The Bulletproof Musician Notes First or Music First? Which Leads to Better Performance?
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Jul 27, 2025 Delve into a fascinating debate on whether musicians should prioritize technical skills or expressiveness in their practice. Discover insights from a study examining how introducing expressiveness early can boost emotional impact in performances. Explore the unique challenges artists face transitioning from practice to the stage and learn about resources to manage performance anxiety effectively. Also, find out how to assess your mental skills to improve your performance consistency.
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Expression Comes After Fundamentals?
- We often focus on technical fundamentals before expressive elements in music learning.
- However, expression is rarely criticized as excessive, suggesting a possible imbalance in teaching focus.
Study on Expression Timing
- A study with 125 middle school choir students tested learning expression with songs either after basics or from start.
- Students adding expression from the start performed more expressively and retained it a week later.
Early Expression Fixes Performance
- Learning expression from the start helps practice the version of the song as intended for performance.
- Adding expression late forces unlearning, requiring more time and repetition to adjust.