Explaoring the efficacy of deliberate practice and memorisation skills in the process of Learning Debussy's L'lsle joyeuse : practice-led study

Abstract

The purpose of this practice-led study is to explore advanced pianists’ process of learning new repertoire. The study draws on accounts by professional pianists and pedagogues as well as on case studies of the learning process in musicians. The study also draws on literature on practice and memorisation. It incorporates the author’s own documented process of learning Claude Debussy’s L’Isle joyeuse. Audio recordings and journal entries from each practice session during this learning process were transcribed and a description of the learning process is presented here. The process is divided into four stages. The first stage is initial learning, becoming familiar with the score and working out fingerings. A subsequent first revision of the score constitutes the second stage with the goals of solidifying the execution of technical elements and rhythmic accuracy. The third stage is a second revision of the score with the goal of committing the music to memory and further improving technical execution. The fourth stage is aimed at polishing the piece with the goals of bringing the piece up to performance tempo, incorporating interpretive and musical elements, and further solidifying memory recall and technical execution of the music. The results are discussed and compared with the literature. The study found that an effective learning process reflects K. Anders Ericsson’s principles of deliberate practice and expert memory. It found further that practice strategies which introduce contextual interference into the process could be beneficial, as could also concentrated, musical slow practice. Other beneficial techniques include mental practice in order to strengthen memorisation.