Publications: Rethinking Piano Performance… New Thoughts on Piano Performance… One-to-One Piano Teaching

Piano Performance - The Embodied Mind
In this second edition (2021) of Rethinking Piano Performance: The Embodied Mind, author Cristine MacKie  shows that to this day, piano pedagogy and piano performance continue to labour under the inheritance of that part of Western philosophy which separates the performer’s mind – and its ability to reason – from perception and bodily movement.  In Rethinking Piano Performance the author  supplants  this established belief, and argues that while the mind is self-evidently the site of mental phenomena, it is also fully embodied. This view is supported by the research of neuroscientists Damasio (2000, 2012) and Edelman (2007),  who use brain-mapping technological tools such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and, more recently still, Magnetoencephalography (MEG) which overturn the concept of duality. With this new evidence, the approval of  Prof. Antonio Damasio and the research of philosophers Lackoff and Johnson (1999) amongst others, the  book reveals  that preparing musical works for performance is not  just  a process of the mind, but may be shaped by our bodies – crucially, by the somatosensory system.
To obtain a copy of Rethinking Piano Performance: The Embodied Mind click here, or send an email to:c.mackie@londoninternationalpianosymposium.co.uk. You can also use Paypal for your order.  See full Cover Notes
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New Thoughts on Piano Performance

 

In this 2nd edition (2021), of New Thoughts on Piano Performance: Research at the Interface between Science and the Art of Piano Performance  is a London International Piano Symposium publication, which presents interdisciplinary research, the overarching goal of which is to expand the frontiers of knowledge in the field of piano performance, by exploring the interface between skilled artistry and scientific research. It is a work of central importance to those musicians who are seeking to achieve elite performance, as well as researchers, pedagogues, clinicians, and all those who are passionate about the piano and its future development.

To obtain a copy of New Thoughts click here, or send an email to c.mackie@londoninternationalpianosymposium.co.uk.You can now also use Paypal for your order.

Preview Notes and Preface

 

A Special Issue of the Finnish Journal of Music Education (2023)

 

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‘An inquiry into the psychological wellbeing of piano teachers engaged in one-to-one tuition in higher music education: How trauma transfers in teaching’

Cristine MacKie Independent Researcher (United Kingdom)

Elizabeth Francis Edwards Royal Holloway, University of London (United Kingdom)

Prof. Helen Pote Royal Holloway, University of London (United Kingdom)

Abstract

One-to-one tuition given by piano teachers to undergraduate and postgraduate students in  institutes of higher music-education is a central and valued part of the curriculum. However, these relationships are often intense and demand a host of complex psychological processes involving both parties, such as emotional awareness, self-regulation, and a knowledge of psychological variables. Thus, the aim of this study was to inquire—from the teachers’ perspective, the factors which affect their psychological wellbeing during one-to-one tuition.

The research draws upon the perceptions and experiences of nine out of the twenty senior piano teachers―from different musical institutions in ten countries, across four continents―who  attended the focus group. A semi-structured focus-group discussion was facilitated following the viewing of John Schlesinger’s film Madame Sousatzka (1988). This is an extreme example of the master-apprentice model, portraying the intensity of the teacher-student relationship during one-to-one tuition. A thematic analysis was conducted from transcripts based aroundthe question: ‘Which psychological factors contribute to a healthy teacher-student relationship in one-to-one piano tuition?’ from which analysis four key themes emerged:

i) Power dynamics and resilience;

ii) Relationship boundaries;

iii) Isolation and support; a

 iv) Responsive teaching.

Each of these themes were discussed in relation to determining the support needed for the psychological health and wellbeing of teachers in institutes of higher music-education, with the primary focus being on the teacher’s wellbeing. The findings revealed an important link between the past experience and current wellbeing of teachers. This suggested that within the one-to-one teacher-student relationship, teachers were unable to disentangle their own traumatic experiences from their psychological wellbeing, and that they tended to teach as they were taught.

Enquiries to: c.mackie@londoninternationalpianosymposium.co.uk