When reading music is not enough: using art song to teach memorization to bassoonists

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2015-04-30
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Abstract
The purpose of this project is to create a methods book for bassoonists consisting of excerpts of art songs; the book will be accompanied by written activities to reinforce concepts learned. The goal for the student will be to memorize the excerpts (with text) and develop the skills necessary to memorize music with greater facility. There is a need for this kind of methods book because an emphasis on memorization is not common with American wind players and will offer a new perspective on how to approach memorization. Memorization is an important skill because it allows a deeper understanding of the music and performance. String players, pianists, percussionists, and vocalists are expected to memorize their recitals to create a better connection between audience and performer. The loss of a physical blockade created by the music allows the musician to create a more conversant relationship with the viewer. In addition to the visual component of performance, memorized material becomes a more natural expression. The level of concentration required of a memorized performance allows the musician to surpass the written music, creating a truly exceptional experience for everyone involved. After conducting an informal survey among colleagues and peers, it became evident that wind players generally do not have confidence in their own ability to memorize music. This lack of skill has little to do with playing a wind instrument but rather a lack of practice, emphasis, and instruction. Other instruments offer memorization as a fundamental part of the learning process. Many string players attribute their memorization skills to the Suzuki Method, which includes both repetition and delayed reading as primary tenets of the method Vocalists are given the extra element of text to their memorization, which is both an additional thing to concern oneself with, but also a great aid. In 2007, a study led by Zehra Peynircioğlu proved that lyrics yielded the highest recall of more lyrics, melody, and title. This methods book will use art song for exactly this reason; adding words to the melody will help with the memorization process. The words used in this methods book will be translated into English for ease of memory for the student; the words are supposed to act as a mnemonic tool more than artistic expression. The selection of art songs will be based on tonality, contour, and repetition. The order of the songs will allow students to start with songs that have more linear lines, simulating scalar patterns that have been worked on in fundamentals, and then progress further into wider intervals and distant tonal areas. In addition to a selection of art songs, the methods book will have guided tools to help students and teachers understand what works best for each student. Each student will have a different way of internalizing the music and producing a compelling performance, which is why it is necessary to not have a fixed strategy towards a finished product. These tools will include room to write in chords, extra staff to rewrite the melody as remembered, space to draw the contour of the melody, lines to write the text, etc. There will also be an audio component to the book so students may hear the excerpt. In order to get a better idea of how people have learned in the past, I will survey a wide cross section of wind players (college-aged and older). In this survey, I will collect information on what instrument part they play, what strategies they have used to memorize for performance, and if they consider themselves successful at memorization. Collecting this data will help me understand what tools a student may want to use and develop. My readings for this project will consist of both musical and non-musical articles pertaining to memory and retention. As someone who has always appreciated a cross-discipline style of learning, I want to be able to apply non-musical memorization research and strategies to the book to give a musically unbiased viewpoint. By creating new memory associations away from the musician's livelihood, a student may have greater success achieving their goals.
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bassoon, memorization
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No license.
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D. Mus.