Transforming Expert Musical Practice: Conceptualising, Structuring, and Executing Practice Mastery

Abstract

Practice has the potential to transform a musician’s expertise by elevating technical and musical limitations to full competence, allowing a musician to play masterfully at a professional level (Ericsson, Krampe, & Tesch-Römer, 1993; Johnston, 2002; Sloboda, Davidson, Howe, & Moore, 1996). While the research literature underlines some pedagogical and psychological principles on how to practise, there is a need to identify strategies, inspirations, thoughts, and artistic behaviours that will lead to practice mastery and excellence in performance (Cervion, Laws, Lettberg, & Lisboa, 2012; Gerle, 1983; Miksza, 2007). To date, most of the studies related to effective practice have been conducted with students in higher education (Hallam, 2001). This research aims to evaluate how professional performers conceptualise and approach practice, and to observe how they are able to make practice theory meaningful. Six performance experts participated in an interview regarding practice. The interviews explored how the participants address and structure practice, how they handle obstacles, and how they prepare for performances. The participants discussed the importance of mental preparation, and unanimously described the value of mental practice in the learning of new works. For these performers, practice was never the ultimate objective, only a means to achieve progress in performance and to convey to an audience the delivery of art. This study aims to redefine existing practice concepts by appraising musicians and pedagogues of current expert approaches and demonstrating how these are implemented. It will identify how knowledge of theory needs to be enacted to experience expert practice mastery. These findings will benefit and advance pre-professional performers in their pursuit of excellence in performance as they prepare for the music profession.