Welcome to Pocket Science: a glimpse of the latest research from Husker scientists and engineers. For those who want to quickly learn the “What”, “So what” and “Now what” research from Husker.
What?
Whether exhaling to sing, directing fingers to hit keys and strumming strings, or combining them to play woodwind and wind instruments, musicians know the drill: Practice alone may not make a perfect note, but it’s important to finish on a high note. To see also : High-Tech Track opens up job opportunities for researchers.
Most of the focus on musical practice narrows down to how much, not how. But research has shown that certain types of exercise — intentional, effortful, done in isolation — tend to produce the most improvements. Some music psychologists specifically advocate the importance of three cognitive skills:
So what?
Curious about the benefits of developing these skills, Robert Woody of Nebraska, Distinguished Professor of Music of the Steinhart Foundation, conducted research with 100 students majoring in music. Read also : Megan Bee shares her music, recording back in the Hocking Hills. All 100 were asked to engage in a rehearsal session, vocal or instrumental, aimed at improving some selected aspect of their musical expression.
Before practicing, half of the students received a 650 word explanation of the three cognitive skills. They were also told that they would report on any thought processes related to that particular skill — and the overall effectiveness of their practice — after the session. Other students did not receive the 650 word command and were only asked to report what they thought before, during, and after the practice session.
Woody finally categorizes students’ written responses into four aspects of self-regulation and three strategies for effective practice. Students who received prompts focused on cognition cited these aspects and strategies 144 times, while students in the control group only referred to them 24 times. The biggest differences between groups emerged in the use of resources — metronome, recording device — incorporating instructor or mentor advice, avoiding distractions and managing time effectively.
The gap extends to the perception of the practice itself: 92% of cognition-driven students rated their session as effective, compared to only 65% of the control group. Previous research has shown that students who believe in the effectiveness of their exercises are more motivated to engage in them.
Now what?
Given that the findings are entirely self-reported, future studies could investigate whether those reports and perceptions carry over to behavior and performance, Woody said. This may interest you : Overview All percussion at the Music Academy Festival in Santa Barbara. If so, music teachers might consider introducing basic pre-practice cues that encourage students to remember cognitive skills.
