Our work falls into four areas, all of which are connected to the broad question, "What does it mean to develop musical expertise?".

For over 20 years we have been examining expertise in trombone performance. In this work we've focused on the skill required to move the trombone slide quickly and accurately from position to position. References to this work can be found by clicking on Bibliography button above. Click here for a brief summary of this work and pictures from our studies.

As we've thought about the development of skill, it seemed natural to look at practice habits. We decided to extend work originally developed by our colleague Harold Jorgensen who studied the practice habits of conservatory students at the Oslo (Norway) Conservatoire. References to this work can be found by clicking on Bibliography button above. Click here for a brief summary of this work.

Our interviews with successful music students led us to wonder about the importance of early motivational experiences and their lifelong impact on participation in musical ensembles. Consequently, we started a study of autobiographical memory for early and strong experiences. We also asked about memories associated with practicing.References to this work can be found by clicking on Bibliography button above. Click here for a brief summary of this work.

An exciting new area of our work on brass performance focuses on how trumpet and horn players provide the air support needed to respond to musical demands to alter dynamics and pitch. This area of research on the relationship between air pressure behind the embouchure, embouchure, muscle tension in the shoulders and torso, and breathing patterns. References to this work can be found by clicking on Bibliography button above. Click here for a brief summary of this work and pictures from our studies.