New teaching method in international journal

Associate Professor of Classical Percussion, Henrik Knarborg Larsen, has newly got an article published in the acclaimed international “Journal of New Music Research” about his artistic development project on the use of Japanese martial arts in the development of student’s timbre on marimba.

The article describes how Knarborg Larsen has scientifically tested one of his teaching methods, which includes the use of ideas from Japanese martial arts Ki-aikido. Knarborg Larsen’s project is groundbreaking precisely by using thorough scientific methods to investigate changes in timbre related to percussion teaching at the highest level.

Knarborg Larsen conducted a controlled study in which a spectral analysis via Fast Fourier Transform revealed a significant change in timbre of the experimental group versus the control group. The study was based on students from i.a. Juilliard School of Music (New York) and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, and it indicates that even some of the world’s best-trained percussionists can develop their ability to shape the timbre of the marimba using Knarborg Larsen’s Ki-aikido-inspired teaching method.

The article also discusses limitations of the experiment, the selection criteria, methods for measuring and investigating changes in timbre, and also relies on an expert panel with some of the best marimba players in the world. The publication is a result of the collaboration between RAMA’s artistic and pedagogical expertise and the scientific expertise at MIB, Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus.