LECTURER: Prof. A. Williamon, Head of the Centre for Performance Science at the Royal College of Music
TITLE: Curtain call: Investigating the psychophysiology of public performance
ABSTRACT: Music performance is a particularly apt domain for studying psychosocial stress. Professional musicians are expected to deliver high quality performances, of often well-known pieces, for audiences who have come to expect technical mastery and novel artistic insight. While the psychology of performance has been studied systematically for several decades, corresponding research into applied performance physiology, by contrast, is relatively limited. This seminar explores recent research into the experience and consequence of performance stress, looking specifically at musicians’ cardiovascular and endocrinological responses to performing in public. It also introduces the Performance Simulator, an innovative new facility that allows musicians to develop and practise requisite performance skills.
NOTE: Open to all Graduate Students, Postdoctoral Researchers, and Academic Staff
SPONSOR: Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research (SEMPRE)
