Tapping into stored mental musical patterns is the key to understanding what distinguishes expert string players.

After a ten-year research investigation, violist, Dr. Melissa Gerber Knecht found that what distinguishes expert string players from novices is how effectively they tap into stored mental musical patterns. Developing Your Musical Mental Map has important implications for private music teachers who are often only committed to training students in the vast array of separate and specific technical skills for performance and teaching careers. Young advancing string students interested in building skills towards musical expertise, must develop skills in chunking, motor programming and monitoring music patterns simultaneously while using performance of music to lay the foundation for creating a high quality musical mental map.