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Orchestral performance and the footprint of mindfulness

HARVARD UNIVERSITY, USA, langer{at}wjh.harvard.edu

Timothy Russel

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, USA, timothy.russell{at}asu.edu

Noah Eisenkraft

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, USA, nce{at}wharton.upenn.edu

Two studies were designed to test the hypothesis that actively creating novel distinctions and sonically portraying them during the performance of orchestral music is preferable to attempting to re-create a past performance. The data suggest that orchestral musicians preferred creating music when they were encouraged to mindfully incorporate subtle nuances into their performance. When audience members were played recordings of both types of performance, a significant majority expressed a preference for the performances that were created in a mindful state. Individual attention to novel distinctions and subtle nuances appears to alter the process of creative ensemble performance and lead to music that is more enjoyable to perform and hear.

Key Words: creativity • music • orchestra

This version was published on April 1, 2009

Psychology of Music, Vol. 37, No. 2, 125-136 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0305735607086053


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