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- Title
Performing your self? Autonomy and self-expression in the work of jazz musicians and classical string players.
- Authors
Dobson, Melissa C.
- Abstract
This paper presents research on the demands made on musicians by performing classical music and jazz respectively, drawing on data from semi-structured interviews with 18 young musicians. The participants (nine freelance classical string players and nine freelance jazz musicians) ranged from students at the end of university and conservatoire training to those in the first 10 years of their professional careers. They were interviewed about the levels of control they experienced in their work; asked to discuss their experiences of freelance work and lifestyles; and asked to identify any ways in which working or living as a musician had affected their well-being. The interview transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Key differences were identified between the demands imposed by the performance of classical music and jazz, with classical performance characterized by the pursuit of accuracy, while jazz musicians focused on developing a sense of exploration and freedom. A strong emergent theme was the degree to which performance was viewed as a vehicle for self-expression, with string students, string professionals and jazz musicians all responding differently to the idea of investing oneself in performance. This was intrinsically related to the musicians' conceptions of their roles as performers, and in some cases was linked to a difficulty in separating work and life. The implications of these findings for the education and training of musicians are discussed.
- Subjects
JAZZ musicians; STRINGED instrument players; MUSICAL perception; PSYCHOANALYSIS &; music; MUSICAL performance; SUBJECTIVITY in music; EMOTIONS in music; MUSIC &; emotions; TRAINING of musicians; MUSIC therapy; PSYCHOLOGY
- Publication
Music Performance Research, 2010, Vol 3, p42
- ISSN
1755-9219
- Publication type
Article