The Way I Feel, the Way I Play? The role of affect in goal realization in musical practice

Abstract

We examined practice-related affect to determine the role it plays in four phases of goal realization in musical practice. Study 1 with a sample of 171 piano students and Study 2 with 235 students playing various instruments allowed for testing the relationships between four types of affect differing in valence and activation level based on the circumplex model and the phases of goal realization: practice intention, practice planning, actional phase of practice, and performance evaluation. In Study 2 we also analyzed longitudinal relationships between affect measured at Time 1 and actional phase of practice and performance evaluation measured 2 weeks later at Time 2. In both studies, highactivation positive affect was related to higher practice intention, while both high- and low-activation negative affect were related to more negative performance evaluation. The results are important for advancing affect and goal theories and for improving theoretical models of musical practice. They are relevant for music educators and music education researchers and can be used in screening and progressmonitoring efforts, shaping interventions to enhance students’ motivation to practice their instruments.