The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of graduated exercise at the piano on the pianist's cardiac output, forearm blood flow, heart rate, and blood pressure. Also considered were the effects of piano practice conditioning, general cardiovascular conditioning, and acute cigarette smoking on the aforementioned parameters during and after graduated piano exercise.Fifteen adult pianists participated in the study. The piano exercises consisted of bilateral scales played in eight three-minute stages. Tempo was constant within stages but increased with each new stage. Cardiac output and forearm blood flow were monitored by electrical impedance utilizing a tetrapolar electrode-placement system.FindingsCardiac output, forearm blood flow, heart rate, and systolic blood pressure generally increased proportionally to exercise intensity and returned to basal levels within a five-minute recovery period.ConclusionsStrenuous piano exercise stresses the body in general, not just the active forearm muscles.The stress load placed on the heart by piano playing can be at least as great as that produced by a brisk walk.Piano playing can generate an oxygen debt in the forearm muscles.Conditioning of forearm muscles through regular piano practice results in training effect for piano playing in those muscles.Pianists who participate regularly in quality aerobic exercise programs generally begin and end piano exercise with lower heart rates than those who do not exercise. Frequently, they increase heart rates to a lesser extent during exercise and settle into steady postexercise rates more quickly as well.Both regular piano practice and general cardiovascular conditioning gained through quality aerobic exercise contribute to increased piano-playing endurance.Acute smoking increases cardiac outputs and heart rates of pianists resulting in higher levels of cardiac work during piano exercise.During piano exercise, acutely smoking pianists require greatly increased forearm blood flows to meet muscle needs.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the pedagogical and performance aspects of Robert Muczynski's Concerto No. I for Piano and Orchestra. The work targets the early-advanced level of performance, representing a tutorial step in technical and musical difficulty. Muczynski's writing offers mild characteristic tendencies in comparison to later practices within the century, but does exhibit the emergence of a variety of significant keyboard skills. Moreover, his intermittent use of atonality is ideal for a student who is not yet comfortable with this idiom. For these reasons, the concerto serves as an excellent introduction to the genre for this level of study.This investigation is prefaced by an introduction to the topic of piano pedagogy in relation to concerto study, along with a brief biographical sketch of the composer. The investigation then provides a stylistic analysis of the Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Orchestra. Each movement is examined comprehensively (by formal structure) according to inherent technical and interpretive challenges, and musical examples are offered in connection with suggestions for practice and execution.Findings reveal a cross-section of twentieth-century innovation and challenge which not only represent the unification of Muczynski's style, but also offer opportunity for growth and development in terms of keyboard performance and the application of sound musical decisions.The investigation closes with suggestions for the study of other twentieth-century concerti closely resembling this work in style, but more artistically challenging in performance. / School of Music

The purpose of this study was to ascertain what competencies professional accompanists and accompanying teachers deem sufficiently important to be included at some point in the development of a professional accompanist. Research problems were formulated to determine what differences exist between opinions of teachers and professionals regarding necessary skills in preparation of accompanists in (1) pianistic skills, (2) accompanying skills, (3) vocal skills, (4) linguistic skills, (5) knowledge of repertoire, (6) understandings in human relationships, and (7) other competencies. Data were collected by means of a validated questionnaire containing items grouped into the seven categories listed above. It was sent to twenty professional accompanists and thirty-one schools offering accompanying degrees. Seventy per cent of the professionals and 84 per cent of the schools responded. Each competency was rated first for its relative importance to a professional accompanist and then for its appropriate place in the sequence of an accompanist's preparation. A chi square comparison of responses of the two groups regarding the importance of each competency showed virtually no significant differences. Responses on appropriate stages of training were not treated statistically.

The problem was to survey and collect ideas on the use of improvisation as a teaching and learning tool in elementary piano instruction and to prescribe activities and exercises for second through fourth grade piano classes. These areas were examined: philosophies and theories influencing traditional instruction, effects of creative keyboard activities on children's musical development, specific teaching strategies using improvisation, evaluative procedures, and suitability of materials for young children. Data collected from published and unpublished materials were classified, and presented concerning the feasibility of using keyboard improvisation with early elementary children. It was found that suitable improvisational exercises allow the child to organize his perceptions into the basic concepts of music. Recommendations for teachers and researchers were made.

The purpose of this study was to assess the benefits that selected adult piano students reported receiving from their study. Adult piano students (N = 711) from 24 states representing all geographic regions of the U.S. each completed a questionnaire containing 31 individual benefit items. These benefits were organized into 3 categories: Personal, Skill, and Social/Cultural. The demographic characteristics of the study population were consistent with the findings of other adult music research. Students indicated the existence (yes or no) of each benefit and rated the importance of existing benefits on a scale of 1-10. The category of Skill Benefits was the most agreed upon and highest rated category in the study, with over 90% agreement for each of the 7 Skill Benefits. The 14 Personal Benefits were also rated highly, particularly benefits related to self-actualization and fun. Self-related Personal Benefits were rated moderately, while more introverted Personal Benefits such as Imagination/Creativity, Spirituality, and Aesthetic Appreciation were lower rated benefits. The 10 Social/Cultural benefits were the lowest rated and least important benefits in the study. The most agreed upon benefits were Skill Improvement, Musical Knowledge, Musicianship, Accomplishment, Skill Refinement, Technique, Play/Fun, Escape from Routine, and Music Listening. The highest rated benefits in terms of importance were Dream Fulfilled, Technique, Accomplishment, Escape from Routine, Skill Improvement, Musicianship, Musical Knowledge, Play/Fun, Skill Refinement, and Personal Growth.

Orientador(a): Nahim Marun Filho / Banca: Luiz Guilherme Pozzi / Banca: Danieli Verônica Longo Benedetti / Resumo: Este trabalho refere-se à técnica pianística desenvolvida pelo pianista Pietro Maranca (1944-1995) que foi professor na Fundação das Artes de São Caetano do Sul e no curso de Bacharelado em Piano do Instituto de Artes da UNESP, na década de 1980. A técnica tem fundamentos na anatomia que estuda grandes estruturas e sistemas do corpo humano, na fisiologia cujo estudo engloba as funções e o funcionamento normal dos seres vivos, na biomecânica que aplica as leis da mecânica ao sistema locomotor do corpo humano, e na cinesiologia que estuda o movimento das forças que atual no corpo humano. Essa técnica permite que o pianista use de modo consciente e eficaz seus recursos físicos, psicomotores e sensoriais ao tocar, com base no relaxamento e fortalecimento muscular, na funcionalidade e na ação consciente dos movimentos e dos gestos, como parte da expressão musical e da performance através da demonstração, do estudo e da prática de exercícios específicos. O professor Pietro Maranca desenvolveu e sistematizou essa técnica a partir de seus estudos com Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (na Itália), com Peter Feuchtwanger e Maria Curcio (em Londres, entre 1960 e 1970). Trata-se de uma série de exercícios de modo teórico, prático e sensorial (auditivo, visual e tátil), sendo que parte desses exercícios encontra-se no livro Klavierübungen zur Heilung physiologischer Spielstörungen und zum Erlernen eines funktionell-natürlichen Klavierspiels (Exercícios para curar desordens relacionadas a... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This work refers to the pianistic technique developed by pianist Pietro Maranca (1944-1995) who was a teacher at the São Caetano do Sul Arts Foundation and the Piano Bachelor of Arts Institute at UNESP in the 1980s. This technique has foundations in anatomy that studies large structures and systems of the human body, in physiology whose study encompasses the functions and normal functioning of living beings, in biomechanics that applies the laws of mechanics to the locomotor system of the human body, and in kinesiology that studies the movement of forces that current in the human body. This technique allows the pianist to consciously and effectively use his physical, psychomotor and sensory resources when playing, based on relaxation and muscle strengthening, functionality and conscious action of movements and gestures as part of musical expression and performance through demonstration, study and practice of specific exercises. Professor Pietro Maranca developed and systematized this technique from his studies with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (in Italy), Peter Feuchtwanger and Maria Curcio (in London, between 1960 and 1970). These are a series of exercises that are theoretical, practical and sensory (auditory, visual and tactile), and part of these exercises can be found in the book Klavierübungen zur Heilung physiologischer Spielstörungen und zum Erlernen eines funktionell - natürlichen Klavierspiels (Exercises to cure disorders related to playing and for assimilating of... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

One of the most important skills of a pianist is the ability to read at sight. Because there are so many areas of piano study to address, sight-reading is overlooked either out of frustration or simple neglect. However, if acquisition of this skill is neglected, it will be difficult for a pianist to ever attain his full potential. For a pianist, sight-reading is one area that strengthens all others. The purposes of this study were to secure data concerning teaching sight-reading to undergraduate piano majors, to identify methods and techniques in current use in the instruction of sight-reading, to determine the extent of keyboard and computer-assisted learning technology usage within sight-reading instruction, to identify more effective methods and techniques being used to teach sight-reading, and to search for ways to enhance sight-reading instruction, including the utilization of recent computer technology applications in education and learning. The method used was survey research with a questionnaire sent to 168 randomly selected NASM colleges and universities. Response rate was 49.4 percent. The questionnaire, designed by the researcher, sought to ascertain the status of sight-reading instruction in these colleges and universities and to endeavor to determine the extent, if any, keyboard and computer-assisted learning technology was being used. Respondents of the survey were requested to identify outstanding sight-reading instructors and prominent accompanists, seven of whom were then interviewed. Final conclusions and recommendations are based upon the summation of data from respondents and professionals. There were no emerging tendencies in the instruction of sight-reading, but there was a strong agreement among respondents that there is a need for the development of a program to enable the usage of CAI. There were ten recommendations, ranging from the addition of sight-reading skills classes to conferences among teachers and computer programmers, to devise suitable programs to assist in the instruction of sight-reading skills.

Theodore Leschetizky's singular pianistic legacy survives to this day because of his revolutionary pedagogical methods and his compositions for the piano repertory. The amalgamation of these two aspects formed his distinctive contributions to the fields of piano and piano pedagogy and left an indelible mark on the history of the instrument. His students lead an impressive list of the greatest artists of the previous century, each influencing the evolution of pianism with their own remarkable style and personality. While Leschetizky was arguably without peer as a pedagogue, many pianists today are unaware of the vast number of compositions that he wrote. These pieces were intended not only for the concert stage, but also as a very specific pedagogical repertoire that he used within his own teaching studio. This repertoire comprises a vital component of the Leschetizky legacy, albeit one which is often slighted in comparison. It is imperative that the pianists of our current generation understand the dual aspects of his contribution to our art form, in order to fully grasp the way in which he has changed the face of pianism. The purpose of this dissertation and lecture recital is to enumerate the various aspects that constitute the dual components of Leschetizky's pianistic legacy. For pedagogues of the current generation, it is of vital importance that we understand not only our own personal pedagogical lineage, but the various other individuals that, through their contributions, have led us to where we are in our understanding of the instrument. What is needed in the current research on this subject is one individual source that not only documents the characteristics of a pedagogical genius, but explores the legacy he left for future generations through documented accounts of his students and the examination of his own unfamiliar, pedagogical repertoire for the piano.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Humanities / Master / Master of Philosophy

Since the nineteenth century the Two Part Inventions have become standard repertoire for piano students. However, piano teachers have often failed to give serious consideration to the suitable selection of Inventions for study. Piano students have commonly formed a dislike for Bach's piano music because of an ungratifying initial experience. There is little material written in English dealing with the Two Part Inventions. Those studies of the Inventions which do exist consist mainly of brief articles in periodicals and limited discussions in piano literature books. Therefore, there seemed to be a need for a systematic collection of pedagogical ideas concerning the Two Part Inventions. In addition, it was felt that an analysis of the problems in each piece and a subsequent graded list of the Inventions would be a step toward a more intelligent and more knowledgeable approach in the teaching of these compositions.