1,720,992 research outputs found
UPPER-STRING INSTRUMENTALISTS AS MICRO-ATHLETES: A FRAMEWORK FOR INTEGRATING A COGNITIVE AND PHYSICAL STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE REGIMEN IN (AND OUT OF) THE PRACTICE ROOM
No full textThesis (D.M.A.)--University of Washington, 2022Researchers long have acknowledged similarities between sports athletes and musicians. Indeed, musicians are sometimes referred to as musical or instrumental athletes. They begin training at a young age, practice or perform daily, are highly competitive, require a high level of skill and physical capacity, play through pain, experience anxiety, and face risk of musculoskeletal disorders. The nature and quality of early musical training are crucial in developing skills to deliberately practice, self-regulate time, train bodies to play their instruments, and engage in healthy playing practices. In addition to inculcating proper music technique from the very beginning of instruction, teachers also must train students to develop mind and body strength to handle the demands of playing their instruments. But while music teachers generally have great passion for, and insight into, their craft, they often have not been trained to give specific instruction on how exactly to practice in order to obtain the best results from a cognitive or physical point of view.
Music teachers don’t always know how to address psychological issues that can hinder enjoyment and progress, and inhibit performance. Music performance anxiety is a condition that runs rampant amongst students and professionals alike, and has been a taboo subject for many decades. This difficult affliction can manifest itself in many different ways with varying degrees of severity. Fortunately, mounting research illustrates the promising effects that mindfulness can have on mediating the effects of music performance anxiety, and on building cognitive resilience overall.
The training music teachers receive often lacks focus on how to address physical concerns or
to condition the body of the musician. Upper-string instrumentalists (those who play the violin or viola) are a special group of musicians particularly susceptible to developing performance-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs). This is because of repetition of movement, hours of practice, awkward postures and the carrying of static loads. Playing these instruments emphasizes eccentric and concentric contractions that can lead to muscular imbalances. By implementing a complementary practice of postures to strengthen, re-align and relax the body, musicians can optimize their music practice and performance to build mental and physical strength.
This dissertation is written in five chapters. Together, they outline a framework for defining exactly what a micro-athlete is (in this context referring to upper-string instrumentalists), and training the micro-athlete musically and physically by integrating healthy practice habits and mind/body strengthening tools in (and out of) the practice room. Chapter 1: Introducing the Micro-athlete, outlines characteristics of what being a micro-athlete entails. Chapter 2: Music Practice Habits, details how deliberate practice and self-regulation play an integral part in the quality of one’s practice to optimize practice and prevent boredom. Chapter 3: Music Performance Anxiety, shows how holistic remedies such as mindfulness, meditation and deep breathing can relieve debilitating symptoms of this condition as well as build cognitive strength. Chapter 4: The Body of the Upper-String Instrumentalist, illustrates how the musculature involved, contractions engaged in, and musculoskeletal injuries incurred put these musicians on a “level playing field” with sports athletes. Chapter 5: Training the Micro-athlete, applies the research from previous chapters to demonstrate how to ergonomically hold and play the violin/viola, and how to strengthen body and mind of the upper-string instrumentalist by integrating micro-strengthening and relaxing activities and postures
The Homeric Answer: How By-Ear Learning and Improvisation Enhance the Musicianship of Classical Performers
Full text linkThesis (D.M.A.)--University of Washington, 2017-06Throughout the history of non-Western music-making, and common to most art music in cultures around the world, musicians have shared the fundamental practice of learning, transmitting, and composing their art by ear. For many centuries, Western European art music also took part in this practice. However, as a highly sophisticated notational system evolved, and through-composed music was prioritized, an emphasis in Western classical music on learning to play primarily by reading notation was established. Ironically, this has resulted in causing many classical performers today to find themselves with a limiting handicap: formally trained in an aural art, they often feel incapable of playing music unless they are provided with notation to read. They also have difficulty playing music of their own invention. In contrast, due to the different means by which the brain processes music learned by ear, musicians from oral or oral/ written traditions simultaneously nurture their potential to create their own original music through embellishment, improvisation, and composition. In this paper I shall examine the chronology of Western art music’s progression from an oral to a written tradition, discuss shared characteristics between oral traditions of Homeric poetry and music, and propose a means for emphasis on oral learning practices in classical music pedagogy. I shall consider the benefits of ear-based learning within a literate tradition, as well as a variety of thriving learning environments that nurture the original creativity of musicians
Malia Watras, Faculty Recital, January 11, 2012
No full textConcert program for Malia Watras, Faculty Recital, January 11,
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Faculty and Guest Artist Recital, October 30, 2007
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George Walker Viola Sonata (1989): A History, Analysis and Practical Performance Guide of a Great American Work
No full textThesis (D.M.A.)--University of Washington, 2012ABSTRACT George Walker Viola Sonata (1989): A History, Analysis and Practical Performance Guide of a Great American Work Amber Cristina Archibald Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Melia Watras, Professor of Viola School of Music George Walker is an important figure in American composition. Recently, I had the esteemed privilege of interviewing Dr. Walker as the capstone for the thesis. This dissertation is a background, analysis and performance guide on his 1989 Viola Sonata. This piece is his only contribution to the viola repertoire. Walker, an African American, has written over 90 works, and continues to write and perform around the United States. His Viola Sonata is still relatively unknown in the viola catalogue. The purpose of this dissertation is to demonstrate how his heritage, musical pedigree and taste for progressive 20th century compositional techniques create a unique style that is demonstrated in two short art songs and, finally, in the Viola Sonata. The Viola Sonata clearly shows a depth of understanding in writing in for the instrument. The analysis is presented in a way such that the performers can have a better of understanding of the material within the work, and as a result, be able to offer a performance that will highlight the appropriate characteristics. The dissertation is divided into three main sections. The first section gives a brief biographical sketch of Walker and what he amassed from each of his primary composition instructors. The second section provides a guide of Walker's composition style. The two shorter art songs Lament and A Red, Red Rose have similar compositional elements to the Viola Sonata. Because they compositely have similar constructs, the songs will help to clarify the analysis of the sonata. The final section is the analysis of the sonata in detail. The analysis will cover the melodic content, rhythms, counterpoint and form. After the analysis, a performance guide gives a firsthand account of Walker's desires for the performance of this wonderful work. The guide also includes details for the violist to consider, including fingerings, harmonics, articulations, bow strokes, and timbres
Faculty Recital "Ispirare", October 25, 2010
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Faculty Recital: Melia Watras, October 23, 2006
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