Investigations of Cello and Motor Development (ICEMODE)

The way people value music and music education has been changing in the last few decades. An increasing number of people have shown interest in enrolling in musical activities with a gradual decrease in the average age young pupils start practicing music.

As a result, music schools and conservatories have gone through a radical change, developing different teaching methods to meet this new demand. In this pedagogical panorama, a profound knowledge of stages of development of the child seems of paramount importance, with particular attention to the relationship between the development of motor skills and cello learning.

Aims

This project aims to investigate the relationship between the shape of the mouthpiece and its acoustical properties in brass instruments.

• Correlate cello techniques with motor abilities required to correctly perform them
• Correlate cello techniques with stages of motor development
• Suggest several sequences of cello techniques that will take into account the corresponding motor profiles and stages of motor development.

This project aims to help the instrumental teacher in assessing musical aptitude, motor profile and stages of motor development in an easy way, as well as give advice on early cello learning accordingly, in order to enhance success. The final output will be the development of a pedagogical tool that will describe a selection of cello techniques in terms of motor abilities required to correctly perform them, give strategies to assess the motor profile and actual stage of motor development of cello beginners and suggest paths of early cello learning in respect of motor profile and stage of development of the child. The tool will hopefully also inspire music educators to create new cello methods for beginners according with their motor profiles and stages of motor development.

Methods

This project will be articulated in five main parts including a preliminary study (interview with teachers and analysis of cello methods and treatises), the collection and the analysis of data arising from a comprehensive observation and insight of 30 children enrolled on the program, the creation of the pedagogical tool and finally the test of the tool with a new group of beginners.

Publications

Bellu, C. "Analyse von Cello-Schulen und ihren Methoden" in ESTA Nachrichten, n. 64. Oktober 2010, pp. 42-49

Bellu, C. "Motricità e didattica del violoncello: un progetto di ricerca" Il giornale del Conservatorio, sessione invernale 08/09, numero 28. Anno VIII, p. 8