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Written by Dr. Marcie Zinn
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Every year hundreds of thousands of students enter the arts via private instruction, and every year just about as many drop out. Do we know the exact numbers? Do we have an approximation? No, we do not. No one has 'run the numbers.'
Do you know what learning "looks like" in the brain? Are you aware that you cannot feel your brain from the outside? Learning is a neurochemical change, so it can't be seen, and if you could feel your brain, you would not be alive long.
These paragraphs have something in common; that is, they present the need to bring science into the arts. In order to find the answer in the first paragraph, one would have to do a large scale longitudinal study. The second paragraph was taken from a presentation I saw at an arts conference. The presenter showed two slides, each with a neuron (brain cell) on the slide. The second slide showed a slight fatter neuron. The presenter claimed that was the physiological basis for learning. Later in the day another presenter claimed she could feel her cerebellum sticking out from underneath her skull. If that were true, she would have died in infancy. It is these plus many other "neuromyths"1 that permeate our profession (the arts). I am calling for all Arts Societies to aid in positive neuoreducation so as to debunk these myths. Myths find their way into educational policy and when they do, are very difficult to undo.
How many individuals do you know from your training who had significant anxiety symptoms? Even if you have arts training only, you still may be able to reflect on the incidence of clinically significant anxiety in the arts (it's upwards of 80%). Did any of those individuals ever seek treatment, did they seek treatment for the symptoms only (anxiety produces body symptoms, and treating the body symptoms won't treat the anxiety), or did they simply work around the issue by avoidance of anxiety-provoking situations?
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SPPA is a multidisciplinary organization of research and clinical scientists, practicing clinicians, psychologists, performing artists, students and others. The mission of SPPA is to advance research, education, treatment and professional practice related to the following:
- Facilitate the direct application of psychological, neurological, educational and neuroscientific research findings to the performing arts
- Integrate that research into practice (use of psychological and psychophysiological techniques into all aspects of the performing arts)
- Disseminate the products of this research to the larger community of psychologists and performing artists so as to be useful in common, everyday practice.
What this means is that we stay focused on what is known in the scientific community as applied research. What is applied research, and what other types of research are there? |
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A Note from the President |
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Written by Dr. Marcie Zinn
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 Welcome to the Society for Psychology in the Performing Arts (SPPA). We are an interdisciplinary organization, dedicated to cross-disciplinary research, dissemation and practice for bringing social science to the performing arts.
Neuroeducation is an exciting new integrative field which promises to bring cognitive neuroscience and social science to education. What this means for the arts is an end to simply focusing on the music (or art) itself. In going beyond current practices, 21st century teachers would come to have a sound knowledge of individual differences and vulnerability to risk for problems that can emanate from instructional practices. These teachers would be wise consumers of research and, while having a vast knowledge of the subject areas they utilize, refrain from going beyond their personal expertise. As such, NeuroEducation will look at basic and applied research in Childhood Psychology, clinical Health Psychology, Learning, Cognitive Neuroscience, and traditional arts teaching, rehearsal and performance practice. Neuroeducation is about drawing from these seemingluy diverse dimensions to produce information about the interdependence of social & biological science, and the performing arts.
Recently the Society for Neuroscience sponsored a Summit to help launch this new and extremely relevant approach to education. Here are some links which are a "must read":
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SPPA seeks to form several Professional Divisions in upcoming years to provide forums for the exchange of information in specific areas of Performing Arts Psychology research and applications.
These division members will contribute to the Society in many ways, such as policy-making committees, writing technical reviews and position statements and other publications and act as liaisons to other organizations.
Some proposed divisions are listed here:
- Child Advocacy Division
- Developmental (Child and Adolescent) Psychology Division
- Division of Psychophysiology and Health Psychology
- Division of Social Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology in Piano Pedagogy Council
- Stress and Anxiety Division
- Peak Performance Division
These Divisions are suggestions and can be deleted, revised and others can be added. The importance of divisions, rather than simply "special interest group" is in it's purpose. The purpose of each division is to stimulate research on each issue and its treatment, to promote the psychological well-being of the participants within that population and help them achieve optimum benefit from their participation in the arts. These things will be implemented by training consultants and instructors regarding the behavioral and psychosocial aspects participation in Performing Arts, and to increase recognition of the importance of the behavioral and psychological aspects of participation in all aspects of the arts. |
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