Thinking and Playing Music: Intentional Strategies for Optimal Practice and Performance

by Sheryl Iott

Overview

Thinking and Playing Music: Intentional Strategies for Optimal Practice and Performance distills cutting-edge teaching and learning methods for musicians of all levels, investigating topics in cognitive science that apply directly to musical development. Containing over one-hundred musical examples, many from the standard piano repertoire, Sheryl Iott uses accessible language to impart practical suggestions that anyone can incorporate into their practice.

Maximizing efficiency and effectiveness while cultivating an observant, experimental approach can help musicians make the most of their time and potential while avoiding tension, injury, and burnout. Aligning efforts with inherent mental processes can make learning faster, deeper, and more secure while freeing up attentional space, allowing for creative, personal expression in performance. The book addresses:

• Beginning musicianship, covering relevant cognition topics such as language acquisition, aural processing and development of audiation while cultivating a playful, relaxed approach to the instrument
• The intermediate musician, presenting more advanced cognitive topics such as visual processing, chunking, and early problem solving
• The advanced musician, addressing increased demands on working and long-term memory, how to maximize transfer, a creative approach to problem solving, and strategies to tackle the most difficult repertoire

Also included are sample lesson plans, workshop templates, and sample practice assignments.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538155301
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	08/15/2021
Pages:	286
Product dimensions:	7.37(w) x 10.49(h) x 0.97(d)

About the Author

Sheryl Iott is an active solo and collaborative performer, speaker, and adjudicator. Iott is on the faculty of Interlochen Arts Camp and has served on the faculties of Grand Rapids Community College, Hope College, Michigan State University, and Calvin College. She is also a member of the College of Examiners for the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto. Frequently published in music education and piano pedagogy books and magazines, Iott’s current research is focusing on music cognition and cognition-enhanced practice strategies.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

List of Figures

Introduction

PART 1

1 The Beginning Musician: Practice Is Play

Music and the Brain

Aural Cognition, Language Acquisition, and Musical Processing

Music Perception and Preparatory Audiation

Optimal Teaching Strategies for the Young Beginner

Whole-Part-Whole

Aptitude

PART 2

2 The Intermediate Musician: Fluent Music Reading and Early Problem Solving

From “Beginner” to “Intermediate”

Visual Processing

Beginning Music Reading: Bringing Meaning to the Score

[Long-Term] Working Memory, Chunking, and Template Theories

Execution, and Benefits, of Mental Practice

“Theory”—When, How, and Why

More Relevant than Learning Styles: Personality, Character, and Motivation

3 Practice Strategies for Musicians of Burgeoning Independence

If You’re Not Thinking, You’re Not Practicing

Don’t Do It Again Until You Know Why

Audiation Pause = Learning Pause

Hands Together!

Patterns and Mental “Chunking”

4 Specific Practice Strategies for the Intermediate Musician

Preparatory Practice Strategies

Chunking Strategies

Tempo and Rhythm

Facility

Think It Then Play It

Structural Lines

Contrapuntal Music

Benefits and Challenges of These Types of Practice Strategies for the Intermediate Musician

PART 3

5 The Advanced Musician: The Cognition of Expertise

Toward “Expertise”

Mindful Practice and Avoidance of Excessive Automatization

Knowledge Representation, Working Memory, and Skilled Visual Processing

Long-Term Memory: Retention and Retrieval

Multiple Intelligences and Rule Learning

(Creative) Problem Solving

Impact of Mood on Problem Solving and Success

Motor Control and Development, and the Risks of Excessive Automaticity

Multimodal Imagery and Musical Memorization

Deliberate, Distributed, Interleaved Practice

Self-Monitoring and Self-Evaluation

6 Conceptual Solutions to Technical Problems (They Are All Technical Problems)

Practice Tools and Strategies for More Challenging Problems

Layers

What to Think About When

Think It Then Play It

Scaffolding and Hypermeter

Mental Practice, Mapping, and Memorization

7 Practice Strategies for Solving Physical Problems

Physical Practice: Chunking, Gestures, The Chart, and Fingerings

Chunking » Gesture

Gesture » Detail

To the Thumbs

The Chart

Hands Alone

Fingerings and How They Help Form Meaningful Units

Above Strategies in Sequence and Combination

PART 4

8 How Intentional Practice Benefits Performance

APPENDICES

Appendix A: Sample Lesson Plan and Practice Sheet: Beginning Musician

Appendix B: Sample Practice Assignments: Intermediate Musician

Appendix C: The Integrated Lesson

Appendix D: Practice Strategies by Category and Figure Numbers

Appendix E: Areas of the Brain Involved in Language and Music Production and Comprehension

Appendix F: Workshop Templates

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

There are times that we know there is research that would help us perform and teach better, but it's just too difficult to wade through the information. Sheryl Iott has done all that work for us in her new book, Thinking and Playing Music. Not only has she done all the difficult work for us, but she has also written it in a style that is easy to read and has connected the dots, so our practicing and teaching can be more insightful and effective…. Iott is an experienced performer and teacher and interlaces personal anecdotes throughout the book. This helps keep the tone readable and the material relevant. While this book is a pleasure to read because someone has "done the research for you," it is also enjoyable to read because you know the author is walking the journey with you.

American Music Teacher

In accessible language, Iott imparts constructive, specific advice using over 100 musical examples and score images. In addition, there is an extensive bibliography and an index for ease of finding specific topics. As easy to read as it is practical and thought-provoking, this book contains much wisdom and specific instruction for students and teachers alike. Highly recommended for learners and teachers of every level!

The Canadian Music Teacher

This book does what few do: it bridges the gap between the challenges faced by students and teachers and the science of learning. Such science-based learning makes students efficient and joyful.

John D. Lee

Thinking and Playing Music is thoroughly researched, emits the kind of wisdom accrued through years of practical experience, and is chock-full of vivacious prose and vivid examples. It will help fill a lacuna in music studies, lending studio pedagogy the focus and scholarly heft it warrants.

Jeffrey Swinkin

Thinking and Playing Music synthesizes research and Iott's own experience as a pianist and teacher in a way that is effective, compelling, and interesting.

Gayle Kowalchyk

Iott has done remarkable work synthesizing cognitive science and learning theory in a way that encompasses both teaching and deliberate practice, and any teacher interested in helping students learn

how to practice effectively would find a great deal of valuable information. Indeed, much of what Iott writes about learning can be applied to areas other than music; for example, I drew inspiration for new approaches to information literacy instruction from her discussion of the concepts underlying a foundational, rule-based approach to learning scales and arpeggios. This book is recommended for academic libraries serving faculty and students in music performance, education, and pedagogy programs.

Music Reference Services Quarterly

This book is applicable to musicians of all instruments, but pianists will find it especially useful […] Iott’s book, grounded in both scientific study and practical experience, is one any musician will find compelling and valuable.

Piano Magazine