Page 29 - How to Shine on Stage

ately confronted with the fact that their achievement takes precedence
over their playful music making. This is a considerable problem for
children, as they are fundamentally inclined to enter the world of mu-
sic with a spirit of curiosity, playfulness, and exploration. Also, the so-
cial aspect is of importance here, namely the bonding in music with
others. It is very often the case that children abandon their musical ed-
ucation early and, sadly, lose their joy for music for a significant amount
of time. This happens because the emotional and social aspects, which
should be central to music, are too often overshadowed by the intellec- 27
tual aspect.
The achievement aspect of performance in the music education
system has for many years been supplanting the internal satisfaction of
performing music (Whitaker & Tanner, 1987). In terms of Maslow’s hi-
erarchy of needs, most musicians who choose formal music education
prioritize the motive of acclaim over the motive of self-actualization. It
is a common perception that the current society is very achievement-ori-
ented, so it is not surprising that the achievement motive is also over-em- Musical Performance Success
phasized in music. Under the parental and teachers’ pressure, children
are forced to meet strict performance criteria and prove their worth as
early as in primary music school, while the integrated approach, where
music education is seen as a way of “nourishing” the body, the emotions,
the mind, and the soul, is neglected.
The emergence of positive psychology has impacted the music pro-
fession, as it has many others, by encouraging reflection on the well-be-
ing of its practitioners. Simultaneously, the concept of flow as the optimal
musical performance state revived the hedonic approach, where internal
satisfaction, i.e. internal performance criteria, is of importance. This has
led to a shift in focus from external to internal performance success cri-
teria in recent years, which is reflected both in scientific research and in
performance practice.

1.3.5 Musical Performance Evaluation
The external music performance success criteria are examined through
evaluation and assessment. Evaluation is the everyday work of music
critics, music educators, and performing musicians. Despite many ef-
forts to objectify music assessment, the subjective element has a signifi-
cant impact on the assessment of musical performance.
A distinction can be made between an overall evaluation and an evalua-
tion of specific performance aspects (Gabrielsson, 2012). Examples of the
latter are the assessments of intonation, tone quality, rhythm, dynamics,