Showing papers in "Research Studies in Music Education in 2022"
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors provided a research-based understanding of what engaging in music means to music students when they reflected on their experiences of their studies and workloads, and found that music is a holistic experience for music students.
Abstract: Enhancing our knowledge about students’ experiences during their studies in higher music education is essential to understand and support them as they cope with their specific workloads in studying music. This study provides a research-based understanding of what engaging in music means to music students when they reflected on their experiences of their studies and workloads. The data were collected from interviews with 29 students in higher music education institutions in Finland and the United Kingdom, and the analysis was conducted by following the framework of transcendental phenomenology. Music students’ experiences of their workload are connected in multifaceted ways to the meanings they ascribe to their engagement in music, such as intense and complex experiences that are also a source of vitality, their development as musicians, their creative self-expression, their interaction with others and in building a community, their personal growth and coping approaches during their studies, and the transcendental experiences they encounter during their engagement with music. Thus, the findings indicate that engaging in music is a holistic experience for music students. This study shows the importance of understanding and investing in music students’ unique workload experiences through research on the teaching and learning practices of higher music education institutions, which can in turn support music students’ well-being, learning, and future careers.
3 citations
TL;DR: This paper explored the alignment between the enacted curriculum and the national curriculum standards in the Chinese school system using a modified version of the Surveys of Enacted Curriculum (SEC) for music.
Abstract: Alignment between curriculum standards and teachers’ classroom instructional practices is critical in assessing curriculum implementation effectiveness and students’ learning. Using a modified version of the Surveys of Enacted Curriculum (SEC) for music, this study explored the alignment between the enacted curriculum and the national curriculum standards in the Chinese school system. Curriculum standards and classroom instructional practices were represented using sets of two-dimensional matrices that comprised content themes and five learning domains: Cognitive, Affective, Psychomotor, Social, and Cultural (the CAPSCt model). The results showed an overall high level of alignment (0.81–0.90). It was also suggested that the degree of alignment gradually decreased from the low grade to high grade band. Individual variations were evident in both the learning content and learning objectives, in which more emphasis was put on cognitive, affective, and psychomotor development than on social and cultural aspects. Methodological challenges and implications of the CAPSCt model for assessing curriculum enactment are also discussed.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors analyze and discuss Australian music teachers' perceptions of confidence, preference, and usage of music technologies, combined with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) while teaching during COVID-19.
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic forced music teachers to modify their practice as delivery moved online in education settings around the globe. This article forms part of our wider study, Re-imaging the future: Music teaching and learning, and ICT in blended environments in Australia, that commenced in March 2021. In this article, the authors analyze and discuss Australian music teachers’ perceptions of confidence, preference, and usage of music technologies, combined with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) while teaching during COVID-19. Employing a quantitative methodology from data collected using an anonymous survey ( N = 105), they report on teachers’ attitudinal responses about ICT devices, confidence, and technology usage. The findings outline descriptive and correlational analyses between ICT use and teachers’ integration of various devices, software, and related music technologies. The data show that teachers adapted their practice during this time of uncertainty, reporting increased confidence, application, and ICT usage. Data revealed an increase in the use of multiple technologies, resources, and software, which became an essential component of online teaching. The article concludes with recommendations for a longitudinal study of ICT usage in music education across Australia, accompanied by suggestions for increased professional learning, initial teacher training, changes in practice, and contingencies to sustain online learning into the future.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors present extracts from transcribed video recordings of the completed participatory action research that identify preservice music teachers' positioning in interactions as a response to the challenges posed by action research events.
Abstract: This article reports the results of a participatory action research study into Norwegian generalist music teacher education, that intended to develop spaces for preservice music teachers to foster agency and prepare for future teaching. We aimed to challenge the discursive practice of generalist music teacher education through participatory action research conducted from January to April 2020 at two central teacher education institutions in Norway. In this article, we present extracts from transcribed video recordings of the completed participatory action research that identify preservice music teachers’ positioning in interactions as a response to the challenges posed by action research events. Through our analysis, which draws on positioning theory from discourse psychology, we identify three primary positions taken up by preservice music teachers: (a) novices, (b) not yet independent, and (c) resource persons. The study identifies a need to interrupt traditional music teaching as a discursive practice that maintains power relations that obstruct preservice music teachers’ agency in their education. We conclude that more systematic long-term work is needed to change both educator and student habits and mind-sets.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this article , a case study was conducted to observe music educators and special education paraprofessionals in a learning community that examined their perceptions and necessary practices needed to teach music to students with disabilities.
Abstract: The purpose of this instrumental case study was to observe music educators and special education paraprofessionals (SEPs) in a learning community that examined their perceptions and necessary practices needed to teach music to students with disabilities. The primary question of this study was: How may a community of practice (CoP) offer collaboration and instructional support for music educators and SEPs? Participants found the collaborative nature of the group to be the most beneficial. While instructional practices were moderately impacted, participants’ perceptions of their colleagues were changed. Participants also discovered similarities between their positions and shared concerns over systemic issues in education which impacted their positions within their school communities.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors analyze and discuss Australian music teachers' perceptions of confidence, preference, and usage of music technologies, combined with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) while teaching during COVID-19.
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic forced music teachers to modify their practice as delivery moved online in education settings around the globe. This article forms part of our wider study, Re-imaging the future: Music teaching and learning, and ICT in blended environments in Australia, that commenced in March 2021. In this article, the authors analyze and discuss Australian music teachers’ perceptions of confidence, preference, and usage of music technologies, combined with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) while teaching during COVID-19. Employing a quantitative methodology from data collected using an anonymous survey (N = 105), they report on teachers’ attitudinal responses about ICT devices, confidence, and technology usage. The findings outline descriptive and correlational analyses between ICT use and teachers’ integration of various devices, software, and related music technologies. The data show that teachers adapted their practice during this time of uncertainty, reporting increased confidence, application, and ICT usage. Data revealed an increase in the use of multiple technologies, resources, and software, which became an essential component of online teaching. The article concludes with recommendations for a longitudinal study of ICT usage in music education across Australia, accompanied by suggestions for increased professional learning, initial teacher training, changes in practice, and contingencies to sustain online learning into the future.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors identified and analyzed assessment for learning strategies employed by six Canadian music educators to support and develop student creativity, including developing assessment criteria, encouraging creative processes, optimizing the classroom context, and activating self-assessment.
Abstract: This article reports research that identified and analyzed assessment for learning strategies employed by six Canadian music educators to support and develop student creativity. Findings include descriptions of creativity-nurturing practices organized into four categories: (a) developing assessment criteria, (b) encouraging creative processes, (c) optimizing the classroom context, and (d) activating self-assessment. Results include detailed descriptions of strategies that educators can employ to leverage formative assessment to nurture student creativity within and beyond music education contexts.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors explore taste processes within a group of musical theater students and their voice teacher, the latter also acting as researcher, while working with an aesthetically broad repertoire in a higher education setting in Norway.
Abstract: This article explores taste processes within a group of musical theater students and their voice teacher, the latter also acting as researcher, while working with an aesthetically broad repertoire in a higher education setting in Norway. The study is designed using an action research approach, and the collected data—students’ reflection notes, the researcher’s field notes, and workshop recordings—are analyzed through Antoine Hennion’s theoretical framework of taste as a performance that acts, engages, transforms, and is felt, and which involves skills and sensitizing. In the social sciences, taste is commonly regarded as a matter of cultural consumption. This article argues that tastes are also part of cultural production: musicians, here musical theater performers, are to be seen as music lovers, performing tastes that stabilize or challenge established taste patterns in the form of styles, genres, or traditions. Accounting for situations where tastes are performed, tested, and negotiated, this article argues that tastes have a history but are brought into a negotiating presence, producing implications for the future; in this case, tastes form vocal behaviors and vocal behaviors form tastes. Hence, in musical theater education, taste, taste-making, and taste-testing are part of systematic and formal pedagogics and students’ ongoing vocal training.
2 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors present extracts from transcribed video recordings of the completed participatory action research that identify preservice music teachers' positioning in interactions as a response to the challenges posed by action research events.
Abstract: This article reports the results of a participatory action research study into Norwegian generalist music teacher education, that intended to develop spaces for preservice music teachers to foster agency and prepare for future teaching. We aimed to challenge the discursive practice of generalist music teacher education through participatory action research conducted from January to April 2020 at two central teacher education institutions in Norway. In this article, we present extracts from transcribed video recordings of the completed participatory action research that identify preservice music teachers’ positioning in interactions as a response to the challenges posed by action research events. Through our analysis, which draws on positioning theory from discourse psychology, we identify three primary positions taken up by preservice music teachers: (a) novices, (b) not yet independent, and (c) resource persons. The study identifies a need to interrupt traditional music teaching as a discursive practice that maintains power relations that obstruct preservice music teachers’ agency in their education. We conclude that more systematic long-term work is needed to change both educator and student habits and mind-sets.
2 citations
TL;DR: In this article , a survey of music teachers working in schools of music and arts that were selected using a quota sampling strategy was conducted, and the authors found that while the teaching content encompasses a wide range of musical genres and styles, various styles of popular music predominate.
Abstract: In 1997, Norway became the first country to make statutory provision for schools of music and arts requiring every municipality to run such a school. Based on an explicit vision of “schools of music and arts for everyone,” the aim is to provide music education for all children, regardless of social and economic background. Despite their statutory status, there are no official documents regulating the teaching content. The schools have an advisory curriculum framework, but as this framework barely mentions musical genres, teachers are free to choose content and modes of instruction. In this article, we address the following research questions: What kinds of music are used as teaching content in the schools of music and arts? Who, and what, decide which music is used? We report the findings from a survey of music teachers ( N = 151) working in schools of music and arts that were selected using a quota sampling strategy. The survey questionnaire comprised both structured and open-ended questions. We found that while the teaching content encompasses a wide range of musical genres and styles, various styles of popular music predominate. Moreover, the teachers’ own choice of music was altogether the most prominent option, along with other categories involving teacher-led decisions. Our findings also suggest that the teachers’ own preferences and taste in music had a certain impact on the content used. However, the students’ and teachers’ influence on the teaching content seems to vary with the musical style/genre being taught. Students’ preferences were emphasized to a higher degree when teaching popular music, while the teachers decided what music to play more often when teaching art music/classical music. The findings are discussed against Kallio’s ideas of the school censorship frame, and the authors argue that the wider cultural-musical heritage seems to be a strong force when making decisions about teaching content.
2 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors report the findings from a survey of music teachers working in schools of music and arts that were selected using a quota sampling strategy, and argue that the wider cultural-musical heritage seems to be a strong force when making decisions about teaching content.
Abstract: In 1997, Norway became the first country to make statutory provision for schools of music and arts requiring every municipality to run such a school. Based on an explicit vision of “schools of music and arts for everyone,” the aim is to provide music education for all children, regardless of social and economic background. Despite their statutory status, there are no official documents regulating the teaching content. The schools have an advisory curriculum framework, but as this framework barely mentions musical genres, teachers are free to choose content and modes of instruction. In this article, we address the following research questions: What kinds of music are used as teaching content in the schools of music and arts? Who, and what, decide which music is used? We report the findings from a survey of music teachers (N = 151) working in schools of music and arts that were selected using a quota sampling strategy. The survey questionnaire comprised both structured and open-ended questions. We found that while the teaching content encompasses a wide range of musical genres and styles, various styles of popular music predominate. Moreover, the teachers’ own choice of music was altogether the most prominent option, along with other categories involving teacher-led decisions. Our findings also suggest that the teachers’ own preferences and taste in music had a certain impact on the content used. However, the students’ and teachers’ influence on the teaching content seems to vary with the musical style/genre being taught. Students’ preferences were emphasized to a higher degree when teaching popular music, while the teachers decided what music to play more often when teaching art music/classical music. The findings are discussed against Kallio’s ideas of the school censorship frame, and the authors argue that the wider cultural-musical heritage seems to be a strong force when making decisions about teaching content.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors provided a research-based understanding of what engaging in music means to music students when they reflected on their experiences of their studies and workloads, and found that music is a holistic experience for music students.
Abstract: Enhancing our knowledge about students’ experiences during their studies in higher music education is essential to understand and support them as they cope with their specific workloads in studying music. This study provides a research-based understanding of what engaging in music means to music students when they reflected on their experiences of their studies and workloads. The data were collected from interviews with 29 students in higher music education institutions in Finland and the United Kingdom, and the analysis was conducted by following the framework of transcendental phenomenology. Music students’ experiences of their workload are connected in multifaceted ways to the meanings they ascribe to their engagement in music, such as intense and complex experiences that are also a source of vitality, their development as musicians, their creative self-expression, their interaction with others and in building a community, their personal growth and coping approaches during their studies, and the transcendental experiences they encounter during their engagement with music. Thus, the findings indicate that engaging in music is a holistic experience for music students. This study shows the importance of understanding and investing in music students’ unique workload experiences through research on the teaching and learning practices of higher music education institutions, which can in turn support music students’ well-being, learning, and future careers.
TL;DR: The authors identified the levels of pedagogical thinking in students and educators through studying their reflections on piano courses and found that student teachers reflected on an action level rather than upon metatheory.
Abstract: Reflection is a key component in teachers’ educational programs. As teachers transfer human values through the subject(s) they teach, their pedagogical thinking plays an essential role in decision-making. As part of the Arctic Reformative and Exploratory Teaching Profession (ArkTOP) project (Finland), this case study examines the potential for developing pedagogical thinking in the education of primary school teachers. The aim of this study was to identify the levels of pedagogical thinking in students and educators through studying their reflections on piano courses. The results indicated that student teachers reflected on an action level rather than upon metatheory. Teacher educators shared reflections from both an object theory and metatheory level, while the student teachers’ reflections were focused on their individual skills when making music. Thus, teacher educators should offer student teachers more guidance on how to reflect upon their activities and provide argumentation for their possible pedagogical decisions.
TL;DR: In this paper , a collective case study was conducted to gain an in-depth and contextualized understanding of such practice and performance management strategies in relation to mock orchestra auditions and found that emerging professional musicians, defined as promising musicians entering the professional circuit without having yet established full-time employment, require effective practice-and performance strategies to manage the demands of auditions.
Abstract: Orchestra auditions form a critical career challenge for many aspiring classical musicians. Hence, emerging professional musicians—defined as promising musicians entering the professional circuit without having yet established full-time employment—require effective practice and performance strategies to manage the demands of auditions. The purpose of this collective case study was to gain an in-depth and contextualized understanding of such practice and performance management strategies in relation to mock orchestra auditions. Data were collected using an intensive qualitative approach, combining semi-structured interviews with regular structured monitoring interviews, with eight musicians. Content analysis revealed that participants, on average, engaged in 33 hr of music-related activities per week, during which they adopted self-regulating strategies (i.e., strategic goal setting, structuring practice, monitoring practice, and reflecting on progress) to a varying degree. Furthermore, participants used different performance management strategies to cope with the pressure of auditions (i.e., practicing under pressure, imagery, relaxation, cognitive reframing, routines, attentional control, and substance use). Overall, the data suggest that the emerging musicians possessed several different practice and performance strategies but showed great variation in the use of such strategies and had a preference for long practice hours. Potential implications for music education organizations aiming to prepare students for auditions are discussed.
TL;DR: This article identified the levels of pedagogical thinking in students and educators through studying their reflections on piano courses and found that student teachers reflected on an action level rather than upon metatheory.
Abstract: Reflection is a key component in teachers’ educational programs. As teachers transfer human values through the subject(s) they teach, their pedagogical thinking plays an essential role in decision-making. As part of the Arctic Reformative and Exploratory Teaching Profession (ArkTOP) project (Finland), this case study examines the potential for developing pedagogical thinking in the education of primary school teachers. The aim of this study was to identify the levels of pedagogical thinking in students and educators through studying their reflections on piano courses. The results indicated that student teachers reflected on an action level rather than upon metatheory. Teacher educators shared reflections from both an object theory and metatheory level, while the student teachers’ reflections were focused on their individual skills when making music. Thus, teacher educators should offer student teachers more guidance on how to reflect upon their activities and provide argumentation for their possible pedagogical decisions.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors examined how instrumental music teachers navigate the high-stakes policy of an adjudicated large-ensemble contest within and beyond their classrooms and found that teachers working in these contexts experience unique challenges in preparing for and succeeding in adjudication events due to the intersection of campus-based challenges and policy.
Abstract: The culture of competition in music education is pervasive, reflecting the overall growth in standardization and accountability measures in education. With this study, I addressed the intersection of two underexamined topics in music education: teachers’ experience with competitive ensemble events and the structural challenges of working in a low-income, student of color (SOC) majority campus. In this basic qualitative study, I examined how instrumental music teachers navigate the high-stakes policy of an adjudicated large-ensemble contest within and beyond their classrooms. Research questions include the following: (a) What do teachers perceive to be the unique challenges they face in preparing for and participating in ensemble adjudication as a result of their context in a low-income, SOC-majority campus? (b) How does preparation and participation ensemble adjudication influence teaching and learning in instrumental music classrooms? (c) What do teachers perceive to be the function and justification for compulsory ensemble adjudication? Findings suggest that teachers working in these contexts experience unique challenges in preparing for and succeeding in adjudication events due to the intersection of campus-based challenges and policy. In addition, music teachers experience similar narrowing of content and heightened stress as their general education counterparts within accountability structures.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors describe an extensive list of indicators that could ascertain the pedagogical practices and intellectual quality of knowledge work indicating the strength of inquiry in music classrooms, and show the relationships between these indicators that help us understand the enablers and hindrances to critical thinking as an aspect of IBL in music.
Abstract: Many scholars have advocated the addition of more intellectual activities in music classrooms, the most prominent being critical thinking through inquiry. Inquiry-based learning (IBL) has been recognized as necessary for teaching and learning that increases critical thinking skills and dispositions. This study describes an extensive list of indicators that could ascertain the pedagogical practices and intellectual quality of knowledge work indicating the strength of inquiry in music classrooms. It shows the relationships between these indicators that help us understand the enablers and hindrances to critical thinking as an aspect of IBL in music. The article focuses on the Descriptive Statistics results of 114 classroom observations for music at the Primary and Secondary levels, using coding schemes developed in the Singapore Core3-PP project from 2018 to 2020. The results confirm the gap identified in the literature that music classes lack significant inquiry work that would nurture critical thinking skills and dispositions. The findings provide pedagogical insights that can (a) inform educators on how to examine and grow their IBL practice in music lessons; (b) move music education’s objective toward a balanced development of music skills and knowledge construction; (c) develop critical musicality and independent musicianship among students; and (d) provide concrete measures for researchers to design interventions in the areas of teacher learning in IBL.
TL;DR: Overall, the data suggest that the emerging musicians possessed several different practice and performance strategies but showed great variation in the use of such strategies and had a preference for long practice hours.
Abstract: Orchestra auditions form a critical career challenge for many aspiring classical musicians. Hence, emerging professional musicians—defined as promising musicians entering the professional circuit without having yet established full-time employment—require effective practice and performance strategies to manage the demands of auditions. The purpose of this collective case study was to gain an in-depth and contextualized understanding of such practice and performance management strategies in relation to mock orchestra auditions. Data were collected using an intensive qualitative approach, combining semi-structured interviews with regular structured monitoring interviews, with eight musicians. Content analysis revealed that participants, on average, engaged in 33 hr of music-related activities per week, during which they adopted self-regulating strategies (i.e., strategic goal setting, structuring practice, monitoring practice, and reflecting on progress) to a varying degree. Furthermore, participants used different performance management strategies to cope with the pressure of auditions (i.e., practicing under pressure, imagery, relaxation, cognitive reframing, routines, attentional control, and substance use). Overall, the data suggest that the emerging musicians possessed several different practice and performance strategies but showed great variation in the use of such strategies and had a preference for long practice hours. Potential implications for music education organizations aiming to prepare students for auditions are discussed.
TL;DR: The authors in this paper investigated the process of composing educational music and found that composers in this study used a variety of compositional techniques at all stages of the compositional process (conceptualizing, writing, and refining) to promote the development of student musicians.
Abstract: The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the process of composing educational music. As part of a research project titled Sound Connections: Composing Educational Music Canadian composers completed email interviews, responding to semi-structured questions about the process of composing educational music. Using qualitative data analysis, we sought to understand better this process and found that the composers in this study used a variety of compositional techniques at all stages of the compositional process (conceptualizing, writing, and refining) to promote the development of student musicians. Key findings included the importance of balancing skills review and challenge; the use of form, timbre, and harmony for the development of communication and listening skills specific to the ensemble context; the use of elements from various musical styles to support music appreciation; and the encouragement of student collaboration in the creative process of composition. An unexpected finding was the importance of composer collaboration with teachers and students in the composing process. The knowledge gained in this study adds to the literature on this under-researched topic, and may help composers, student composers, and composition teachers develop a better understanding of and appreciation for educational music, thereby encouraging educational music composition. In addition, the findings of this study may assist teachers in the difficult task of choosing educational music for their students.
TL;DR: In this article , a study was conducted to investigate student perceptions of repertoire in college music ensembles and found that students perceive current ensemble repertoire as representative and supportive of their self-identities.
Abstract: Culturally responsive pedagogy in music education is becoming increasingly crucial for all students, in all types of music programs, and at all levels of education as demographic shifts occur in schools. In music ensembles, the selection of repertoire is a critical component of culturally responsive pedagogy. The purpose of this study was to investigate student perceptions of repertoire in college music ensembles. This study was guided by the following research questions: (a) Do students perceive current ensemble repertoire as representative and supportive of their self-identities? (b) What are these perceptions according to students’ race or ethnicity, gender, and ensemble type? (c) What factors do students consider important in directors’ selection of repertoire? (d) How are directors’ current repertoire selection practices, as experienced by the respondents, informed by or responsive to gender and racial diversity in the ensembles? Respondents ( N = 278) were graduate and undergraduate college students enrolled in band, choir, or orchestra. Data were collected through an online questionnaire. Overall, respondents felt that current repertoire practices were representative and supportive, although male respondents rated composer gender as lower in importance in repertoire selection than both females and those not identifying as male or female. White students indicated that they felt repertoire selection was more representative of their gender than Black, Indigenous, and other students of color. Respondents also indicated a desire for more underrepresented composers in ensemble repertoire. Numerous implications are provided, including the need for an increased focus on culturally responsive repertoire selection processes in teacher preparation programs.
TL;DR: In this paper , a longitudinal study was conducted in a primary school in Japan to assess the long-term impact of music education, and the intention of understanding the meaning of primary music education from the perspectives of the learners was discussed.
Abstract: In this article, based on a longitudinal study that the author conducted in a primary school in Japan, a methodology for assessing the long-term impact of music education is discussed. With the intention of understanding the meaning of primary music education from the perspectives of the learners, retrospective data were collected from former primary school students who became university students. Methodological possibilities are discussed in the light of nine themes, including the use of retrospective data and video recordings, focus group interviews, the involvement of teachers, subjectivity, and the view of narrative understanding. While most impact case studies pay little attention to how student learning actually takes place, the proposed methodology in this article emphasizes the importance of qualitative understanding in the initial stages as well as underscoring learners’ retrospective valuations of their own learning experiences.
TL;DR: In this paper , a study-specific questionnaire was developed that examined singers' imagery use and found that singers used imagery most for characterization (i.e., portraying a character or feeling), followed by goals, vocal technique, and performance anxiety regulation.
Abstract: Previous sport research has demonstrated that athletes of higher levels employ imagery more than low-level athletes. Because there is currently little research on imagery’s application in singers, the purpose of the present study was to investigate whether this finding is reflected in low-level and high-level singers. A study-specific questionnaire was developed that examined singers’ imagery use. The questionnaire consisted of four subscales that assessed vocal technique, performance anxiety regulation, goals, and characterization. It was found that singers used imagery most for characterization (i.e., portraying a character or feeling), followed by goals, vocal technique, and performance anxiety regulation. No differences existed between professional and student singers’ imagery use. There was a significant difference between males and females on the characterization subscale, suggesting that female singers may use imagery for characterization more so than males. Introducing this approach to imagery to singers and teachers of singing has the potential to influence music education in school settings and impact curriculum development.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors examined the connection between music self-efficacy and learning and playing habits of amateur musicians who had preferences for online music tutorials as an informal learning technique.
Abstract: Music self-efficacy has been acknowledged as a strong predictor of successful performance among musicians and music students, but is less researched among amateur musicians. The purpose of this study is to examine the connection between music self-efficacy and learning and playing habits of amateur musicians who had preferences for online music tutorials as an informal learning technique. Two hundred and twenty-two amateur musicians completed four research questionnaires: (a) a general background questionnaire including learning and playing habits, (b) music self-efficacy, (c) self-esteem, and (d) online music tutorials users’ preferences, which distinguish between autonomy online music tutorials (fostering independent learners, incorporating context, and background) and dependent online music tutorials (offering mainly imitation options and providing little further knowledge). The results of the study supported the hypotheses, which predicted high music self-efficacy to be associated with the use of autonomy online music tutorials, co-playing, studying with a teacher, and self-esteem, and low music self-efficacy to be associated with the use of dependent online music tutorials. As music self-efficacy is crucial for students’ learning processes, we argue that music educators could refer students to optimal use of online music tutorials, thus fostering autonomous learners. Further research is required for clarifying the impact of personal characteristics and playing habits among amateur musicians on their music self-efficacy.
TL;DR: The authors explored teachers' perceptions of pedagogical priorities in the development of self-efficacy and determined the optimal means by which positive self-perceptions and subsequent musical achievement could be most effectively fostered within music environments.
Abstract: Self-efficacy is a key factor in performance success, yet little is known about how music educators nurture students’ self-belief within studio and class music lessons. This study explored teachers’ perceptions of pedagogical priorities in the development of self-efficacy. The goal was to understand how teachers intuitively nurture students’ performance self-efficacy and determine the optimal means by which positive self-perceptions and subsequent musical achievement could be most effectively fostered within music environments. Australian music educators ( n = 304) responded to a questionnaire asking them to share their strategies for helping students cope with common performance scenarios (exam, first concert, negative experience, and sub-par performance) and key performance issues such as music performance anxiety and confidence. Qualitative analyses coded to the four self-efficacy sources revealed that teachers preferred to focus on mastery experiences and employ verbal persuasion. The development of vicarious experience or the psychological performance skills that would benefit physiological and affective states were given substantially lower priority. There were also some significant between-group findings in the way that studio and school classroom teachers employed verbal persuasion which may be a reflection of the different teaching environments. Efforts to enhance performance self-efficacy could focus on the less-utilized sources. Further recommendations and implications for music pedagogy are outlined.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors collected data pertaining to vocal function and voice-learning experiences during adolescence from an anonymous cohort of female adolescent singing students in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Abstract: Female adolescent voice change (FAVC) is characterized by objectively measurable developments in both physiological and acoustical aspects of voice. Despite these observable changes, this period of vocal development has had little representation in both scientific and pedagogical research. Furthermore, few studies have articulated the perceptions and experiences of FAVC from the point of view of the singers themselves. This exploratory study collected data pertaining to vocal function and voice-learning experiences during adolescence from an anonymous cohort of female adolescent singing students in Aotearoa New Zealand. A link to an anonymous online questionnaire was disseminated through national online advertising and snowballing to prospective participants (cis-gender female adolescent singers aged 16–19 years). Using nonparametric statistical tests and qualitative analyses, significant associations were found between objective and perceptual measures of vocal function, voice-learning experience, and lesson delivery context. Participants who take individual singing lessons reported greater self-perceived ease of vocal function than those who take small group lessons. The FAVC is a stage of vocal and psycho-emotional development that may be either healthily facilitated or hindered by the level of student understanding of normal vocal-developmental characteristics as well as lesson delivery format. Data from this study add to a limited pool that aims to quantify the FAVC experience from an experiential perspective and will assist in refining pedagogical strategies for working with female adolescent singers.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors investigate how egotism was experienced in the lives of 15 musicians and music professionals and find that self-preservation, other-relegation, elitism, and interpersonal harms are common themes in music scholarship.
Abstract: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate how egotism was experienced in the lives of 15 musicians and music professionals. Participants representing a broad range of musical backgrounds shared accounts spanning teacher–student, conductor–performer, peer–peer, colleague–colleague, and internalized relations with arrogance. Data collection included one-on-one interviews, collaborative phenomenological texts, and hermeneutic reflections. Through the process of epoché, phenomenological reduction, and imaginative variation, four themes materialized: (a) self-preservation, (b) other-relegation, (c) elitism, and (d) interpersonal harms. The essence of the phenomenon surfaced as the social negotiation of power. Participants identified egotism as stemming from one’s efforts to (re)gain or preserve power as they worked to strip power away from others. Given pervasive feelings of powerlessness, worthlessness, and trauma among participants, I argue that a sense of urgency in addressing egotism within music scholarship is necessary—particularly in the interest of supporting humane and ethical musical relationships.
TL;DR: The authors in this article investigated the process of composing educational music and found that composers in this study used a variety of compositional techniques at all stages of the compositional process (conceptualizing, writing, and refining) to promote the development of student musicians.
Abstract: The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the process of composing educational music. As part of a research project titled Sound Connections: Composing Educational Music Canadian composers completed email interviews, responding to semi-structured questions about the process of composing educational music. Using qualitative data analysis, we sought to understand better this process and found that the composers in this study used a variety of compositional techniques at all stages of the compositional process (conceptualizing, writing, and refining) to promote the development of student musicians. Key findings included the importance of balancing skills review and challenge; the use of form, timbre, and harmony for the development of communication and listening skills specific to the ensemble context; the use of elements from various musical styles to support music appreciation; and the encouragement of student collaboration in the creative process of composition. An unexpected finding was the importance of composer collaboration with teachers and students in the composing process. The knowledge gained in this study adds to the literature on this under-researched topic, and may help composers, student composers, and composition teachers develop a better understanding of and appreciation for educational music, thereby encouraging educational music composition. In addition, the findings of this study may assist teachers in the difficult task of choosing educational music for their students.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors present data collected in an ethnographic case study exploring monthly participatory community singing events in one city in the American Midwest, and analyze these data through the lens of a "traditional" choral conductor who, prior to undertaking this investigation, had little knowledge about participatory singing traditions.
Abstract: This article conveys data collected in an ethnographic case study exploring monthly participatory community singing events in one city in the American Midwest. I analyze these data through the lens of a “traditional” choral conductor who, prior to undertaking this investigation, had little knowledge about participatory singing traditions; I also utilize scholarship about participatory versus presentational music activities as defined by Turino. Themes that arose during data analysis include: the context of folk music culture of Middletown, the inclusivity of community singing events, the role of the song-leader in facilitating these events, and “wounding stories” from participants who were discouraged by music educators. Perhaps in reflecting on the dichotomy between performative and participatory singing events, the choral community may begin to unlearn strictures that make some singers feel unwelcome.
TL;DR: In this paper , a longitudinal study was conducted in a primary school in Japan to understand the meaning of primary music education from the perspectives of learners, and retrospective data were collected from former primary school students who became university students.
Abstract: In this article, based on a longitudinal study that the author conducted in a primary school in Japan, a methodology for assessing the long-term impact of music education is discussed. With the intention of understanding the meaning of primary music education from the perspectives of the learners, retrospective data were collected from former primary school students who became university students. Methodological possibilities are discussed in the light of nine themes, including the use of retrospective data and video recordings, focus group interviews, the involvement of teachers, subjectivity, and the view of narrative understanding. While most impact case studies pay little attention to how student learning actually takes place, the proposed methodology in this article emphasizes the importance of qualitative understanding in the initial stages as well as underscoring learners’ retrospective valuations of their own learning experiences.
TL;DR: In this article , a study-specific questionnaire was developed that examined singers' imagery use and found that singers used imagery most for characterization (i.e., portraying a character or feeling), followed by goals, vocal technique, and performance anxiety regulation.
Abstract: Previous sport research has demonstrated that athletes of higher levels employ imagery more than low-level athletes. Because there is currently little research on imagery’s application in singers, the purpose of the present study was to investigate whether this finding is reflected in low-level and high-level singers. A study-specific questionnaire was developed that examined singers’ imagery use. The questionnaire consisted of four subscales that assessed vocal technique, performance anxiety regulation, goals, and characterization. It was found that singers used imagery most for characterization (i.e., portraying a character or feeling), followed by goals, vocal technique, and performance anxiety regulation. No differences existed between professional and student singers’ imagery use. There was a significant difference between males and females on the characterization subscale, suggesting that female singers may use imagery for characterization more so than males. Introducing this approach to imagery to singers and teachers of singing has the potential to influence music education in school settings and impact curriculum development.