Dr George Waddell

BMus, MMus, PhD, ARCT

Lecturer in Performance Science

Doctoral Supervisor

Area Leader in Performance Science

Performance Research and Innovation Fellow

George Waddell is Performance Research and Innovation Fellow at the Royal College of Music. He is also Area Leader in Performance Science for the BMus programme and an honorary Research Associate in the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London. His research focusses on understanding and optimising how performers learn and are evaluated, including decision-making among judges, the development of evaluative skills, and how technology can be used to enhance how performance is assessed and learned.

George works closely with experts across fields to examine parallels in performance practice and to develop and deliver bespoke performance training to students and professionals, including stage presentation skills, managing performance anxiety, and working creatively under pressure. As Area Leader in Performance Science he oversees a range of BMus RCM modules ensuring that students benefit from the latest research and scientific knowledge in their training. He designs and leads courses on scientific research methods, the psychology of performance, enterprise and innovation, professional skills, musicians’ health and wellbeing, and the science and practice of performance evaluation. He is a coauthor of the research methods textbook Performing Music Research (Oxford University Press) and serves as a consultant on external research projects.

George holds a PhD in Performance Science from the RCM. He completed his BMus and MMus in piano performance at Brandon University (Canada) while studying psychology. He was awarded the Brandon University Gold Medal for the Master of Music Degree, was a recipient of the Manitoba Graduate Scholarship, and holds an ARCT Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He is a Consulting Editor for the journal Musicae Scientiae and an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Performance Science.

Selected publications

Ramirez R & Waddell G (2022), Technology-enhanced learning of performance, in GE McPherson (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Music Performance Volume 2, Oxford University Press [ISBN 9780190058869].

Waddell G & Williamon A (2022) Measuring the audience, in S Lee (ed.), Scholarly Research for Musicians (2nd edition), Routledge [ISBN 9780367722180].

Williamon A, Ginsborg J, Perkins R, & Waddell G (2021), Performing Music Research: Methods in Music Education, Psychology, and Performance Science, Oxford University Press [ISBN 9780198714545] [WEBSITE].

Dalmazzo DC, Waddell G, & Ramirez R (2021), Applying deep learning techniques to estimate patterns of musical gesture, Frontiers in Psychology, 11 (575971), 1-15 [DOI].

Waddell G, Perkins R, & Williamon A (2019), The Evaluation Simulator: a new approach to training music performance assessment, Frontiers in Psychology, 10 (557), 1-17 [DOI].

Waddell G & Williamon A (2019), Technology use and attitudes in music learning, Frontiers in ICT, 6 (11), 1-14 [DOI].

Waddell G, Perkins R, & Williamon A (2018), Making an impression: error location and repertoire features affect performance quality rating processes, Music Perception, 36, 60-76 [DOI].

Waddell G & Williamon A (2017), Eye of the beholder: stage entrance behavior and facial expression affect continuous quality ratings in music performance, Frontiers in Psychology, 8 (513), 1-14 [DOI] [VIDEO].

Find out more about George and the Centre of Performance Science. Visit website

Find out about the TELMI project. Visit website

Faculties / departments: Research, Academic staff