What is it about?
This exploratory case study compares the gestural behaviour of three piano teachers while giving individual lessons to students who differed according to piano proficiency levels. The data was collected by video recordings of one-to-one piano lessons and gestures were categorized using two gesture classifications: the spontaneous co-verbal gesture classification (McNeill, 1992; 2005) and spontaneous co-musical gesture classification (Simones, Schroeder & Rodger, 2013). The results suggest a teachers’ gestural scaffolding approach whereby teachers adapted gestural communicative channels to suit students’ specific conceptual skill levels.
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Why is it important?
The agreement reported between teachers in relation to student experience levels suggest a gestural scaffolding approach in the piano teaching context in which teachers are sensitive to piano-learners’ conceptual levels and vary their gestural approaches in accordance to student skill levels. It is through this scaffolding process that the encoding of musical communication (through verbal and gestural signs) and interpretative meaning construction is developed. Further research is needed for understanding this eclectic and ecological lexicon in development which can help explain the meaningful relationship between teaching/learning experiences in a music instrumental environment.
Perspectives
It has been a pleasure to study this topic. As a piano student and teacher I have been very curious about the role of gestures in the musical communication established between teachers and students. Having the opportunity to contribute to knowledge on this topic is an absolute privilege and I am grateful to the research participants and my supervisors for their help and guidance.
Lilian Simones
Queen's University Belfast
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Communicating musical knowledge through gesture: Piano teachers’ gestural behaviours across different levels of student proficiency, Psychology of Music, May 2014, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0305735614535830.
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