November 2019 MTNA e-Journal

Exhaustion at the Piano: University Piano Students Experience Fatigue
by Krista Hafez

Pianists account for a substantial number of the injuries reported by performing artists each year. The question at hand is not whether pianists will experience fatigue, but how do pianists react to muscular fatigue during practice? This phenomenological study sought to understand what pianists perceive as the source(s) of their physical fatigue at the keyboard and how they recognize and respond to it. [Read More]

MusicLink and Its 25-Year Legacy: How Long-term Music Lessons Impact the Lives of Disadvantaged Students
By Joanne Haroutounian

The MusicLink Foundation has been providing ongoing music instruction by professional music teachers to disadvantaged children and youth for over 25 years. This article combines an overview of findings from a 2013 quantitative analysis study of nomination and student evaluation forms used in the MusicLink program with a 2013–2014 qualitative inquiry of MusicLink parents, teachers, and former MusicLink students who completed five years or more of lessons through the program. The article concludes with findings from an “Encore“ survey and questionnaire completed by MusicLink students in 2018 to see how long-term music lessons impacted their lives as adults. [Read More]

Poster Sessions

Effects of Group Piano Instruction on Motor Sequence Learning in Adult Novices: A Pilot Study
By Carla Davis Cash, Brooke Trapp and Qin Ling [Read More]

Improving Graduate Students’ Individual Practice: A Case Strategies Among Piano, String & Wind Players
By Pamela D. Pike, NCTM, and Ana Otamendi [Read More]