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  4. Vol 6, Issue 2, 2025

Programming Our Brains: Synergizing Mental Practice and Metacognition to Enhance Music Learning and Performance

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DOI: 10.23977/artpl.2025.060218 | Downloads: 3 | Views: 177

Author(s)

Wenxin Guan 1

Affiliation(s)

1 School of Music, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Corresponding Author

Wenxin Guan

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to discuss the synergistic relationship between mental practice and metacognition in music learning and performance. Mental practice enables musicians to rehearse cognitively without physical execution, while metacognition provides the self-regulatory framework that guides, monitors, and evaluates the effectiveness of such practice. Together, these two cognitive tools form a powerful foundation for self-directed artistic growth. A three-phase process is proposed: (1) identifying learning preferences, (2) applying tailored mental practice strategies, and (3) engaging in reflective self-assessment. Practical questionnaires are included as tools to support musicians in reflecting before, during, and after mental practice sessions. The study offers insights for musicians seeking to foster conscious engagement with their own learning processes and to achieve more effective and autonomous development. The cognitive synergy between mental practice and metacognition not only supports technical and expressive growth but also promotes deeper personal accountability—essential attributes for success as an independent learner and a self-aware performer.

KEYWORDS

Mental Practice; Metacognition; Music Learning; Music Performance

CITE THIS PAPER

Wenxin Guan, Programming Our Brains: Synergizing Mental Practice and Metacognition to Enhance Music Learning and Performance. Art and Performance Letters (2025) Vol. 6: 120-131. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/artpl.2025.060218.

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