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Description and Lab Mission

The Performance Science Centre (PSC) Lab in the School of Music, ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëù, is an applied research facility whose mission is dedicated to improving musical performance efficiency and pedagogical efficacy by and for students and faculty members of the School of Music.

This uniquely innovative facility sets our School of Music apart from all other conservatories, schools of music, and music departments at undergraduate or graduate music programs in the state of California, according to a recent accreditation review by NASM.

We currently use the PSC lab for helping our students find more efficient ways of making music and becoming more aware of how their body and mind function during performance.Ìý While our focus is upon music making and musicality, our approach is based on scientific principles and research methodologies.Ìý

Each semester, we either conduct an applied research study of our own, or work in tandem with student and faculty researchers from other departments, or other institutions. We are currently comparing the performance effects of an ergonomically designed orchestral musician’s chair with the standard chairs used in our major ensembles. This will have ramifications not only for musicians, but also for those who administer music performance ensembles, schools, and venues.

Our ProFormaVision technology allows us to record musical performance (video and audio) and muscle tension-release patterns (graphic displays) simultaneously, with stop motion or in real time.Ìý This carries tremendous pedagogical value, as it allows one to optimize the use of one’s body during performance and find previously unknown sources of muscular inefficiency. The use of our HeartMath HRV monitors likewise is useful in training musicians how to increase coherence of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems which can influence cognitive performance and emotio