Expressivity as Factor of Excellence in Musical Performance

Abstract

Expressivity is one of the main modalities for listeners to make a deep connection to music and emotionally respond to its messages. Research has proven that the desire to have emotionally pleasant experiences, through music, is one of the students’ main motivational sources. The challenge, for professors, is to find ways to teach expressivity, along with other music-related elements, with a view to offering the students the possibility to identify themselves more closely with the musical masterpieces, as well as to benefit from more signification. The purpose of this paper is to consider how the theory and research on expressivity may help in the daily practice of musical study. In the first place, a traditional vision of expressivity is described; then, a revised approach, based on modern research, is presented. In the end, a new empirical approach is submitted and assessed, which is aimed at increasing expressivity and is called cognitive feedback (CFB).