Click here to read a detailed letter of information about the study including expected time commitment and what participants will be asked to do.
Attend a FREE information session  to try out a Feldenkrais class and find out more about participating in the study!

Dear pianists,

Doctoral student, Jillian Beacon and Professor Gilles Comeau would like to invite advanced pianists, piano performers, and piano teachers to participate in a study at the University of Ottawa examining the impact of Feldenkrais Method lessons on patterns of postural coordination in pianists.

Participants will complete a series of four baseline measurements over four weeks before experiencing a program of 12 free Feldenkrais group classes, three times weekly for four weeks (Pérez Hall, University of Ottawa, room 208). Following the Feldenkrais classes additional measurements will be made concerning movement and performance, and the participants will be briefly interviewed about their experiences. In total these research activities require 18-20 hours of time that will be spread out over a three-month period (12 weeks). This includes 12 hours of Feldenkrais Training and roughly 6-8 hours of associated data collection.

You are eligible to participate if you a pianist who is currently enrolled in or who has graduated from a Bachelor or Master’s program in piano performance, or if you have passed the Grade 10 RCM exam or an equivalent. Participants must be 17 years of age or older and practice or teach piano a minimum of five hours per week. 

Participants will participate in data collection sessions at a motion capture laboratory at Lees Campus, room A120 as part of the study. Reflective markers will be placed on points on the arms, spine, hips, and head so that body movements can be tracked an optoelectric system. During the motion capture sessions pianists will perform five simple scale and chord patterns, a one-minute excerpt from a grade 8-level piece, and a one-minute excerpt from a piece of their choice. Participants will also perform a subset of these musical tasks before a panel of three judges at the Piano Pedagogy Research Laboratory, Pérez Hall room 207.

Data collection will begin late January, 2020 and new participants may be added throughout the Winter and Spring of 2020. Please read the attached letter of information for more details. If you are interested in participating, we will send the musical scores to you or you may pick them up in person at room 207 Pérez Hall. Requesting more information or having the practice material sent to you does not obligate you to commit to participating in the study.
For more information, please contact the co-investigator, Jillian Beacon:

Jillian Beacon, Ph.D. Candidate,
School of Human Kinetics
University of Ottawa
Phone: (613) 558-9274
Email: jbeac048@uottawa.ca
 
Sincerely,
 
Jillian Beacon and Gilles Comeau

*This research has been reviewed and approved by the University of Ottawa and Carleton University Research Ethics Boards*
View ethics certificates here and here.