The Science of Musical Learning
v. professor i trompet Kristian Steenstrup 
“Deep Practice: Peak Performance” offers a comprehensive examination of the advancements in music practice and performance research achieved in recent decades. Drawing upon a diverse range of disciplines, including music pedagogy, neuroscience, sports science, and performance psychology, this book presents a thorough exploration involving a plethora of studies that investigate various methodologies and their practical applications. This scholarly work caters to both professional musicians and serious students aiming to enhance their skills as well as educators seeking to provide better guidance to their students. By incorporating the latest scientific insights, the book elucidates the intricate processes involved in talent development and explores optimal brain states for learning and performance. It further investigates efficient strategies for acquiring musical material, considering pedagogical traditions alongside empirical findings and theoretical considerations.
“Deep Practice: Peak Performance” advocates for an evidence-based, hands-on approach to optimal performance under pressure, eschewing mystical notions. Through its rigorous research and grounded perspectives, this book further equips musicians and pedagogues with practical tools to transcend limitations and achieve heigthened artistry and expressivity.
The book is published by the Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark
Kristian Steenstrup can be contacted via e-mail: [email protected]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Music and evolution
- Learning at the cellular level
- Deliberate practice
- Learning stages
- Explicit/implicit learning
- Choking under pressure
- Deep practice – peak performance
- Flow and transient hypofrontality
- Song and wind
- Audiation
- The audio-motor loop
- Singing as a practice strategy
- Solfege
- Mental practice
- Motor imagery
- Auditory imagery
- Dynamic mental imagery
- Focus of attention
- Focus of attention in breathing
- Chunking and subphrases
- Interleaved and varied practice
- Left-hand practice
- Implicit learning strategies
- Analogy learning
- Errorless practice
- Observational practice
- Dual-task practice
- The 4-step process
- Sleep and practice
- Exercise and practice
- Motor impairments in musicians
- Performance preparation
- Pre-performance routines (PPRs)
- Quiet Eye-training (QE)
- Left-hand contractions
- Acclimatization training
- Performance preparation for musicians
- Practicing centering
- Acclimatization training and exposure therapy in musicians
- A complete practice and practice performing exercise
- References