Playing a musical instrument is a complex activity. When playing from sheet music, we have to be able to read the notes. We use our hearing not only to control what we are playing, but our inner hearing and imagination are the source of our movement that generates sound through the instrument. The movements we perform when playing an instrument are therefore subject to both our inner imagination and visual sensations (notes, fellow players...) as well as acoustic sensations (we react to what we hear, the tune, etc...).
To put it simply, there are three essential centres in our brain that are responsible for motor skills.
First, there is the movement centre that is responsible for planning movement. Movement planning occurs in the cerebral cortex in the primary motor cortical area and in the premotor cortex of the frontal lobe. The primary motor cortex area is located in front of the central sulcus (which separates the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe) and its pathways ensure precise and skilful movements of the body – especially the forearms, fingers and facial muscles. The premotor cortex is located before the primary motor area and controls more complex movements.
Then there is the cerebellum that is responsible for coordinating movement. When controlling motor activity, the cerebellum evaluates information obtained from the stato-kinetic apparatus (inner ear) and proprioceptors in the tendons, regarding the position and movements of the body that are currently taking place. Next, the cerebellum receives information about planned movements from the motor cortex of the brain, then compares them with the ongoing movements of the body, and finally sends instructions to the cerebral cortex. It then has to adjust the movements so that the planned movements can occur. Using this feedback from the cerebellum, the cortex can re-correct commands and send them directly to the spinal cord.
Finally, there are the basal ganglia (striatum) in the hindbrain, which are located deep in the white matter (frontal lobe). (It is of interest to us musicians that the striatum also has a significant influence on the perception of time.) The basal ganglia work as a complex neural structure that cooperates with the cerebral cortex to control movements. It is likely, that they start, stop, and regulate the intensity of voluntary movements, they are controlled by and subordinated to the cerebral cortex, they can select appropriate muscles or movements for a certain task and inhibit opposing muscles.
Another important part of the brain is the thalamus, which receives sensory stimuli from the whole body, and which is considered the gate of consciousness: stimuli that do not reach the thalamus are not conscious. The nuclei of the thalamus connect all information from the body (from the spinal cord) such as pain, the sense of touch, visual or auditory signals, etc., to special areas of the cerebral cortex. Incoming information is also actively processed in the thalamus - the thalamus amplifies or weakens the signals destined for the cerebral cortex, while some of the nuclei of the thalamus are motor, and the nuclei located under the thalamus are involved in the motor circuits of the basal ganglia.
I would also like to mention the area of the temporal lobe - the auditory area. Neurologists distinguish between primary and association areas. The primary area perceives volume, pitch, and rhythm. The association area differentiates based on the memory of sounds, e.g. screaming, thunder - and music.
Given that we are dealing with movement in teaching and its perception, it is very important to remember that we analyse rhythm and metre both by hearing (or by brain areas in the temporal lobe) and by areas of the brain that are focused on the perception of movement (striatum, cerebellum). From this we can conclude that if we use movement as a tool to influence our brain in the sense that we physically learn to perceive the regularity of the metre and the accuracy of the rhythm in different areas of playing (overall movement, fingers, articulation, breathing), then we can be able to improve our sense of metre and rhythm. In addition, if we learn to perceive metro-rhythmic relationships with our whole body, i.e. physically, combined with our hearing, we manage to have double control over our musical expression during practice, by which it becomes more complex.
What I mention above is more of a glimpse into a complex area, than an attempt to describe this in a deeperacademic way. I cover this topic here mainly to illustrate the path I take with my pupils in my teaching. It is evident from what is mentioned above that just as movement itself has several phases, so does the human brain have special areas that focus on it. The areas consist of planning, perception, coordination, and memorization. As complicated as it may seem, in practice it is much easier and more natural, and I will try to demonstrate that in the following chapters. Pupils don’t need to know what is happening within them when they are doing an exercise focused on movement. But on the other hand, sometimes it is useful to reveal the connections to older children for them to realize what learning looks like.
It is always touching, when a pupil who is not motor-proficient and has a hard time in mastering the instrument, manages to play fluently after a while without realizing the complexity of what they have just mastered. It is very important for the both of us that I appreciate them and tell them that they have achieved this by following the instructions and tips that we have explained and shown in the lessons. I should also emphasize that I use this approach with children only when it is really necessary and when other paths have not led to the result.
The approach of leading the children to planning their movement and being aware of it from the very beginning, has shown to be successful. Every movement we make has a source, a beginning, a course, and an end. I believe that skipping any of these stages or only focusing on the result, is a mistake. Individual tones are connected by movements - none of them exist on their own. When a pupil has a technical problem, e.g. a certain finger connection does not work, it is always worthwhile to focus on what precedes the problem area, because that problem is often the result of an unmanaged movement that precedes the problem area. At the same time, it is very important to slow down the entire process of understanding so that all components of the movement can be perceived and realized.
First, we plan the movement - we realize where its source is (muscle/s) and at the same time we try to find its beginning in time - i.e., when (rhythm). Next comes the course of movement - here we need to focus on what we feel when the movement is happening. After the movement is finished, there is a phase where we evaluate whether we have become aware of the movement, and if so, we try to evaluate its quality and the quality of our awareness.
For example, when practicing the resonance of the note c´´´ (soprano recorder), first we must find the correct position of the left thumb (see chapter 6), which affects the size of the opening of the thumb hole and thus both the resonance of the tone and its pitch and intonation. Furthermore, it is necessary to realize the correct air pressure necessary for the tone to be heard. Pupils can perceive this pressure in different ways - either through the diaphragm or through the oral cavity (see chapter 7) or by combining both.
Finally, it is necessary to realize what kind of articulation and in what quality to use in order toproduce a certain sound: we need to decide what is the ideal way of tonguing and the position of the tongue in the mouth.
The example described above may seem complicated and it might discourage a layperson. It should be kept in mind that we learn the mentioned skills gradually on simpler tones and connections, and the moment we reach c´´´, similar logic is so obvious to us that we just work with individual feelings.
If we manage to analyse the necessary movements in sufficient detail in the lesson, then there is a good chance that the pupils will reliably record their carefully planned movements on the “hard disk“ of their motor memory during practicing at home. Thanks to this, they master the movement, and it is so natural for them to play, that they feel relaxed. This freedom allows children to open their eyes and ears and become more aware of intonation, sound colours, non/regularity of metre, etc.
Last but not least, it is very beneficial for my pupils to realize that music is the only human activity where all movements are subject to rhythm and metre. For us musicians, time is not only a goal, but a necessity, and making the right movements in the right moment is essential. By being aware of movements in their proper rhythm, we influence our brain by allowing it to learn precision and regularity.
The danger that appears with pupils, who already know the compositions they play safely, and want to put their efforts they invested into their practice at home to good use – in class or at a performance, is that they start overthinking what they are doing. Sian Beilock calls this paralysis by analysis (Beilock, p. 181). Simply put, when playing, pupils engage the brain centres that are responsible for what precedes the actual movement: reading the notes (and thinking about them), preparing the movement, perceiving the movement, etc. At that moment, the working memory is activated, and it runs concurrently with the motor memory, and all the effort put into the exercise is compromised because the brain slows down the movement control process by having to choose between different solutions of the situation (similarly to when e.g. I'm working on the computer and start a program that takes up too much space in the operating memory).
The question of how to solve this situation is still open. Some suggestions can be found, for example, in S. Beilock's book, but the solution is very individual, and I don't think there is a universal one. However, what helps my pupils is that we always emphasizethat they try hard and concentrate at home, and in class or at a concert, they no longer try to improve the piece and just play what they have practiced at home. Is it comforting to them that they don't have to try? Or are they really capable of not trying? I don't know, I can't read their minds. But their satisfaction and joy of playing is more visible since we started systematically working with tempo-differentiated accompaniments, which included solving the mastery of movement while playing in the context of sounding compositions both together in lessons and on their own at home. In addition, it turns out that if they are used to playing under the pressure of a recorded accompaniment that does not wait, they are much more relaxed, and free when playing with a live partner, which is also reflected in their performance.
It seems to me that an approach in which during preparation pupils focus their attention on the perception and quality of the performed movements, together with the possibility to gradually integrate their movements into the context of the composition during the exercises with the accompaniment, starting from the slowest tempo, is one of the ways to achieve satisfaction and joy of playing the recorder.
Literature:
BEILOCK, Sian.: Choke, Free Press, a Division of Simon & Schuster Inc., 2010
