Ralo H. Formation of students-beginners’ technical skills in the process of learning to play high-pitched keyboard percussion instruments

The specifics of art to play the xylophone, marimba and vibraphone is characterized, which requires the primary formation of technical skills as the main task from the first years of study at an art school. The integration of international experience into Ukrainian music education encourages creation of methods that allow solving problems of students-beginners’ technical development. The conceptual-terminological apparatus of research on the formation of students-beginners’ technical skills in the process of learning to play high-pitched keyboard percussion instruments has been ordered. The essence of the concept of “technical skills of playing high-pitched keyboard percussion instruments” is defined, which refers to the performing and motor actions of a musician, the elements of which are automated, performed without unnecessary expenditure of physical and neuropsychic energy, characterized by ergonomics and technologicity and a block-cluster structure. It is proved that formation of technical skills given the peculiarities of the technology of playing specific musical instruments is a basic condition for the performing proficiency formation. The content and component structure of the technical skills of playing high-pitched keyboard percussion instruments are substantiated. They consist of the following block clusters: keyboard-orienting (ensures the adaptation and orientation of the performer to the keyboard features in the process of playing different pitched keyboard percussion instruments); spatial-moving (is aimed at forming the student-beginner’s skills of optimal location and movement of parts of the performing apparatus); manual-stick (ensures formation in the student-beginner of optimal performing position when playing pitched keyboard percussion instruments with two and four sticks, which is associated with the formation of optimal grip, control and manipulation of sticks); sound-producing (is aimed at forming a blow and ensures the achievement of optimal sound production, which is associated with the use of an arsenal of variable-trajectory movements, types of attacks that affect formation of various types of blows, playing techniques used in the process of playing high-pitched keyboard percussion instruments, as well as the selection of optimal localization zones for applying blows to the instrument’s plates and their use depending on the performance situation); pedal-damping (is aimed at forming skills in holding and controlling the pedal mechanism and using appropriate methods of damping the instrument’s plates). According to the results of the theoretical and practical experience monitoring and surveying teachers of specialized art education institutions, it was found that special attention in working with should be paid to the formation of a holistic complex of technical skills. A model of the methodology for the formation of students-beginners’ technical skills in the process of learning to play high-pitched keyboard percussion instruments has been developed, which consists of four blocks: target, theoretical-methodological, procedural-operational and evaluative-resultative. The first of them is based on the purpose of the study, the second contains scientific approaches as methodological basis for the study – praxeological, ergonomic, technological, systemic, which are specified in the corresponding principles: modeling lessons taking into account praxeological guidelines, the principle of ergonomics, the principle of manufacturability, the principle of integrity and the principle of structuring. The third, procedural-operational block includes pedagogical conditions, methods and stages of the formation of technical skills of students-beginners in the process of learning to play high-pitched keyboard percussion instruments, which are placed in five block clusters. The relationship between the dominant principles, pedagogical conditions and stages of the experimental methodology for the formation of students-beginners’ technical skills in the process of learning to play high-pitched keyboard percussion instruments has been proved.