Projects per year
Abstract
Detriments to performance under pressure are common in many performance settings, from public speaking to skilled sports or music performances. In the last few decades, sports scientists have suggested that the quality and accuracy of movements can depend on what the performer attends to while executing the action, with an external focus of attention directed at the effects of the movement on the environment resulting in better performance than an internal focus, where attention is directed at the performer’s own body movements. Here we investigated the effects of attention focus instruction on the accuracy of piano performance. Amateur pianists were asked to practice a set piano piece for 7 days and then perform it to the experimenter under different performance instructions (no instruction, internal focus, external focus). An external focus of attention resulted in more accurate performance compared to an internal focus instruction, as evaluated by the difference in the number of note pitch errors and note corrections between the two conditions. Importantly, the advantage of an external over internal focus did not depend on pianistic expertise in our sample. Our research supports the idea that an external attention focus can improve music performance and should be considered in music teaching practice.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 579-591 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Psychology of Music |
Volume | 51 |
Issue number | 2 |
Early online date | 27 Jun 2022 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2023 |
Keywords
- Music performance
- Focus of attention
- External
- Internal
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Dive into the research topics of 'Effects of attention focus instructions on amateur piano performance'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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Improving performance under pressure: Improving performance under pressure: Does the focus of attention matter?
Jentzsch, I. (PI)
1/11/20 → 31/07/21
Project: Standard