Psychology for Musicians: Understanding and Acquiring the Skills
"This is a well-considered book by three familiar and extremely influential figures within their field, professional academics with distinct specialisation and musical competency."--Denise Borland,Singing"This book is a much-needed reference and text for expanding our awareness and use of psychology's formative role in teaching, learning, and performing music. The authors begin by identifying folk wisdom that has guided performance and teaching practices in music. They then proceed to present and clarify the psychological principles that influence the various outcomes of music. The focus on musical skills ranges from musical memory to improvisation, with a unique closing to each chapter--a self-study that requires reflection on the material presented in the chapter and also on the implementation and explanation of our psychological knowledge in teaching, learning, and performing. The use of valid research studies as documentation makes this book a page-turner: the user will be reluctant to put it down."--Richard Colwell, co-editorThe New Handbook of Research on MusicTeaching and Learning, Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois"This book impressively bridges the gap between psychological insights into music making and the music practitioner's need for concise explanations. Its twelve readily comprehensible chapters and its innovative self-study exercises, study questions, and cultural contextualizations make it an ideal textbook for all musicians wishing to become informed performers and music teachers."--Reinhard Kopiez, Professor of Music Psychology, Hanover University of Music and Drama, Germany"This book is written by three outstanding musicians active in the fields of psychology for musicians, teaching, and performing, working together as an interdisciplinary team. It provides a great source for students of psychology who are eager to know more about music and the mind, music making, and listening. It is the kind of book that musicians and performers will be referring to for years to come. Highly recommended."--Maurice Hinson, Senior Professor of Piano, School of Church Music and Worship, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky