Instrumental Music Education Research Articles

An active e-book to foster self-regulation in music education

Purpose– The purpose of this work is to analyze the concept of self-regulated learning and applying it to a web-based interface for music teaching.Design/methodology/approach– This work starts from a systematic review about music education and self-regulation during learning processes. Then, the paper identifies those meta-cognitive strategies that music students should adopt during their instrumental practice. The goal is applying such concepts to rethink the structure of a didactic e-book for instrumental music education. Thanks to the adoption of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1599 standard, the paper outlines a model of active e-book able to improve learners’ performances through proper cognitive and multi-modal scaffolds. In the last section, the design principles for an implementation will be proposed.Findings– This work applies theoretical research on self-regulated learning to the design and implementation of a working prototype.Research limitations/implications– A limitation is the lack of experimentation data, required to test the efficacy and effectiveness of the proposed e-book model and its impact on self-regulated music abilities. A validation strategy – e.g. based on scenarios – will be proposed in our future works, thanks to the support of music learning centres and focus groups composed by young Italian students.Originality/value– This work has been invited as an extension of the paper presented by the authors at EL2014 International Conference held in Lisbon. The previous work has been awarded as the best paper of the conference. In this extension, the authors provide further details about the proposed framework, highlighting in particular the implementation of scaffolds in the interface.

Learning How to Be a Research-Minded Teacher

Increasing evidence, both in general education and music education, points to the significance of inquiry as a part of teacher preparation. The purpose of this case study was to investigate the ways in which an introductory research project would help preservice music educators understand good music teaching and to discover the extent to which such an experience might foster a continued interest in inquiry. Four upper-level instrumental music education students participated in this case study of their case study of an instrumental music teacher, conducted in the context of an instrumental methods course. The student researchers gathered and analyzed data, presented them to their peers, and submitted a written case study as their final project for the semester. The guiding question for this study was, “What does an inquiry-based case study project reveal about preservice music educators’ images and beliefs in relation to good music teaching?”

A View of Current Evaluative Practices in Instrumental Music Teacher Education

The purpose of this study was to examine how instrumental music educator skills are being evaluated in current undergraduate programs. While accrediting organizations mandate certain elements of these programs, they provide limited guidance on what evaluative approaches should be used. Instrumental music teacher educators in the College Music Society (n = 303) supplied data about their respective programs through an online survey. Participants reported using written and verbal feedback, self-evaluation, and rubrics most frequently. Similar evaluation processes used across program courses or experiences, such as rubrics and ePortfolios, were described by 35 percent of the music teacher educators. Most programs culminated in a semester-long student teaching period, during which preservice teachers were observed and evaluated by university supervisors three to four times. Weak correlations were indicated between some evaluative practices and music teacher educators’ expectations for program graduates’ music educator skills. Implications for music teacher education programs and suggestions for establishing evaluation policies are discussed.

The Construction of Instrumental Music Teacher Identity

Abstract The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study is to uncover various discourses that constituted the identity construction of three instrumental music teachers. I apply a poststructural theoretical framework--particularly the ideas of discourse, discursive field, and performativity--and narrative analysis to uncover a variety of discourses that shape music teacher identity. The data I collected includes interviews, journal entries, and observations of three band teachers over the course of one school year. I employ narrative analysis to analyze data and to uncover how the participants constructed their music teacher identities in the practice of teaching. I identified four themes related to the construction of their music teacher identities: (a) pedagogical discourses that conflict, (b) subordination of music as a discipline, (c) negotiation of class and race, and (d) performativity of sexuality. The findings suggest that these discourses constitute the performativity of instrumental music teacher identity and have implications for music teacher education and music teacher identity research.

Characterizing Communal Creativity in Instrumental Group Learning

Situated broadly within the field of secondary (high) school education, and with a specific focus on the subject area (and extra-curricular educational setting) of instrumental music education, this essay provides evidence of the meaning of communal creativity as it arises in three interrelated practices: creative learning practice, creative teaching practice, and creative teacher leadership practice. This article reports on how learning is enhanced by experiences of communal creativity as illustrated in the case of a particular instrumental ensemble called Percussion 1. Findings support the specific nature of communal creativity, expressed in terms of embodiment, immersion, enhancement, and empowerment, and constituted socially (made manifest in a social context) through activity. Communal creativity has the potential to transform the experience of instrumental group learning with regard to the pedagogical values that aim to engage the whole community of learners.

Using Longitudinal Scales Assessment for Instrumental Music Students

In music education, current assessment trends emphasize student reflection, tracking progress over time, and formative as well as summative measures. This view of assessment requires instrumental music educators to modernize their approaches without interfering with methods that have proven to be successful. To this end, the Longitudinal Scales Assessment is described and examined as a component of student evaluation that contributes to broader educational goals.

Error management for musicians: an interdisciplinary conceptual framework.

Musicians tend to strive for flawless performance and perfection, avoiding errors at all costs. Dealing with errors while practicing or performing is often frustrating and can lead to anger and despair, which can explain musicians’ generally negative attitude toward errors and the tendency to aim for flawless learning in instrumental music education. But even the best performances are rarely error-free, and research in general pedagogy and psychology has shown that errors provide useful information for the learning process. Research in instrumental pedagogy is still neglecting error issues; the benefits of risk management (before the error) and error management (during and after the error) are still underestimated. It follows that dealing with errors is a key aspect of music practice at home, teaching, and performance in public. And yet, to be innovative, or to make their performance extraordinary, musicians need to risk errors. Currently, most music students only acquire the ability to manage errors implicitly – or not at all. A more constructive, creative, and differentiated culture of errors would balance error tolerance and risk-taking against error prevention in ways that enhance music practice and music performance. The teaching environment should lay the foundation for the development of such an approach. In this contribution, we survey recent research in aviation, medicine, economics, psychology, and interdisciplinary decision theory that has demonstrated that specific error-management training can promote metacognitive skills that lead to better adaptive transfer and better performance skills. We summarize how this research can be applied to music, and survey-relevant research that is specifically tailored to the needs of musicians, including generic guidelines for risk and error management in music teaching and performance. On this basis, we develop a conceptual framework for risk management that can provide orientation for further music education and musicians at all levels.

A Phenomenological Study of Music Education Majors’ Identity Development in Methods Courses Outside Their Areas of Focus

Abstract The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore music education majors’ identity development within the context of two music education methods courses. Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as a lens, two music teacher educators examined the experiences of vocal music education majors enrolled in an instrumental methods course and instrumental music education majors enrolled in a choral methods course (15 total participants). Data collection included participant interviews, peer teaching self-reflections, field experience journals, and researcher field notes. Data analysis included epoché, phenomenological reduction, imaginative variation, and synthesis. Findings indicated while participants remained invested in initial identities created as early musicians, university contexts helped dimensionalize and expand their self-definition. Every participant articulated a greater appreciation for music education contexts outside of his/her area of focus. Implications for music education majors who perform on multiple instruments and musicians who frequently perform outside of traditional contexts are also discussed.

Young pianists exploring improvisation using interactive music technology

The use of music technology in the enhancement of young pianists’ musical improvisations has been scarcely explored in instrumental music teaching and learning research. In the present study, 19 piano pupils aged 6–10 from the UK and Greece used an interactive improvisation system called Musical Interaction Relying On Reflexion (MIROR)-Impro for six weeks in order to enhance their improvisational skills. This system engages pupils in a musical dialogue, answering in the same style as the pupil’s input, creating a reflection of the user’s own musical ideas. Children participating in the study were drawn from a notation-based and classical piano education background, and had various levels of piano expertise. Four case studies are presented here in detail. Results indicate that the system enhances young pianists’ capability musically to explore and improvise, and several further questions are raised regarding the possible ways the system can be used in practice in the piano lesson.

Effects of Internal and External Focus of Attention on Novices’ Rehearsal Evaluations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of internal and external focus of attention on novices’ rehearsal evaluations. Thirty-two undergraduate instrumental music education students led bands in a series of three 6-minute rehearsals on their assigned excerpt. Prior to these rehearsals, participants were led in score study and rehearsal preparation activities. Internal group ( n = 16) participants’ preparation related to knowledge of the score, whereas external group ( n = 16) participants focused their preparations on observable rehearsal behaviors with a minimal amount of time devoted to score study. No significant differences were found between conditions for any of several dependent measures, including participants’ self-evaluation of their teaching, participants’ evaluation of ensemble performance, ensemble members’ evaluations of conductor rehearsal effectiveness and of conductor score knowledge, and independent audio evaluation of the final ensemble performance run-through. Results of repeated-measures analyses did indicate significant improvements in participants’ and ensemble members’ evaluations, for both experimental groups, between the first rehearsal and the second and third rehearsals. Both methods may have helped novice conductors prepare to rehearse, but their direct experience in working with ensembles may have been comparatively more informative in preparing them for future rehearsals.

Towards a Transcultural Theory of Democracy for Instrumental Music Education

At present, instrumental music education, defined in this paper as the teaching and learning of music through wind bands and symphony orchestras of Western origin, appears embattled. Among the many criticisms made against instrumental music education, critics claim that bands and orchestras exemplify an authoritarian model of teaching that does not foster democracy. In this paper, I propose a theoretical framework by which instrumental music education may be conceived democratically. Since educational bands and orchestras have achieved global ubiquity, I theorize broadly for both the East and the West and draw on ancient Chinese philosophy and American pragmatism as sources of inspiration to construct the theory. This theory comprises a quintet of themes that emerge from a comparative analysis of key philosophical texts by Confucian and pragmatist philosophers, namely, the people, participation, equality, cooperation, and conflict. This paper aims to address critical issues in instrumental music education with respect to democracy, complement extant music education philosophies, and serve as a first step towards a transcultural

Gender Discrimination in the Band World: A Case Study of Three Female Band Directors

This qualitative case study seeks to determine how gender has influenced the careers and experiences of three female high school band directors. The participants were at varying stages in their career: one early career, one mid-career, and one retired. Triangulation was obtained by collecting data from a questionnaire, personal interviews, and a focus group discussion. The questionnaire was used to obtain background information about the experiences of the participants. Information obtained in the questionnaire informed the design of the interview questions to probe participants to further discuss their experiences. Finally, the participants joined a focus group discussion and shared their experiences and views of being a female in a male dominated profession. Transcriptions of the questionnaire, interview, and focus group discussion were used to code data, and develop themes. Identified themes are presented as they pertain to the individual experiences of the participants and to compare their experiences. Findings of the study revealed the participants experienced negative personal and professional issues that stem from being a female high school band director. The participants felt they needed to work harder to prove themselves in a male dominated profession. They also noted confidence and toughness were personal qualities that enabled them to be successful and remain in the profession. It was determined that the masculine history, struggle to balance work and family, working harder to succeed, and respect, may be factors that influence females in instrumental music education.

Preparing High School Instrumental Music Educators to Respond to the Social and Emotional Challenges of Students

The purpose of this multiple instrumental case study was to explore how four high school instrumental music educators assuming the role of facilitative teacher prepared to respond to challenges affecting the social and emotional well-being of their students. The four participant instrumental music educators had a reputation as being caring and having positive professional relationships with their students, represented diverse settings, and had at least 10 years of instrumental music teaching experience. Findings included (a) formative elements leading to the instrumental music educators’ preparation to support included experience, demonstration of care by influential people, parenthood, professional development, and participation in this study and (b) the instrumental music educators experienced challenges associated with providing support, including quantity of challenges, time commitment, and lack of school assistance. Suggestions for teacher educators and in-service professional development are included.

Examining Lesson Plan Use Among Instrumental Music Education Majors During Practice Teaching

Undergraduate instrumental music education majors ( N = 18) taught a series of 5-minute lessons to an ensemble of their peers. Investigators compared participants’ written lesson plans with activities demonstrated during teaching, and calculated frequencies and durations of teacher episodes, student episodes, and overall rates of pacing. Results suggest that although written plans tended to contain vague and nonspecific language, participants relied on their lesson plans during teaching in terms of general content. Analysis of teacher time use indicated that participants were able to significantly reduce teacher talk time and reduce latency time at the beginning of lessons. Findings are similar to previous research in some areas of time use but contrast with results of previous research in relation to participants’ reliance on lesson plans during teaching. The authors use these results to recommend deeper investigation into the nature of transfer of learned lesson-planning skills across various teaching contexts.

Interactive technologies in the instrumental music classroom: A longitudinal study with the Music Paint Machine

Can interactive technologies be useful for music education? This question was empirically investigated during a nine-month longitudinal study in which twelve children (1st and 2nd grade) learnt to play the clarinet. Six children (the intervention group) received instruction with the Music Paint Machine, an interactive music system that allows a musician to make a digital “painting” by playing music while making various movements on a coloured pressure mat. The other six children (control group) received the instruction without the use of technology.The overall goal of the longitudinal study was (1) to integrate the Music Paint Machine in instrumental music instruction in order to develop good practices and (2) to investigate the effectiveness of instruction with the system on the learning process. To measure the effectiveness of instruction with the system, children were administered the Primary and Intermediate Measures of Music Audiation (Gordon, 1986) as pre- and post-test. In addition, pre-tests were organised to map possible confounding variables, such as personality, home musical environment, motor skills and self-regulation skills. Although no statistically significant differences were found between the control and intervention group the study revealed important aspects about the transformative impact of technology in education. Furthermore, dealing with the complexity of a real-life educational setting and with the requirements of the quasi-experimental design, this study has provided insights on methodology (design, measures, analysis) in music educational technology research that can contribute to the further development of this branch of educational research.

“Staying On Our Feet”

Multiple forms of support for teachers new to the profession are important and necessary. The use of an online community by 11 novice instrumental music teachers at the middle school and high school levels was investigated in this case study. The teachers exchanged messages and information within the online community during the 2010–2011 school year; data sources included all transcripts from the online community and multiple interviews with each participant. The participants’ experiences in the utilization of the wikispace as an online community of practice was analyzed using Wenger’s three components of domain, community, and practice. The findings suggest that the online community appeared to have met novice teachers’ emotional needs as they learned to become music teachers but that their positions were often also quite different in terms of specific responsibilities and music curricula they taught. Thus, online conversations focused more on the affective issues that surround being a new music teacher rather than on curriculum and classroom-specific content.

Examining Preservice Music Teacher Concerns in Peer- and Field-Teaching Settings

The purpose of this study was to examine the concerns of preservice music teachers using the Fuller and Bown teacher concerns model. Participants were 12 senior-level instrumental music education majors enrolled at a medium-size American public university. A video-assisted, stimulated recall method was used to interview participants after two peer-teaching and two field-teaching episodes. Data consisted of 1,019 coded statements drawn from more than 900 min of interviews. Task concerns were the most reported in all interviews, followed by self concerns and student impact concerns. Task concerns decreased across the four teaching episodes, while student impact concerns increased from the first field-teaching episode to the second. Rehearsal strategy use, evaluation of teaching, and individual student impact were the most frequently coded task, self, and student impact concerns, respectively. Overall, participants reported that peer teaching was more difficult and stressful than field teaching. Implications of the Fuller and Bown framework as well as additional future research directions are proposed.

Affinity for music: A study of the role of emotion in musical instrument learning

For many people, the appeal of music lies in its connection to human emotions. A significant body of research has explored the emotions that are experienced through either the formal structure of music or through its symbolic messages. Yet in the instrumental music education field, this emotional connection is rarely examined. In this article, it is argued that identifying more about “liking music,” especially in young learners, has a role to play in explaining the music-learning experience and how participation in learning can be sustained. Based on findings from the qualitative elements of a larger study that explored student engagement with learning, this article proposes the concept of “affinity” as the affective and subjective connection to music that motivates individuals’ continuing involvement with music.

The University of South Carolina String Project: Teaching and learning within a community music programme

The String Project construct was conceived at the University of Texas in 1948 before being adopted by music faculty at the University of South Carolina (USC) in 1974. For 38 years, we have provided affordable instruction on stringed instruments and also given our music education majors essential teaching experience prior to graduation. Between 25 and 30 undergraduate and graduate university students serve over 350 students from the community each year. Due to the efforts of the National String Project Consortium, 39 other universities have adopted the models pioneered first by the University of Texas and subsequently, by USC. We believe the String Project construct is one solution to provide access to students who may not otherwise be able to afford instrumental music instruction and at the same time, prepares teachers for teaching in the public schools

The social-emotional impact of instrumental music performance on economically disadvantaged South African students

Within the literature there exists a large volume of research studies attesting to the positive relationships between studying music and various psychological and sociological variables. A close examination of these studies reveals that only a handful were conducted on disadvantaged populations. Accordingly, it remains unclear to what extent these findings hold true for disadvantaged students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the social-emotional impact of instrumental music instruction on disadvantaged South African students. The two specific questions addressed in this study were (1) what impact did instrumental music instruction have on student's self-esteem, optimism, sense of happiness and perseverance and (2) do any relationships exist between instrumental music instruction and the variables under investigation? The results indicated that there were generally increased levels of self-esteem, optimism, happiness and perseverance after participation in an instrumental music programme. There was also an increase in subject's optimism and sense of happiness. There were moderate to moderately strong positive relationships between participation in instrumental music and self-esteem, optimism, happiness and perseverance.