Book

Helding, Lynn, 1960- author.

The musician's mind : teaching, learning, and performance in the age of brain science / Lynn Helding.

Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield, [2020]

©2020

xxxii, 317 pages ; 23 cm

"Where does learning begin and how is it sustained and stored in the brain? For musicians, these questions are at the very core of their creative lives. Cognitive and neuroscience have flung wide the doors of our understanding, but bridging the gap between research data and music-making requires a unique immersion in both worlds. Lynn Helding presents a symphony of discoveries that illuminate how musicians can optimize their mental wellbeing and cognitive abilities. She addresses common brain myths, motor learning research and the concept of deliberate practice, the values of instructional feedback, technology's role in attention disorders, the challenges of parenting young musicians, performance anxiety and its solutions, and the emerging importance of music as a social justice issue. More than an exploration of the brain, The Musician's Mind is an inspiring call for artists to promote the cultivation of emotion and empathy as cornerstones of a civilized society. No matter your instrument or level of musical ability, this book will reveal to you a new dynamic appreciation for the mind's creative power."--Publisher's description

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Music -- Psychological aspects.

Music -- Performance -- Psychological aspects.

Music -- Performance -- Psychological aspects.

Music -- Psychological aspects.

Informational works.

1. Science, Art, and the Missing Mind. What Revolution? ; Mindless Behaviorism ; The New Science of Mind ; Music as a Weapon ; Science and Art ; The Theory of Multiple Intelligences ; The Rescue of Emotion ; The Other Half of the Truth ; The Mind-Body Problem ; Neuroaesthetics ; Cautious Enchantment ; Notes -- 2. Groundwork: At the Foothills. Neuromyths and Brainscams ; In the Shadow of the Mozart Effect ; Tracking a Scientific Legend ; Exposure Is Not Learning ; The Left Brain-Right Brain Dichotomy ; Brain Personalities and Learning Styles ; Real Brain Gains ; What Is the Use of Music? ; The Big One ; Know-That and Know-How ; How the Thing Works ; Notes -- 3. How Learning Works. Two Basic Modes of Information Processing ; Learning Defined ; The Triumvirate of Learning ; Neurogenesis and Neural Plasticity ; The Plastic Paradox ; Back to the Body ; Notes -- 4. Learned Movement: Motor Learning ; The Question Is How, Not What ; Motor Learning and Performance ; Differences Between Learning and Performance ; Performance Shifts: Upsides and Downsides ; Negative Performance Shifts and Unlearning ; The Path to Carnegie Hall ; Motor Imagery: Thinking About Doing ; Controlled versus Automatic Processes ; Feedback ; The Theory of Attentional Focus ; Attentional Focus in Music ; Novice Learners and Internal Focus ; Challenges to the Maxim and Just Do It ; Flexible Attention ; Planning for Disruptions: Training How to Think ; Training-Embodied Cognition ; Notes -- 5. Performance Studies. Deliberate Practice ; The Cognitive Demands of Deliberate Practice ; The Emotional Demands of Deliberate Practice ; Grit ; Beyond Deliberate Practice ; Early Starts and Caring Mentors ; Tiger Moms and Helicopter Parents ; The Inverse Power of Praise ; Building Motivation ; Self-Esteem Theory ; Nature versus Nurture ; The Talent Account: So What? ; Toxic Talent and Social Justice ; The Good-Enough Musician ; Notes -- 6. Mind Games. Break a Leg! and Other Mind Games ; Music Performance Anxiety ; Causes of MPA ; The Physiological Basis of Performance Anxiety ; Beyond MPA ; Choking under Pressure ; The Upside of Anxiety ; Researched Treatments for MPA ; Alternative Therapies for MPA ; Experimental Strategies for MPA ; Stories of MPA ; Good Luck -- and Break a Leg! ; Notes -- 7. The Digital Brain. Digital Heaven ; Trouble in Paradise: The "Screen Invasion" ; Multitasking: "Dumbing Down the World" ; Interruption Science and Acquired Attention Deficit Disorder ; Zebras Don't Multitask, Either ; Internet Addiction ; Who Is Minding the Store? ; The Plastic Paradox and Digital Technology ; Who Cares If You Listen? The Problem of Audience Attention ; Dialing Down Empathy ; Notes -- 8. Emotion, Empathy, and the Unification of Art and Science. Emotion ; Understanding Empathy ; Paying Attention to Empathy ; Empathy and Goodness ; Empathy and Bias ; Leveraging Homophily ; Instilling Empathy through Art ; Coda: The Fourth Culture and the Unification of Art and Science ; Notes.

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