Silent Reading and Aural Models in Pianists’ Mental Practice

Abstract

This study addresses musicians’ learning outcomes and subjective experiences in two common types of mental practice: silent score reading and score reading while listening to the music. The study incorporates expert ratings of performances before and after mental practice, questionnaire data concerning modal preferences, as well as semi-structured interviews. The results revealed individual differences in learning outcomes, attitudes toward the two types of mental practice, and the use of imagery. The participants’ attitudes and strategies were variously affected by their ability to audiate newly encountered music, their possible preference for learning by ear, and their need to process the score at their own leisure. The results suggest that different types of mental practice might usefully serve various individual purposes in instrumental education.