Areas of Study and Teaching Strategies Instrumental Teaching: a case study research project

Abstract

This article reports on a research project that focused on areas of study and teaching strategies in instrumental teaching within the context of a music department in an institution of higher education. The impetus for the research project was the Music Advisors’ National Association publication Instrumental Teaching and Learning in Context (MANA, 1995), which proposed a framework for instrumental teaching drawing on two models-one for ‘areas of study’ and the other for ‘teaching styles’. The methodology was ethnographic in approach in the form of a case study involving nine instrumental teachers from the music department. Teachers and their students completed initial questionnaires that surveyed their backgrounds and perceptions of the areas of study and teaching strategies employed within their lessons. These were followed up with interviews and video recordings of lessons. The analysis highlighted the predominance of ‘technique’ and ‘command-style’ teaching strategies, suggesting an approach that is commonly described as the ‘master-apprentice’ model (Jorgensen, 2000). There were notable exceptions that provided some interesting insights. Relationships between areas of study and teaching strategies were also found, which merit further investigation.