"Mindfulness" can create musical passion, study finds

One of the messages of a new study released in the journal Psychology of Music is that practice does not, in fact, make perfect, practice merely makes permanent. The study, by Harvard University psychologist Ellen Langer and Arizona State University music professor Timothy Russell focused on the concept of "mindful performance" primarily in orchestral settings, finding that, "Individual attention to novel distinctions and subtle nuances
appears to alter the process of creative ensemble performance and lead
to music that is more enjoyable to perform and hear."

Tom Jacobs writes about the study for Miller-McCune.