Quality Of Musical Performance Research Articles

Exercise as a means of preventing musculoskeletal problems in musicians, a systematic review

Abstract Introduction The lifetime prevalence of performance related musculoskeletal disorders in musicians is reported to reach a very high rate (93%) and many times affect the music performance, playing efficacy, the quality of their work or their career progression. It can also have a significant financial burden on the musicians as well as on the organizations/orchestras. Purpose This systematic review summarizes the evidence available from randomized clinical trials investigating the effect of exercise in the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders in musicians. Methods The search was performed in the PubMed database and the specialized Journal of Medical Problems of Performing Artists, Science & Medicine, Inc. until March 2022. The keywords used were decided by Mesh terms. Studies that had titles and abstracts related to exercise or prevention programs in musicians to reduce or treat PRMDs were selected for detailed analysis. Exclusion and inclusion criteria were used for the final outcome. A qualitative assessment was also carried out with the PEDro scale. Results Of the 1050 articles found, 138 were selected by title for relevance and their abstracts were studied. Of these 22 randomized studies were selected for full reading. The criteria of the systematic review were met by 7 articles, which were examined in detail. Parallel searches were conducted with different combinations of keywords to cross-reference the selected randomized studies. Three clinical studies showed a reduction in the frequency of musculoskeletal disorders and a reduction in pain and symptom intensity with a statistically significant difference. Two clinical studies have had a positive effect on physical effectiveness. A control group in one study showed significant statistical significance in aerobic capacity. The same clinical study had a positive effect on the playing performance of the instrument. Another clinical study showed reduced inability related to music performance in both groups. Three clinical studies had an educational intervention together with the exercise intervention. No clinical research was found to assess the health costs of musculoskeletal disorders in musicians. Conclusions This systematic review provided evidence for the effect of exercise training in preventing musculoskeletal disorders in musicians. Prevention programs with exercise intervention had significant clinical value such as reducing the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders in intensity, frequency and pain as well as improving their functional capacity and their quality of musical performance. Additional clinical randomized control studies are necessary with a larger number of participants and duration of follow-up of the results to confirm the above findings.

Current Trends in Music Performance Anxiety Intervention.

Music performance anxiety (MPA) is a natural, emotional, and physiological response to the stress of public performance. Debilitating forms of MPA are severe and persistent reactions that go beyond the normal adaptive response to music evaluation situations and can negatively impact the quality of musical performance and the musician's life in general. Today, it affects numerous professional performers and can result in an inability to practice their profession, posing a significant threat to their professional activity. Despite its scope, studies exploring this issue and contributing to its resolution are scarce. Thus, this review aims to compile the significant advancements made in the last five years (2018-2023) in the treatment of MPA from a scientific perspective. For this purpose, the PRISMA method was used based on the results obtained from the Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. Reviewed are 10 studies that have made valuable contributions to this matter in this time frame after applying the quality filters using the PRISMA method. It is concluded that, although there are methodological shortcomings and sample limitations in the current research, this field registers advancements that provide valuable information to prevent or solve this problem in professional or aspiring musicians.

Musical Expertise and Executive Functions in Experienced Musicians.

Extensive music practice has been suggested to enhance the development of cognitive abilities over and above musical expertise. Executive functions (EFs) have been particularly investigated, given their generalizability across different domains and their crucial role in almost all aspects of cognition. However, the relationship between musical expertise and EFs is still not completely understood, as several studies have reported conflicting results. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between musical expertise and EFs, determining which facets-if any-of EFs might be particularly relevant to extensive music practice. Thirty-five student pianists completed a set of neuropsychological tasks which assessed EFs (the Trail Making Task, Design Fluency, Numerical Stroop, and the Tower of London). They also performed a short musical excerpt inspired by the piano literature. Musical expertise was assessed by considering three parameters, namely the highest academic degree in music, the lifetime amount of music practice, and the quality of the sample-based musical performance. The results indicate that postgraduate piano students did not show advantages in EFs compared to undergraduate piano students. More extensive lifetime practice in music was solely associated with faster visual reaction times on the Numerical Stroop task. The Trail Making and Design Fluency scores were significant predictors of the quality of the sample-based musical performance. In conclusion, the present data suggests that EFs and the amount of music practice do not seem to be correlated in student pianists. Nevertheless, some facets of EFs and the quality of musical performance may share substantial amounts of variance.

The reliability/ validity of cognitive/emotional approaches to the evaluation of musical performance: Implications for competition juries

Procedures to evaluate the quality of musical performance, like psychological tests generally, vary in reliability and validity. How can both be optimised? The subjective world of jurors comprises input (sensations) and output (thoughts and emotions). Cognitive approaches to performance evaluation, in which different aspects are analytically considered and the results combined, are more reliable than emotional approaches, which are ultimately based on holistic ‘gut reactions’. However, emotional approaches may be more valid. Both depend on the serial order in which performances are presented to evaluators, suggesting a need for independent, computer-controlled procedures in which jurors evaluate performances in different random orders. Jurors can be influenced by performers’ appearance and movements, as well as knowledge about past performances, whether or not they believe they should be; additional blind evaluations (sound only) could help. Evaluations may depend primarily on specific features such as right-hand melodic phrasing in romantic piano music. It would be interesting to systematically track the emotional state of jurors during a competition in order to better understand the interaction between their thoughts and emotions. In general, traditional approaches to performance evaluation might be supplemented (not replaced) by psychologically inspired, computer-based procedures. A ‘superjury’ could compare evaluations from different methods or ‘subjuries’.

The effects of anxiety on practice behaviors and performance quality in expert pianists.

During their career, musicians need to undergo intense periods of training to master musical instruments and become accomplished artists. Dysfunctional practice behaviors and anxiety are often mentioned among the possible risk factors for playing-related injuries in musicians. However, the mechanism through which these might lead to the onset of these injuries is still unclear. The present study aims at overcoming this limitation by investigating the relationship between quantitative measurements of anxiety, practice behaviors and music performance quality. The experiment consisted in monitoring practice behaviors in 30 pianists practicing a short musical task. Most self-report anxiety measurements were positively correlated with practice time, especially those collected right before the practice sessions. Similar correlations were identified between anxiety and the number of repetitions of the musical task. Physiological markers of anxiety were only weakly related to practice behaviors. Subsequent analyses showed that high levels of anxiety were associated with poor quality of music performances at baseline. Nevertheless, the interaction between participants' learning rate and anxiety measures showed no association with performance quality scores. Moreover, anxiety and performance quality co-developed during practice sessions, showing that pianists who improved their playing were also less anxious in the latter part of the experiment. These findings suggest that anxious musicians are likely at higher risk of developing playing-related injuries related to overuse and repetitive strains. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed.

STAGING QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OF MUSICAL PERFORMANCE FOR KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN: A CASE STUDY IN KINDERGARTENS, HUE CITY

Musical performance is an important activity in the memorial ceremony and local festivals, providing an effective educational program and raising a special attraction of the manager board in the kindergartens. A quality musical performance not only inspires the children with the joyfulness, interest, reviving of art passion but an efficient approach for cultural, minding and ethical education, fitting the educational program in the kindergarten. In this study, we analyze the current practice of the musical performance and propose solutions to actively support the teacher enhancing the quality of this activity in the kindergartens. With case studies in a variety of the kindergartens, our results are expected to amend the quality of musical performance for the kindergarten children and to provide novel insights for the kindergarten teachers in Vietnam.

Musical Novices Are Unable to Judge Musical Quality from Brief Video Clips: A Failed Replication of Tsay (2014).

Research focusing on "thin slicing" suggests in making judgements of others' moods, personality traits, and relationships, we are able to make relatively reliable decisions based on a small amount of information. In some instances, this can be done in a matter of a few seconds. A similar result was found with regard to the judgement of musical quality of ensemble performances by Tsay (2014), wherein musical novices were able to reliably choose the winner of a music competition based on the visual information only (but not auditory or audiovisual information). Tsay argues that this occurs due to a lack of auditory expertise in musical novices, and that they are able to extract quality information based on visual movements with more accuracy. As part of the SCORE project (OSF, 2021), we conducted a direct replication of Tsay (2014). Findings showed that musical novices were unable to judge musical quality at a level greater than chance, and this result held for auditory, visual, and audiovisual presentation. This suggests that 6 s is not a sufficient amount of time for novices to judge the relative quality of musical performance, regardless of the modality in which they were presented.

Дивергентность как критерий качества музыкального исполнительства

The purpose of the study is to substantiate that divergence is a criterion of musical performance quality. The material presented in the paper is addressed to those musicians whose musical abilities do not manifest themselves in the obviously higher sides of the cognitive sphere, for example, in phenomenal memory, etc. The paper considers two aspects of a musician’s creative activities – the intellectual one and the emotional one; determines the roles of divergent qualities of a musician. The novelty of the study lies in a scientific substantiation of divergent thinking development in musical performance practice. As a result, the main issues of educating a modern performing musician have been identified. The comprehension of some of the scientific positions given in the paper can contribute to increasing the importance of intellectual work in musical performance and determining the individual trajectory of a musician’s professional development taking into account the specified factor.

The effect of mindfulness meditation on the vocal proficiencies of music education students

Mindfulness meditation (MM) has been found to positively affect various aspects related to music performance, yet very few studies have investigated its impact on music performance quality. This study examined whether short-term MM activity would improve vocal skills in regard to pitch intonation, dynamics transmission, and vocal resonation. Experiment and control groups comprising music education students ( N = 55) made pre- and post-intervention recordings of a specially designed solo vocal music excerpt. Intervention consisted of a short-term online MM course covering the main elements exercised in mindfulness practice. Performance evaluation employed novel methods based on both automatic assessment strategies and expert judgments. Statistical analysis failed to indicate a significant effect. However, trends were detected for improvement in dynamics transmission and vocal resonation. Results might attest to MM praxis’ limited influence on music performance quality. The observed trends could, however, evince to the shortcomings of the treatment design. The implications regarding MM’s effect on music performance quality are discussed.

Instrumental and Hedonic Motives for Emotion Regulation in Musical Practice.

Emotion regulation literature often emphasizes that individuals regulate their emotions for hedonic reasons. However, there is increasing support for an instrumental approach to emotion regulation. This approach suggests that emotions are regulated if they are believed to be beneficial to the pursuit of personally relevant goals. When pursuing a long-term goal, an individual may forego immediate, hedonic emotional reward in order to maximize the instrumental benefits of emotions. The current study investigates emotion regulation behaviour in the context of musical practice. We examine whether musicians adopt specific, regulated emotional stances which support their goal orientation, and which are in line with their beliefs regarding the functional impact of emotions. Via an online questionnaire, 421 musicians reported their goal-orientation, meta-emotion beliefs, and affect-regulation strategies. Participants then completed a scale assessing specific emotions they would regulate in order to support their musical practice. Data were analysed using PCA, MANOVA, subgroup analysis and categorical regression. Musicians reported using affect-improvement strategies more often than affect-worsening strategies in order to influence how they felt during musical practice. Greater reported use of affect-worsening strategies was associated with stronger meta-emotion beliefs supporting the possible instrumental benefits of unpleasant emotions (F = 30.33; p < 0.01; = 0.06). Musicians who strongly endorsed this belief more strongly pursued mastery goals in contrast to enjoyment goals. In terms of specific targeted emotions, musicians generally sought to reduce unpleasant emotions, and increase pleasant, energizing emotions in order to support their musical practice. However, a subgroup of mastery- rather than enjoyment-oriented musicians may seek a mixed emotional state, increasing anger and nervousness in conjunction with a number of pleasant emotions (Wilks λ1,420 = 14.42; p < 0.01; = 0.50). Musicians who pursue expert musical skills may be motivated to experience emotions that combine the instrumental and hedonic benefits of emotions. Musicians who practice for enjoyment may prioritize emotions that maximize only the hedonic benefits. Future research should aim to identify the regulated emotional states that best support specific musical practice outcomes in an individual. It will also be important to understand on all levels, including music performance quality as well as health and well-being, the outcomes that may be associated with the use of affect-worsening strategies and unpleasant emotions. Research in this field may equip musicians with novel skills for better pursuit of their goals, and may help to maximize health and well-being in musical practice.

A Practical Examination of a Novel Statistical Approach for Anticipating Musicians’ Performance

Great musicians have long offered a wealth of suggestions on how to manage and make it easier to face the challenging circumstances of significant concerts. These suggestions might be a subset of self-management, stress management, etc., to regulate irrational feelings throughout the performance. While musicians frequently employ a variety of ways to manage the intensity of difficult situations during performances, there is still a need for an effective plan to manage the unfavorable effects of emotions or stress. Therefore, the connection between a musician's life cycle and performance must be discovered. This work examines the relationship between performance quality and biorhythm by doing a more thorough examination of the subject, introducing major biorhythms, and assessing the relationship. This relationship has been assessed using a discriminant analysis (DFA). There haven't yet been any research that compare the relationship between biorhythm and musical performance quality. But several academics have conducted studies to determine the relationship between biorhythms and various events, including accidents and other occurrences. Its outcomes have been divided into two categories. Some people have rejected the link between events and biorhythm, while others have embraced it and found significance in it. To the second category this study belongs.

DOCUMENTS REGULATING THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING OF MUSIC PERFORMERS IN LITHUANIA AND INTERNATIONALLY: DIRECTIONS, CHARACTERISTICS AND SHORTCOMINGS

Here is lack of clarity in documentation regarding music performers’ training in Lithuania and internationally. Here is lack of information and research-based knowledge regarding strategies, methods, philosophies, competencies and etc., regarding music performers’ training. So why it seems for society as “for granted” and that is based on personal talents that are heritage. Also here is lack of documents on requirements for teachers, who prepare the music performers. The aim of the study is to discuss the issue of music performers’ training and education regarding orientations, directions, characteristics and other peculiarities with the focus on a current training and education situation. The study is based on document analysis. Documents on musicians’ training, which exist in Lithuania and internationally, they lack precision, clarity, specificity in terms of specializations, instruments, levels of achievement(s), specifications for performance assessment, and levels of professionalism achieved. Most of the documents are generic, politicized, and their content is deliberative about how it must be, what shows that documents do not rely on empirical research evidence within the practical reality, and are not oriented to realistic ways, how to achieve the specific results that reflect the quality of musical performance.

Alexander Technique classes improve pain and performance factors in tertiary music students

BackgroundProfessional and student instrumental musicians experience high rates of playing-related pain (PR pain) and other playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs). This significant occupational health risk signals an urgent need for preventive education at the college level. During tertiary studies however, music students may be more focused on musical skill development than health outcomes. Alexander Technique (AT) is reputed to be beneficial for factors relating to both PR pain and the improvement of performance quality in musicians, therefore AT training for music students could be relevant for prevention. ObjectivesTo examine the effects of AT classes for tertiary music students on PR pain, associated risk factors for PR pain, and factors associated with improvements in music performance quality. MethodsResponses were collected from 23 volunteer music performance students at an Australian University who undertook weekly AT classes for one semester using a curriculum specifically designed for music students. ResultsThe majority of participants rated AT classes as beneficial for all factors, particularly reduction of PR pain, posture, ability to release excess muscle tension, improvements in instrumental technique, and improvements in performance level. Benefits to practice effectiveness and a reduction in non-playing-related pain, stress levels and performance anxiety were also reported. ConclusionsPurpose-designed AT classes may contribute to the management of PR pain and pertinent risk factors in music students, thus further investigation of the potential role of AT classes in pain prevention programs is warranted. Reports of benefit across a range of performance-related skills strengthen relevance to music practice and performance.

ПРЕДСТАВЛЕНИЕ КАК ЗНАЧИМЫЙ КОМПОНЕНТ ИДЕОМОТОРНОЙ ТРЕНИРОВКИ В ПРОЦЕССЕ УЧЕБНОЙ МУЗЫКАЛЬНО-ИСПОЛНИТЕЛЬСКОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ ШКОЛЬНИКОВ

Problem and purpose. The article deals with the possibilities of using ideomotor training in the process of teaching schoolchildren to play the piano. The main attention is paid to one of the important components of the ideomotor training that is presentation. The analysis of the scientific literature, theoretical and practical study of this problem have shown that the application of the presentation to teaching in a music school is at the initial stage. The purpose of the article is to consider the presentation process as a component of the ideomotor training used in the learning musical performance of schoolchildren. The methodological basis of the research is the works of Russian scientists in the field of presentation problems (S.L. Rubinshtein) and ideomotor training (L. Pikkenkhain, A.Ts. Puni, P.A. Rudik, A.V. Alekseev, etc.), and the work of V.G. Aseev on the study of age characteristics of schoolchildren. Results. Such key concepts as “ideomotor training” and “presentation” have been analyzed, age features of schoolchildren from the perspective of the presentation process development have been considered. The decisive importance of using the representation of schoolchildren to improve the quality of their musical performance by the method of ideomotor training has been confirmed. The variants of appealing to the presentation during learning to play the piano have been formulated. Conclusion. The work has analyzed the scientific literature on the development of the presentation of schoolchildren and the use of ideomotor training in piano lessons. The proposed approach to the introduction of multi-component ideomotor training in the education of schoolchildren is presented as a way to increase the quality of musical performance. A systematic and multifaceted study of the potential for the use of ideomotor training in the musical performance of music schools’ pupils is a promising area for further research.

Eye of the Beholder: Stage Entrance Behavior and Facial Expression Affect Continuous Quality Ratings in Music Performance

Judgments of music performance quality are commonly employed in music practice, education, and research. However, previous studies have demonstrated the limited reliability of such judgments, and there is now evidence that extraneous visual, social, and other “non-musical” features can unduly influence them. The present study employed continuous measurement techniques to examine how the process of forming a music quality judgment is affected by the manipulation of temporally specific visual cues. Video footage comprising an appropriate stage entrance and error-free performance served as the standard condition (Video 1). This footage was manipulated to provide four additional conditions, each identical save for a single variation: an inappropriate stage entrance (Video 2); the presence of an aural performance error midway through the piece (Video 3); the same error accompanied by a negative facial reaction by the performer (Video 4); the facial reaction with no corresponding aural error (Video 5). The participants were 53 musicians and 52 non-musicians (N = 105) who individually assessed the performance quality of one of the five randomly assigned videos via a digital continuous measurement interface and headphones. The results showed that participants viewing the “inappropriate” stage entrance made judgments significantly more quickly than those viewing the “appropriate” entrance, and while the poor entrance caused significantly lower initial scores among those with musical training, the effect did not persist long into the performance. The aural error caused an immediate drop in quality judgments that persisted to a lower final score only when accompanied by the frustrated facial expression from the pianist; the performance error alone caused a temporary drop only in the musicians' ratings, and the negative facial reaction alone caused no reaction regardless of participants' musical experience. These findings demonstrate the importance of visual information in forming evaluative and aesthetic judgments in musical contexts and highlight how visual cues dynamically influence those judgments over time.

The Actual vs. Predicted Effects of Intonation Accuracy on Vocal Performance Quality

The belief that intonation accuracy is a key determinant of musical performance quality is ubiquitous in music pedagogy; nonetheless, empirical validation of this belief is lacking. We investigated the effects of intonation accuracy on perceived performance quality and assessed whether music professionals’ beliefs about the importance of intonation are consistent with these effects. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants listened to vocal performances that were in tune, moderately out of tune, or severely out of tune. Only severe mistunings caused decreases in performance quality ratings for intonation insensitive listeners (those who performed poorly on a mistuning detection prescreening). However, both moderate and severe mistunings were detrimental to the ratings of intonation sensitive listeners. These results indicate that moderate mistunings exert a negative influence on the perceived quality of a performance only if the listener can explicitly detect the mistunings. If a listener cannot explicitly detect the mistunings, those mistunings do not implicitly exert a negative influence on the perception of the performance. In Experiment 3, music professionals heard samples of performances from Experiments 1 and 2 in each intonation condition and were asked to estimate the impact of the mistunings on listeners’ ratings of performance quality. Their predictions were compared to the actual performance quality ratings obtained in Experiment 2. Music professionals overestimated the impact of moderate mistunings for both intonation sensitive and insensitive listeners, suggesting that music professionals may hold inaccurate beliefs about the importance of intonation accuracy in vocal performance.

An empirical study of a solo performance assessment model

The purpose of this study was to test a hypothesized model of solo music performance assessment. Specifically, this study investigates the influence of technique and musical expression on perceptions of overall performance quality. The Aural Musical Performance Quality (AMPQ) measure was created to measure overall performance quality, technique, musical expression, tone, intonation, rhythmic accuracy, articulation, tempo, dynamics, tone character, and interpretation. The factors of interest were identified from previous studies on musical performance constructs, musical achievement, musical expression, and scale construction. Alpha reliability for the 44-item Likert scale AMPQ measure was reported at .977. Volunteer adjudicators ( N = 58) were recruited to evaluate four solo instrumental recordings (brass, woodwind, voice, and string). A path analysis of the 232 performance evaluations provided empirical support for the hypothesized model. Technique demonstrated significant direct effects on assessments of overall performance quality and musical expression. Musical expression also demonstrated a significant direct effect on overall perceptions of performance quality. The results of this study are consistent with hypothesized model of performer-controlled musical factors.

Self-efficacy as a predictor of musical performance quality.

Self-efficacy as a predictor of musical performance quality.

Protecting Musicians from Hearing Damage: A Review of Evidence-based Research

The great irony of being a musician is that the sound produced—the very essence of the musical experience—represents a long-term health risk to the artist. This overview examines the lack of sufficient evidence-based studies on this at-risk population, which is particularly important in light of the low level of compliance to hearing-loss prevention programs among musicians. The review explores the number of musicians at risk, the five most common types of hearing loss affecting them, and the necessary components of a hearing-loss prevention program, including measurement, education, and acoustic modifications to the work environment. Hearing protection devices designed specifically for performing musicians are explored in depth, including the proper use of spectrum-neutral high-fidelity earplugs with in-ear monitoring systems as tools to control sound levels without detracting from the quality of musical performance.

Silent illumination: a study on Chan (Zen) meditation, anxiety, and musical performance quality

This study investigated the effects of Chan (Zen) meditation on musical performance anxiety and musical performance quality. Nineteen participants were recruited from music conservatories and randomly assigned to either an eight-week meditation group or a wait-list control group. After the intervention, all participants performed in a public concert. Outcome measures were performance anxiety and musical performance quality. Meditation practiced over a short term did not significantly improve musical performance quality. The control group demonstrated a significant decrease in performance quality with increases in performance anxiety. The meditation group demonstrated the opposite effect — a positive linear relation between performance quality and performance anxiety. This finding indicates that enhanced concentration and mindfulness (silent illumination), cultivated by Chan practice, might enable one to channel performance anxiety to improve musical performance.