Research, Conferences & Publications
The Concertmaster Project
Mary-Elizabeth started The Concertmaster Project - a long-term research endeavour aimed at using mentorship relationships to help document and preserve the art of being a orchestral leader - in 2013, with the generous help of the Ontario Arts Council. Included in the first phase project were mentors Rainer Küchl (Vienna Philharmonic), David Kim (Philadelphia Orchestra), Jonathan Crow (Toronto Symphony) Stephanie Gonley (English Chamber Orchestra), Markus Daunert (Mahler Chamber Orchestra), Noah Bendix-Bagley (Berlin Philharmonic), and Leon Spierer (Berlin Philharmonic, retired).
With the support of the Richard Schmeelk Foundation, she continued her research in the Université de Montréal’s doctoral program from 2014-2018. Using a methodology informed by oral history protocols, and viewing the project through the lens of organizational psychology, she spent time with six of Canada’s best known concertmasters including Marc Destrubé (Orchestra of the 18th Century), Jeanne Lamon (Tafelmusik), Dale Barltrop (Vancouver Symphony), Marie Berard (Canadian Opera Company) and Ben Bowman (Metropolitan Opera) to glean insights into their personal styles of playing and managing life in the first chair.
The result was a document entitled The 21st Century Concertmaster: The Modern Art of Orchestral Leadership.
Methods for Online Pedagogy
Nearly 15,000 web-based lessons have been the basis for a decade of research into effective methods for online music pedagogy.
Leveraging neuroscience and educational psychology, the results suggest that web based lessons are at least as effective as traditional teaching.
Recent related conference papers include:
2020: American String Teachers’ Association (Orlando FL); Global Leaders Program (Washington DC; video at right); Annual Conference of the Society for Online Music Education; Illinois String Teachers Association (USA)
2019: 1st Suzuki Convention of the Americas (Mexico); Royal Conservatory of Music’s Annual Summer Summit (Toronto); International Music Education Summit (Colorado); Quebec Association of Homeschoolers (Montreal)
Vygotsky, Neuroscience and the use of ZPD in violin pedagogy.
When the work of Lev Vygotsky is combined with current research on bilateral integration in the developing brain, the results are notable. Exploring the intersection of these two elements, Mary-Elizabeth’s research suggests set of new and powerful tools for web-based music pedagogy. As published by peer review in the American String Teacher, November 2020, Volume 70, No. 4.