New Releases
Sand, Barbara Lourie. (2000). Teaching Genius: Dorothy Delay and the Making of a Musician. Portland, OR: Amadeus Press.
248 pages. Sand has profiled Delay, a violin pedagogue who has launched brilliant international careers of so many artists including Itzhak Perlman, in this book rich with anecdotes. While the book does not contain insights into her teaching, it does give a sense of the kind of person she is and the world of prodigious talents into whose lives she becomes deeply involved.
Jensen, Eric. (2000). Music with the Brain in Mind. San Diego, CA: The Brain Store.
In Music with the Brain in Mind Jensen applies what we have learned about the brain in the last decade to music listening and instruction. He addresses how the body hears music, music's impact on stress level, perceptual-motor skills, memory and emotional intelligence. He also includes tips for choosing music and the benefits of various music types for the educational setting.
Hot Picks
Jackson, Susan & Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. (1999). Flow in Sports: The Keys to Optimal Experiences and Performances. Champagne, IL: Human Kinetics.
183 pages. Sport offers many opportunities to experience flow. The flow state has also been refered to as playing in the "zone", feeling on a "high", or being totally focussed. In this book, each key component of flow is explained with related examples and reports of interviews with athletes. Finding flow involves a keen awareness and grasp of a set of factors that combine to set the stage for it. The authors suggest several thoughts and actions that athletes and coaches can engage in to set the stage for flow during training sessions and performances.
Murphy, Shane. (1997) The Achievement Zone: An 8-Step Guide to Peak Performance in All Arenas of Life. New York, NY: Berkley Books.
262 pages. As sports psychologist for the U.S. Olympic Committee, Murphy helped numerous athletes learn how to maximize their performance and to reach their achievement zone, a level of consciousness where amazing feats feel easy to perform. Murphy identifies eight mind/body skills that yield consistent performance in the "achievement zone" which can be learned and practised by anyone with the desire to excel.
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Updated: August 24, 2000.