Students’ Perceptions of Music Learning and Imagery: Exploring and Documenting Connections by Emily Nicolette-Fantin Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Music in the Music Education Program YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY May 2020 Students’ Perceptions of Music Learning and Imagery: Exploring and Documenting Connections Emily Nicolette-Fantin I hereby release this thesis to the public. I understand that this thesis will be made available from the OhioLINK ETD Center and the Maag Library Circulation Desk for public access. I also authorize the University or other individuals to make copies of this thesis as needed for scholarly research. Signature: Emily Nicolette-Fantin, Student Date Approvals: Paul Louth, Thesis Advisor Date __ Ewelina Boczkowska, Committee Member Date Kivie Cahn-Lipman, Committee Member Date Dr. Salvatore A. Sanders, Dean of Graduate Studies Date ABSTRACT Storytelling, descriptors, and images, collectively presented as “imagery” or “extra-musical ideas” in this thesis, may be a helpful tool, contributing to the development of a grounded theory about how music learners conceptualize music while learning, performing, and listening to it. Since the pathway to achieving a musical performance is not necessarily specifiable, the use of imagery or extra-musical ideas may help to achieve what a specific technical recipe may not always be able to do. A considerable body of research exists on relationships among imagery, music, and education. Woody (2006) has examined how musicians translate imagery into specific musical plans through a quantitative study in which subjects were asked to play excerpts of music with corresponding images. Building on this work, the current study addresses the need for qualitative research that explores in more depth learners’ perspectives on the role of imagery in instrumental music learning. The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine the relationship between participants’ use of imagery and their understanding and interpretation of music. The two main research questions were 1) What is the nature of the relationship between students’ use of imagery and their understanding and execution of a piece of music? 2) Can visual imagery help to transition technical skills toward musical goals? More specifically, studied here was the impact of extra-musical ideas on undergraduate instrumental music majors during practice time. Methodology was ethnographic, and some convenience sampling was employed, as participants were drawn from three local universities. After the initial survey, participants were interviewed individually about prior experiences using imagery, as well as assigned a “homework” component in which participants were asked to actively employ imagery iii while learning / practicing music. The follow-up interviews / demonstrations with each participant resulted in documenting and analyzing perceptions of how such approaches impacted the learning process for these individuals. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents .................................................................................................................v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................1 Rationale and Need for Study ..................................................................................1 Purpose of Study ......................................................................................................2 Review of Literature ................................................................................................3 Imagery in Music .........................................................................................3 Imagery in Education ...................................................................................9 Imagery in Music Education ......................................................................12 Methodology ..........................................................................................................22 Unforeseen Factors ................................................................................................25 CHAPTER 2: INDIVIDUAL CASE STUDY DATA ANALYSIS ....................................................27 Case 1: Addison .....................................................................................................27 Emotional Connection to Music ................................................................29 Imagery to Aid in Collaborative Learning .................................................30 Private, Personal Interpretation ..................................................................31 Spontaneous Color Association .................................................................31 Case 2: Brenda .......................................................................................................32 Emotional Connection to Music ................................................................34 Implementation of Imagery to Reinforce Technical Skills ........................35 Imagery to Aid in Collaborative Learning .................................................35 Necessity of Interpretation .........................................................................36 Case 3: Hailey ........................................................................................................37 Emotional Connection to Music ................................................................40 Imagery to Aid in Collaborative Learning .................................................41 Freedom .....................................................................................................42 Case 4: Karen .........................................................................................................43 Emotional Connection to Music ................................................................45 Implementation of Imagery to Reinforce Technical Skills ........................46 Imagery to Aid in Collaborative Learning .................................................46 Spontaneous Musical Associations ............................................................47 Case 5: Nigel ..........................................................................................................48 Emotional Connections to Music ...............................................................50 Imagery to Aid in Collaborative Learning .................................................50 Case 6: Allison .......................................................................................................50 Emotional Connection to Music ................................................................53 Implementation of Imagery to Reinforce Technical Skills ........................54 Imagery to Aid in Collaborative Learning .................................................54 v Interpretation in Parts .................................................................................55 Case 7: Lacey .........................................................................................................56 Emotional Connection to Music ................................................................59 Implementation of Imagery to Reinforce Technical Skills ........................59 Imagery to Aid in Collaborative Learning .................................................60 Spontaneous Visual-Narrative and Lyric Responses .................................61 Case 8: Michelle ....................................................................................................62 Implementation of Imagery to Reinforce Technical Skills ........................64 Imagery to Aid in Collaborative Learning .................................................65 CHAPTER 3: ACROSS-CASE DATA ANALYSIS ......................................................................67 Theme 1: Late-Onset Use of Imagery ....................................................................68 Theme 2: Difficulty Using Imagery with Technical Passages ...............................72 Theme 3: The Power of a Strong Influencer ..........................................................74 Theme 4: Imagery as an Aid with Nerves and Memory ........................................76 Theme 5: The Creation of Concrete Interpretations ..............................................77 Theme 6: Extra-Musical Ideas for Remedial Use ..................................................80 Theme 7: Extra-Musical Ideas with Younger or Less Experienced Musicians .....82 Conclusion and Suggestions for Future Research .................................................................................................................84 .................................................................................................................................... Bibliography ......................................................................................................................88 Appendices .........................................................................................................................91 vi Chapter 1 ________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION ________________________________________________________________________ At the time that I began my Master of Music Education degree, I had experienced sixteen years of piano instruction.