This study presents a phenomenological enquiry of two professional music improvisers' perceived mental representations. The notion of perceived 'mental representations' are recognized as having a pedagogical importance in increasing the quality of a musical performance, yet its nature and roles in music learning remain poorly understood. Although they are generally seen as conscious and quasi-perceptual experiential phenomena involving the imagination of events, objects, and settings, music scholars have found 'mental representations' difficult to conceptualize due to the coexistence of its different names and definitions in the literature. Synonymous terms of 'mental representations' also feature in several phenomenological and psychological models of referent-based musical improvisation. These include the concepts of 'tonal imagery' (Pike, 1974), 'representational structures' (Clarke, 1988), and 'analytical representations' (Pressing, 1988). To address this gap, the present study seeks to conceptualize the nature, formation, and roles of mental representations in the context of the musical improvisation process. An overarching research question guided the study: What characterises the nature of improvisers' embodied perceived mental representations before, during, and after a thematic musical improvisation? The study's qualitative methodology is positioned in constructivism and draws on the theoretical thinking of Andreas C. Lehmann and Marc Leman. In particular, this study adopts Lehmann's (1997) theory of three necessary types of mental representations in an expert musical performance (1. the desired performance goal, 2. the production aspects, and 3. the actual performance) as a theoretical lens to understand how the improvisers' mental representations are used. In addition, Leman's (2010) framework of embodied approach to musical semantics is used to access and understand how the improvisers' mental representations are formed. The research design comprised two phenomenologically informed descriptive case studies of two professional improvisers. A central feature of this study's design was having the improvisers learn a given musical stimulus in order to trace the formation and development of their perceived mental representations before, during, and after their improvisations. In addition, a group of four methods was employed: semi-structured interviews, live musical performance, graphic elicitation, and observation. Data comprising interview quotes, thick descriptions, the improvisers' performances, and their drawings were first analysed separately, and then were brought together and interpreted using a framework informed by the theoretical works of Lehmann and Leman. The findings of the study are presented in a narrative across two descriptive case studies, showing how the mental representations from Lehmann's model, and Leman's six types of semantics are evidenced throughout the two improvisers' learning, ideation, improvisation, and reflection phases. In particular, the key findings presented four ways of meaning constructions during the improvisers' formation of their mental representations, and identified twelve types of goal, production, and reflection-based mental representations. Bringing the two cases together, the study concludes that the two professional improvisers' mental representations: (1) are multi-various in nature, (2) undergo progressive and distributive formations, and (3) take on multiple types of roles. In addition to pedagogical recommendations to music education, the study's methodological contribution lies in providing a reference point and common ground for locating and describing the different phenomena taking place during improvisation - 'mental representations' being just one of them.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oklahoma, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 91-99).

For many teenagers, learning to play guitar might only involve themselves and one or more of their peers interacting outside school. Music education research, however, does not reveal the spectrum of ways in which adolescent musicians interact to learn peer-to-peer. The purpose of this study was to examine this process: how adolescents verbally and nonverbally communicated to learn music together and without adult teachers. Two research questions in this study addressed how systems of meanings emerged in adolescent musicians’ processes of talk. The first was: How do participants learning jointly and independently communicate with a peer outside school? The second question was: How do participants assess independent learning along with their peer and joint learning outside school? The participants were six adolescent guitarists from El Paso, Texas. The final candidates included five males with Hispanic backgrounds and one Mexican-American adolescent male. Data were collected in three observations of the guitarists learning in pairs. Data were also collected in interviews, artifacts, and field notes. Discourse analysis involved review of recorded observations, field notes, and transcripts. Data were coded and parsed into categories. Multiple systems of meanings emerged in themes. Quoted material helped to explain the discourse themes. Three sets of findings included main dialectic discourse themes: together–individual, unreserved–reserved, and established–undetermined. Four identity discourses—self-learner, coach, musical artist, and friend—emerged from participants’ dialogues. Three themes indicated how participants individually assessed learning, and two themes showed how joint evaluations emerged peer-to-peer. This study and its results highlight a spectrum of ways adolescent musicians use everyday talk to learn music outside school. Findings in this study might empower music teachers to facilitate their students’ own peer dialogues. Future research can build on the foundation of findings here, which raise questions for exploring how communication outside school might compare with communication in school, how peer-to-peer music learning might be facilitated, as well as implications about why certain types of communication influence music learning.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [125]-138).

No description available.

It is now well understood that skilled motor behavior is affected by performers' focus of attention. This effect has been demonstrated in numerous and varied motor tasks, from golf-putting to piano playing. I conducted two experiments with college-aged singers to test the extent to which trained singers' vocal tone is affected by their focus of attention while singing. In Experiment 1 (N = 11) participants sang a 3-note sequence and an excerpt of a well-learned melody under six different focus conditions. In Experiment 2 (N = 20) participants sang 3-note sequences in both high and low vocal registers, a well-learned melody, and an unpracticed, familiar melody under seven different focus conditions. Focus of attention affected participants' vocal tone in all of the singing tasks. The results of the two experiments are consistent with the results of related investigations of attentional focus in motor skill performance. Singers' tone was rated most highly and described most positively by expert listeners when singers' focused their attention on external rather than internal targets. Focusing on distal targets (i.e., targets that were far removed from the vocal mechanism) in particular was associated with high ratings and positive descriptions of vocal tone. / text

Thesis (M.M.)--University of Michigan, 1968.

Thesis (M.I.T.)--The Evergreen State College, 2009. / Title from title screen (viewed 7/30/2009). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 114-117).

Thesis (M.M.)--University of Michigan, 1968.

Steel bands have become more prevalent in U.S. schools since the early 1980's. Through discussions with several of the leading steelpan builders in the United States, it is now estimated that there are over 600 steel bands in U.S. schools and universities. An appealing aspect of these ensembles is that they attract a wide range of students, from accomplished instrumentalists to students with no musical background. Due to their uniqueness in school music programs, steel bands are often extra-curricular activities but are often highly sought after for performances. This case study examines students' motivations to play in steel band (nontraditional music ensembles) including informal music education and learning, pedagogy, curriculum, and repertoire. It was found that students are attracted to the ensemble due to the uniqueness of the instruments, the repertoire, and for the opportunity to be part of a close community. Students value the opportunity for learning music in an informal manner where they are able to have input on the instructional process and what material is performed.