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A STUDY OF STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN INTERDISCIPLINARY METHOD FOR TEACHING INJURY-PREVENTIVE PIANO TECHNIQUE by Barbara Ann Lister-Sink Professor Harold Abeles, sponsor Professor Andrew Gordon Approved by the Committee on the Degree of Doctor of Education Date ______May 20, 2015_______ Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education in Teachers College, Columbia University 2015 UMI Number: 3707098 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI 3707098 Published by ProQuest LLC (2015). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 - 1346 ABSTRACT A STUDY OF STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN INTERDISCIPLINARY METHOD FOR TEACHING INJURY-PREVENTIVE PIANO TECHNIQUE Barbara Ann Lister-Sink The rate of playing-related neuromusculoskeletal disorders (PRNDs) in advanced pianists remains consistently high worldwide, often limiting or ending study and playing careers. Injured pianists—desperate for solutions—seek out allegedly scientifically- informed approaches to developing injury-preventive technique but none of these approaches have been seriously investigated. This mixed-methods study investigated one interdisciplinary, non-traditional approach (the “Method”) that had received considerable anecdotal support but had not been studied systematically to ascertain its efficacy in recovering from and preventing recurrence of PRNDs, as well as its effects on technique, musicality, and extra-musical factors. Participants included undergraduate and graduate students, independent piano teachers, college teachers, and professional pianists and organists who had studied the Method for at least two academic semesters between 1990 and 2015. An anonymous survey was administered to 103 pianists and organists aged 22 to 82, with 74 (N=74) pianists responding (71.8%), and 26 pianists and organists were interviewed in-depth. Survey and interview results established that participants perceived the Method as significantly helpful in facilitating recovery from PRNDs. Significance of relationships among codes included correlations of .70 between the code “it works” and “playing without injury,” and .66 between “it works” and “playing again.” Interviewees also perceived the Method as helpful in preventing recurrence of PRNDs, as shown by the high correlation between the codes “will help prevent injuries” and “learned a lot from studying the Method” (.67). A one-sample t-test performed on the survey data also showed a positive perception (p < .001) of the Method in helping recovery from and prevention of recurrence of PRNDs. Additionally, both the survey and interview participants reported improvement of technique and musicality with many also reporting enhancement of their extra-musical lives. A one-sample t-test on the survey data showed these improvements to be significant at a 5% level or better. Research also yielded data on psychological, emotional, and professional challenges to learning the Method, as well as reactions to specific aspects of the Method. It is hoped that the data might serve as a baseline and become a useful model for the investigation of other approaches for teaching injury-preventive piano technique. © Copyright Barbara Ann Lister-Sink 2015 All Rights Reserved ii DEDICATION To my daughter Chloe Fitzgerald Plumb, the joy and inspiration of my life; and to the memory of my beloved friend, pianist Frank Glazer (1915-2015), a shining example of how to live every moment to the fullest. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation could never have been written without the encouragement and inspiration of many people. I therefore wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude: To my daughter Chloe, my brothers Steve and Tom Sink, and my sister-in-law Teresa Jones Sink who believed that retirement age was a fine time to earn a doctorate. To my professors, and especially to Dr. Harold Abeles whose wisdom, guidance, and dry humor carried me through many dark hours. To my dear friends Enoch Gordis, M.D. and Mary Ellen Bliss who supported me every step of the way, and to Dr. John and Margaret Mueller for their belief in me. To my research assistants David Holter and Kristin Schwecke for their heartening enthusiasm, to Pat Crowe for his exceptional computer expertise, to Dr. Amy Zigler for her rigorous editing, and to Jamie Pelley for her invaluable help with data analysis. To Dean Susan Calovini, Dr. Timothy Olsen, and the music faculty and staff of the Salem College School of Music for their support of my non-traditional ideas. To the memory of my piano teachers who cared enough to challenge me. To all my students over the last four decades—the enthusiastic ones, the skeptical ones, and everyone in-between—who inspired whatever good the Method embodies. To the memory of my mother Annie Lee Fitzgerald Sink whose generous heart I have tried to emulate and whose sacrifices and love set me on this joyous path in music. And to the memory of my father Bright Sink, a great stride player, who continually said my only problem was that I never got my doctorate. Well, I finally got it, Daddy! BL-S iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Chapter I---INTRODUCTION Narrative ................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction to an Alternative Technical Model and Pedagogy ................. 1 Introduction to a Holistic Approach to Diagnosis and Rehabilitation ........ 2 The Influence of Cognitive Embodiment and Somatic Pedagogy .............. 3 Influence of Sports Pedagogy, Neuroscience and Performing Arts Medicine ......................................................................................... 3 Development of an Interdisciplinary Method for Teaching Piano Technique ........................................................................................ 4 Background ............................................................................................................. 5 Pianists as Athletes ..................................................................................... 6 Amount of Practice Time Required ............................................................ 7 Motivation to Play Not Diminished by Risk of Injury ............................... 8 Consistently High Prevalence of Playing-Related Injuries in Pianists ....... 8 Contradictory and Confusing Findings Regarding Risk Factors for Injury 9 The Need for an Interdisciplinary Approach to Technical Models and Methodologies ............................................................................... 10 Early 20th Century Piano Technique and Pedagogy ................................. 12 Current Piano Technique and Pedagogy Purported to be Scientifically Informed ........................................................................................ 13 Statement of the Problem ...................................................................................... 13 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................. 15 Research Questions ............................................................................................... 15 Conceptual Framework ......................................................................................... 16 Overview of the Method ....................................................................................... 19 Purpose of the Method .............................................................................. 19 Potential Knowledge Gained Through Study of the Method .................... 20 Core Principles Embedded in the Method ................................................ 21 The Biomechanical Model ........................................................................ 22 Cue Sheets 1 and 2 – Preparing to Play & the “Basic Stroke” ................ 23 Potential Results of Successful Training in the Method ........................... 25 Types of Pianists Who May Derive Benefits from the Method ................ 25 Length and Frequency of Training Required ............................................ 26 Approach ........................................................................................................................... 27 Anticipated Outcomes ....................................................................................................... 29 Assumptions ...................................................................................................................... 29 Rationale and Significance ............................................................................................... 30 Chapter II---LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................. 32 Section I: Playing-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Pianists ....................... 33 An Overview of Performing Arts Medicine ............................................. 34 Risk Factors for Playing-Related Injuries ................................................. 35 v 2005 Systematic Literature Review of PRNDs