression of the genre. He identifies new trends in Chinese piano music, introducing elements of folk songs, imitation of the sounds of traditional musical instruments, reflecting the imagery and various cultural characteristics of the peoples of various regions of China, introduces new techniques of metrorhythmic organization. The composer does not limit himself to the use of pentatonics, but resolutely strives for innovations in the genre of etude. It is noteworthy that the author departs from the established tradition, which is based on the use of Western European techniques combined with the intonation culture of Chinese melodies, he offers new forms of compositional solutions.

The Role of Piano Pieces in Kodály’s Life

"This study summarizes the composer’s piano works for the occasion of Kodály’s 140th anniversary. It introduces the role of the piano in Kodály’s life, the works he became acquainted with during his studies, and whether he had the opportunity to perform them in concert during his lifetime. Other questions include which study trips could have influenced the composition of his piano pieces, in which period were the piano pieces written, and who were the performers of the first performances. The research method is documentary analysis. As a result of the research, it can be concluded that Kodály had no formal piano teacher. He acquired his knowledge through lessons from his sister. He was driven by curiosity to become acquainted with all of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. He later used the instrument in his composing. We also found examples of him accompanying his songs in concerts. The piano pieces were influenced by his study trip to France. The piano pieces were composed in 3 periods. Keywords: Kodály, piano study, piano pieces, dawn, performers"

The Effect of Preoperative Disability, Cognitive Impairment, Frailty and Opioid Use on Acute Postoperative Pain in Older Patients Undergoing Surgery A Prospective Cohort Study

Globally, life expectancy is increasing, leading to more surgeries being performed in older patients. Postoperative pain is associated with complications after surgery. The aim of this study is to explore potential age-related risk factors for acute postoperative pain in older patients undergoing surgery. This was a prospective, single-center study. Patients ≥65 years, with and without disability, as defined by the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0, undergoing elective surgery, were compared. Primary outcome was the postoperative pain (ie, numeric rating scale (NRS) score) on the first postoperative day. Secondary outcomes were postoperative pain and pain trajectories in patients with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI), frailty, preoperative opioid use, and new-onset disability after surgery. Between February 2019 and July 2020, 155 patients were enrolled. On the first day after surgery, postoperative pain did not differ between patients with and without disability. NRS scores differed between patients with-, and without MCI on the first (P = .01), and second postoperative day (P < .01). Patients who used opioids before surgery reported higher median NRS score on the first (P < .001) and second (P < .01) postoperative day. Out of a total of 1816 NRS scores, 2 pain clusters were identified. Acute postoperative pain did not differ between patients with or without preoperative disability and frailty in older patients undergoing surgery. Reduced postoperative pain in older patients with MCI warrants further investigation. The PIANO study (Comparison of Postoperative NeurocognitiveFunction in Older Adult Patients with and without Diabetes Mellitus) was registered with www.clinicaltrialregister.nl (search term: Which can predict memory problems after surgery better; blood sugar levels or memory before surgery?). PerspectiveThis study explored risk factors for acute postoperative pain in older patients. No differences in postoperative pain were observed in patients with or without preexistent disability or frailty, however, patients with mild cognitive impairment experienced reduced pain. We suggest to simplify pain assessment in this group and take functional recovery into account.

Emil von Sauer: Liszt's Forgotten Prot�g� by Anita Crocus (review)

Reviewed by: Emil von Sauer: Liszt's Forgotten Protégé by Anita Crocus Donald Manildi Emil von Sauer: Liszt's Forgotten Protégé. By Anita Crocus. Eugene, OR: Luminare Press, 2022. [x, 409 p. ISBN 9781643889641, $19.95.] Index, bibliography. The name Emil von Sauer (1862–1942) is likely to resonate with assiduous collectors of historic piano recordings, but to others he is apt to be an unknown quantity. This was not always so, since Sauer belongs to the elite coterie of virtuosos who assembled in Weimar in the early 1880s to attend the master classes of Franz Liszt. Along with such colleagues as Moriz Rosenthal, Eugen d'Albert, Rafael Joseffy, and Arthur Friedheim, Sauer helped perpetuate Lisztian principles of piano technique and interpretation well into the twentieth century. Like most of his colleagues, he pursued a career that encompassed extensive concertizing, serious composition of piano music, and important pedagogical work. But because his performing career was almost entirely confined to Europe, Sauer did not establish a significant reputation in the US. Indeed, during his seventy-nine years he made only two tours of North America (in 1899 and 1908). Born in Hamburg, Sauer was not a child prodigy, but he was nonetheless encouraged by his mother to undertake serious piano study. His progress enabled him to play for the visiting Anton Rubinstein, who urged the young Sauer to audition at the Moscow Conservatory, where Rubinstein's brother Nicholas was the director. Sauer spent two years under Nicholas's intense supervision until the latter's death in 1881. Three years later, Sauer ventured to Weimar and attended Liszt's classes. Sauer later claimed that he gained little from Liszt's teaching and that Nicholas Rubinstein was clearly the most decisive influence on his playing. He viewed Liszt mainly as an inspirational force and always expressed admiration for him as a man and musician, frequently [End Page 609] earning acclaim for his interpretations of major Liszt works. By the 1890s, Sauer was performing frequently in Germany and Austria and began a fruitful fifty-year relationship as a favorite soloist with the Wiener Philharmoniker. His recitals brought him to all the larger and smaller European centers, and he became a sought-after teacher at Vienna's conservatory, despite a few interruptions generated by heavy outside commitments and the demands of his family. Sauer's reputation was such that he received over two dozen awards and decorations from various countries. Sauer married Alice Elb in 1887, and their union produced nine children. After Alice's death in 1939, Sauer married his young Mexican pupil Angelica Morales, who was forty-nine years his junior. The two had frequently played duo-piano recitals together. Their marriage resulted in two more children. Sauer's personal and professional stories all unfolded, of course, against the backdrop of European political upheaval. Until now there have been no extensive English-language treatments of Sauer's life and career. The first forty years of his life were chronicled in Sauer's own memoir, Meine Welt (Stuttgart: Spemann Verlag, 1901), but Sauer lacked the time and energy to write a sequel. An annotated English translation of Meine Welt is badly needed. It appears that Anita Crocus prepared her own translation as part of her research for this biography, but she does not explain what, if anything, has prevented her from offering it for publication in its entirety. The present volume is Crocus's first book. Her academic background is in Latin American and European history. It was a fortuitous encounter with Sauer's youngest son, Franz, who was her mentor at the University of the Americas in Mexico City, that provided the impetus for this biography. Crocus has diligently pursued extensive—though not always exhaustive—research into Sauer's life and has given us a general overview of his long presence as one of the main figures during the so-called golden age of pianism. Her narrative proceeds in a generally straightforward fashion, but it is marred by too many digressions into incidental historical background, such as the lengthy introduction of Gustav Mahler and his wife (p. 114ff) and of Richard Strauss and his wife (p. 133ff). Tighter editorial control could...

Practice, Performance, and Anxiety: A Pilot Study on Student Perception of Parental Involvement and Formal Music Lessons

Parents play a variety of important roles in their children's musical development. However, whether they impact upon children's music performance education and experience has only begun to be considered. The current study sought to examine whether student perception of parent involvement in music and performance education is related to their experience of music performance anxiety. Sixty-two piano students aged 11 to 17 completed a questionnaire regarding their piano studies, their parents’ involvement in them, and their parents’ prior music education. They also completed measures of performance anxiety and self-esteem. Results indicated that parents’ prior music education was significantly associated with performance anxiety in their children. Participant age, self-esteem, and practice time were also significant variables. Measures of parent involvement in music studies and parent response to weak performances were not found to be significantly related to performance anxiety scores. Implications of these findings and directions for furthering this line of research are discussed.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Pregnancy

Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Pregnancy

"Avec Picasso, ce matin..."

The current music scene is manifold in its means of expression. As music becomes more diverse and embraces other art forms it makes room for a new type of performers to flourish. My academic path, comprising jazz theory lessons and an uncomplete bachelor’s in composition beyond my classical piano studies, gave me the opportunity to develop a set of artistic skills that go beyond the standard performer curriculum. I saw in this artistic research the perfect chance to apply this knowledge. In my work I explore three distinct approaches to a specific piece of music: Constança Capdeville’s Avec Picasso, ce matin… (1984), starting from a more traditional analysis and progressively diverging from this path towards a subversive approach inspired by the concept of anamorphosis. Capdeville’s score is essentially an open work with a set of guiding instructions. However, the lack of documentation, clear instructions and reliable sources concerning the piece made the notated score more ambiguous than expected. This possible setback in its reconstruction turned out to be the perfect context to put my expertise to the test. While dabbling with Capedeville’s score I resorted to experimental processes, to my experience with composition, my transcription and editing skills, archive work and the use of different media in contemporary performance practice. I approached the score as a “script” rather than a “text” (Cook, Nicholas). In this research the score is no longer an end in itself, but rather an excuse towards the development of a musical project larger than it.

ФОРМУВАННЯ ВИКОНАВСЬКОЇ МАЙСТЕРНОСТІ У СТУДЕНТІВ З КНР У ПЕДАГОГІЧНИХ ВИШАХ УКРАЇНИ

The article considers the process of formation of performing skills of future teachers-musicians of China in the process of piano training and features of piano training of students from China in pedagogical universities of Ukraine. Problems of interethnic interaction of peoples living in the space of civilization have always been in the field of view not only of politics, sociology, but also pedagogy (A. Alekseeva, M. Volkov, V. Gorbunova, G. Komarov, L. Maikovska, etc.). The content of state programs on education and educational activities of both Ukraine and China is aimed at the harmonious spiritual, intellectual, aesthetic, creative development of children and youth. The effectiveness of the comprehensive realization of all the potentials of the individual is due to the level of qualification of professionals who carry out pedagogical influences at different stages of its formation. In accordance with today’s requirements, the training ofspecialists in the field of music education is aimed at improving the process of acquiring professional knowledge, skills and ability to apply them in practice, taking into account the development of scientific and technical processes and their impact on tastes and methods of each individual. The strategy of music education in modern China is aimed on the one hand at supporting national traditions, and on the other – at integrating into the world educational space,through cultural interactions, while preserving its self-identity, but taking into account innovative achievements in education. As part of the implementation of the educational strategy, a significant number of Chinese students enter Ukrainian pedagogical universities every year, seeking to get acquainted with the peculiarities of pedagogical education in Ukraine and, based on and using its achievements to obtain the relevant profession according to their abilities and desires. One of the most important components in the formation of professional skills of future Chinese music teachers while studying in Ukrainian higher education institutions is piano training. Based on the above, it is necessary to emphasize the urgency and the need for a comprehensive study and solution of the problem of forming performance skills in students from China during piano studies at pedagogical universities in Ukraine.

Õpimustritest muusikateose omandamisel klaveri algõppes

This article was inspired by the first author’s observations in the teaching process, which refer to different learning patterns in studying a piece of music. I have noticed that although I teach all the students by using quite the same methods, part of them remember the pieces rather quickly and they prefer to play and practise them from memory. Some others, on the other hand, prefer to play from notes, and they continue doing it during the whole learning process. The aim of this article is to find, by an evidence-based method, the occurrence of the abovementioned learning patterns and describe their characteristic features. In case peculiarities occur, which can be projected against the typology of different learning patterns, it is possible to study connections with the earlier learning styles and learning and information processing theories. It also enables us to offer applications for a more person-centred approach in piano pedagogy to enhance both the learning process, student-teacher collaboration, and the student’s development as well as make them subjectively more pleasant for both parties. To investigate the learning patterns in basic piano studies, I video-recorded the classes with students of possibly similar backgrounds, giving them tasks testing their memory and note-reading skills. Based on the analysis of the collected information, I made conclusions about the existence and nature of hypothetical intuitive learning patterns. The interesting observations made by formal and non-formal examination add material for future in-depth studies, as the described phenomenon should be approached, above all, as a continuum, which enables us to estimate students’ inclination towards one or the other side to a greater or lesser extent, and consequently, the application of a better adapted teaching strategies.

Los otros Álbumes para la juventud de Robert Schumann

El Album für die Jugend (Álbum para la juventud) Op. 68 de Robert Schumann es una de sus composiciones más conocidas, en parte, debido a su perfil pedagógico y su actual visibilidad en el currículo en los planes de estudios musicales reglados de la especialidad de piano. Ahora bien, a pesar de la existencia de numerosos antecedentes académicos sobre él, hemos podido constatar la existencia de otros volúmenes que, bajo el mismo nombre de Álbum para la juventud, fueron publicados tras el fallecimiento del compositor y sobre los que no hemos localizado trabajos previos. Atendiendo a esta circunstancia, la intención de este trabajo, además de proponer un acercamiento al origen y la esencia del opus 68, comprende conocer las características y el contexto en que estos otros Álbumes para la juventud fueron gestados y comercializados, todo ello a través del acceso a fuentes primarias y secundarias. Como se podrá comprobar, debido a su carácter póstumo, la figura del editor cobró una relevancia fundamental, utilizando el inmenso éxito de la composición schumanniana y su propia experiencia en la edición de este tipo de álbumes.

Status Quo of Piano Coach in China

The major of piano coach nowadays has a large market demand and is promising in China, and should be attached great importance. However, many music learners in China believe that the students of the piano studies major are sufficiently competent in the work of piano coach, and they often confuse piano coach with piano accompaniment. Although the two majors both require deep understanding of music and good performance skills, they are different in many aspects. The piano coach requires practitioners to have rigorous logic, rich content, corresponding mastery and understanding of the universal law of art and other qualities.

Neurodevelopmental impairment is associated with altered white matter development in a cohort of school-aged children born very preterm

Individuals born very preterm (<32 weeks gestation) have altered brain growth and white matter maturation relative to their full-term peers, and approximately 30% will experience neurodevelopmental impairment. We investigated the relationship between neurodevelopmental impairment and MRI measures of white matter microstructure and brain volume.Children born before 30 weeks’ gestation or who had very low birthweight (< 1500 g) underwent neurodevelopmental assessment and MRI at age 7 years as part of the PIANO study, a New Zealand-based cohort study. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and diffusivity measures were derived from diffusion tensor imaging to index white matter microstructure. Volumes were derived from T1-weighted imaging. Neurodevelopmental impairment was defined as a score < 85 on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, <5th centile on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children or a diagnosis of cerebral palsy by a paediatrician. Relationships between MRI and neurodevelopmental impairment were assessed with general linear models adjusted for sex, gestational age at birth, birthweight z-score, age at assessment, New Zealand Deprivation index score and multiplicity.Children with neurodevelopmental impairment (n = 38) had smaller total brain, cortical grey matter and cerebral white matter volumes compared to children without neurodevelopmental impairment (n = 62) (p < 0.05, false discovery rate corrected), but the regional volume differences did not remain significant after adjustment for total brain volume. Lower FA and higher radial diffusivity were observed in the superior longitudinal fasciculi, uncinate fasciculi and right hemisphere corticospinal tract in children with neurodevelopmental impairment. This may reflect differences in cellular properties such as myelination or axonal packing. Neurodevelopmental impairment may reflect smaller overall brain volume and altered microstructure in white matter tracts that are important for language, cognitive and motor functioning.