Mi ruta espiritual y cronología en el movimiento religioso de los Hare

It is important to note that musical performance is a complicated action. A high quality of musical performance requires many hours of preparation and many years of education. Musical performance as a specialist discipline man- ifests itself in objective peculiarities realised through a complex physical and mental activity of the musician and communication of musical heritage to the audience (Luse, 2006). The specifics of teaching musical performance at an academy are traditionally characterized by the one-to-one tuition setting, with the professor simultaneously being an exceptional performer.

Based on the objective peculiarities of musical performance and the au- thor’s self-reflection, we propose to characterize an artist’s activity as a multi- dimensional entity of academic excellence. Musician’s academic excellence as exceeding quality can focus on two dimensions:

• as musical performance mastery, • as teaching musical performance.

Musical performance traditionally is a socially orientated concert activ- ity in a live performance or a recording. It is the most important sphere of the permanently challenging development of a musician’s mastery. Distinctive characteristics of musical performance mastery of exceeding quality can be characterized by elitist performing experience and selectivity of repertoire. These two characteristics of a musician’s excellence are reflected in the unity of their mutual relationship, order and regulation of the complex of professional skills and knowledge within a convincing performance of musical contents in its wholeness (Luse, 2006).

The artist’s personal emotional attitude and talent enhance the structural components of the elitist performing experience. Selectivity of repertoire is a cognitive and strategic ability of a musician and mostly depends on their knowl- edge in theory and history of music. Elitist performing experience and selec- tivity realise the artist’s mental powers and come into being as the result of interpretation.

Nora Lūse. Musician’s Academic Excellence Characteristics 77

Interpretation of written musical text hermeneutically allows the perfor- mance of selected large-scale works, cycles or instrumental concerts in the wholeness and understanding in the broadest sense (Luse, 2011). Music is inter- preted by being performed, and hermeneutics is the art of interpretation. The performer’s actions produce an understanding of music and make meaning in performance.

According to Wilhelm Dilthey, the interpreter belongs to his/her own mo- ment in history, conditioned by society and culture, and historical context of a work of art (Dilthey, 1996). According to Hans-Georg Gadamer the under- standing becomes the task of hermeneutics to penetrate to the message of a text (a work of art); the meaning comes to be articulated through interpreta- tion (Gadamer, 1979). Russian musicologist Natalie Korihalova characterizes the artist’s interpretation as a version of a composer’s score in a live perfor- mance with an individual view, rendition and creative understanding (Korih- alova, 1979). Lawrence Kramer argues that interpretation in hermeneutical ap- proach is important for at least two reasons: First, it represents an alternative to

both empiricism and dogmatism as sources of knowledge. Second, it is the essential vehicle of subjectivity in the strong sense, but of intelligent agency in its concrete historical being (Kramer, 2011, 9).

The convergence of whole and part, and subjective and objective consti- tutes the hermeneutic background of a musical performance. In this context interpretation of music can be considered a socially orientated musical perfor- mance mastery or excellence incorporating elitist performing experience and selectivity of repertoire.

Distinctive characteristics of teaching musical performance can be charac- terized by traditions of academic environment and freedom in teaching strategy. These two characteristics of musician’s academic excellence observe the im- peratives of individual dignity and integrity through endorsing the principles of academic communication and social responsibility.

Traditions of academic environment provide a bridge between higher edu- cation, professional practice and the general public by showcasing the achieve- ments of teaching faculty and students in concert halls. Degree programmes at Music Academies qualify students for professional careers in the arts and cul- ture, in the creative industries, and in other areas of society. Music Academies present the results of teaching and research to a wide public in manifold ways, including public events, performances, concerts, exhibitions, and publications.

Academic excellence as exceeding quality in teaching musical performance can be characterized by one-to-one tuition and cooperation with students, based on freedom in teaching strategy. Students are talented and committed to musical performance. Teaching focuses on soloist training characterised by extraordinary technical demands and interpretive skills (Luse, 2006). Freedom in teaching strat- egy is reflected in the professor’s task to create positive cooperation and remove barriers restraining the development of student’s individual talent.

Scholars see exceeding quality as a competence–a combination of knowl- edge, skills and behaviour used to improve performance (Barnett, 1994; Smith,

78 Pedagoģijaunskolotājuizglītība

2005). John Raven and John Stephenson renewed understanding of compe- tence which is not only about doing a job well, but ensuring the job is making an effective contribution by going beyond its boundaries and influencing the system in which it operates (Raven, Stephenson, 2001).

Teaching musical performance manifests itself as an offer to the student of excellent professional mastery. It is a core determinant of finding out a student’s individual talent and strengthening inimitable performance. It means adapting the teaching strategy for each student’s development and selecting repertoire si- multaneously using diversity of teaching forms such as recital, recording, stand- ard academic panel, master class, competition.

Freedom in teaching strategy also manifests itself in the interest to wid- en the spectrum of learning contents beyond the academic syllabus. Manage- ment of academic concert life actualizes the status of a competitive musician. It determines the freedom of extra study work and increases the efficiency of training orientated to individual music performance career. Recitals, concerts, master classes and music festivals as extra study work are voluntary learning activities and personally important for the student.

Table 1 presents four characteristics of musician’s academic excellence that can help to develop efficient cooperation between a teacher and an institution, benefiting the development of a productive inner environment and a milieu of artistic excellence.

Table 1

musician’s academic excellence characteristics (Luse, 2012)

Dimensions Characteristics Indicators

1. Musical performance Elitist performing experience Recitals Concerts CD recordings DVD recordings Festivals

Selectivity of repertoire Classical music heritage 2. Teaching musical performance Traditions of academic environment Academic traditions One-to-one tuition Cooperation Freedom in teaching

strategy Extra study workMaster classes

International competitions Festivals

The main result seems to be that the musician’s academic excellence is a mul-

tidimensional and permanently challenging meta-quality of musical performance and teaching musical performance incorporating elitist performing experience, se- lectivity of repertoire, traditions of academic environment, and freedom in teaching strategy for raising a student’s individual talent.

Nora Lūse. Musician’s Academic Excellence Characteristics 79