Problems Experienced by Talented Young Musicians as a Result of the Failure of Other Children to Value Musical Accomplishments

Abstract

Eleven of 42 children aged 10 to 17 who participated in an interview study of the early lives of talented young musicians spontaneously remarked on problems they had experienced in connection with the failure of other children of their own age to value or appreciate the importance of musical accomplishments and the learning activities that contribute to expertise in music. The children's observations illustrate the nature of such problems, and suggest that for talented young people who are specialising in a particular area of expertise, difficulties of this kind may be more widespread and more severe than is generally appreciated.