Abstract
This study explored perceptions of four undergraduate instrumental music students. The purpose of this study was to describe social and emotional challenges of college instrumental music students and to explore the music connection with these challenges. Questions guiding this inquiry were as follows: (a) What social and emotional challenges do instrumental music students encounter at the college level and how does music relate to these? and (b) What is the role of music in the participants’ lives? Findings suggest undergraduate music students encounter a variety of challenges, and that music had a profound connection to these challenges either as a catalyst or as relief. The most common challenge was struggling with time management and overcommitting. Participants articulated differences between performing and listening to music in relation to their social and emotional challenges. Further findings suggest that for these participants there has been a music culture shift away from communal, ensemble-based music making to a more individual activity.
College-aged students encounter myriad social and emotional challenges affecting their functioning on a daily basis. Researchers in mental health have suggested these challenges are increasing in frequency, prominence, and impact for undergraduate college students (Kay, 2010; Soet & Sevig, 2006) and can be exacerbated with an increased presentation of depression and anxiety for collegiate music students due to performance pressures and intense schedules (Wristen, 2013). Engaging in music can have a powerful impact on people in distress due to music’s potential physical, social, and emotional positive effect (Hodges, 1996; Juslin & Sloboda, 2010). Prior research in music education has suggested how music can be a powerful agent to help high school students with their social and emotional challenges (Edgar, 2012). Is music as powerful for college-aged instrumental music students? The power of music has been well accounted for, but little research exists examining students at the college level and their impressions of how music may affect their social and emotional challenges.
Purpose and Research Questions
The purpose of this study was to describe the social and emotional challenges of college instrumental music students and to explore how music interacted with these challenges. Questions guiding this inquiry were as follows: (a) What social and emotional challenges do instrumental music students encounter at the college level and how does music relate to these? and (b) What is the role of music in the participants’ lives?
Past Literature
Adolescents encounter challenges affecting their daily functioning involving home life, peers, communities, and school, and these can have negative effects on social and emotional elements of their lives, such as attention span, interpersonal relations, and self-confidence (Zins, Bloodworth, Weissberg, & Walberg, 2004). Among others, these challenges included tests, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, academic standards, media and technology, violence, bullying, physical and sexual abuse, hunger, and community and family disruption caused by job or income losses (Zins & Elias, 2006). Conceptualizing these traumatic events as challenges may be important to present them as opportunities for growth and not problems or issues, which can have negative connotations. When students’ challenges were properly addressed through a broad skill-based social emotional development curriculum (such as social emotional learning; Zins & Elias, 2006), resiliency and positive outcomes, such as increased academic performance, greater emotional regulation, social competence, and willingness to take on challenges resulted (Bergin & Bergin, 2009). This study, in part, sought to qualitatively investigate if music could be a means to properly mitigate the distress caused by these challenges.
Music and Personal Challenges
A music connection is of profound importance when exploring and discussing the effects of personal challenges.
Some of the questions researchers of physiological response seek to answer are whether music has a measureable, thus observable, effect on the human organism and whether such effects can be evaluated in terms that help our understanding of music’s “power” to activate and alter the human condition. One term commonly associated with activation of the human condition is affect, a term that describes the feeling state derived from bodily response to a stimulus. (Bartlett, 1996, p. 343)
Thompson (2009) further discussed the power of music: Sounds and music are used to support and encourage physical, social, and emotional well-being . . . music is sometimes used in a way that allows clients to gain insight into their own emotions. This insight, in turn, contributes to a stronger sense of self. (p. 120)
Music can affect humans physically, socially, and emotionally (Hodges, 1996; Juslin & Sloboda, 2010). Physically, the body reacts to music. These reactions can take the form of heart and pulse rate, electrodermal response (i.e., skin responses), respiration rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, blood volume, skin temperature, pupil dilation, blood oxygen level, and hormone secretion (Bartlett, 1996). Music can also elicit an emotional response. The two most common categories of emotional responses to music are anxiety and arousal. Researchers have explored how music can cause and alleviate anxiety and induce arousal and tension (Abeles & Chung, 1996). Themes delineated from this research have included (a) emotional responses to music are consistent and predictable; (b) music evokes emotions, not just perceived emotions; (c) emotional reactions involve interactions between the music, the listener/performer, and the setting; (d) music evokes mainly positive emotions; and (e) the listener/performer provides meaning to the music and thus determines the emotion (Sloboda & Juslin, 2010). These conclusions suggested music can have a powerful effect on humans, and performing/listening to music can elicit an emotional response. Furthermore, music can be a viable communicator for emotion with primary emotions including happiness, sadness, fear, and anger (Juslin & Laukka, 2003).
In one study, music therapists evaluated the effects of music on anxiety and stress levels of their participants using experimental procedures, specifically looking at the effects of group drumming on neuroendocrine levels, mood, stress, and socialization of her participants (Koebel, 2001). Findings suggested listening to and participating in group music making could offer therapeutic results. Furthermore, there was a difference in stress relief between musicians and nonmusicians when listening to instrumental music, vocal music, and silence with vocal and instrumental music both decreasing anxiety levels, while silence did not have the same effect (Noh, 2009). This research on emotions and music suggested music may be a powerful stimulus for emotional release. The therapeutic experience of interacting with music in a social environment could help instrumental music students with their challenges.
Methodology
I employed a case study methodology, influenced by action research (Merriam, 2009) to investigate the challenges undergraduate instrumental music students were experiencing, their perceived distress as a result of these challenges, and music’s influence on this distress. I defined each bounded system as one instrumental music student at Riverfront College (RC) 1 during the 2013–2014 academic school year. Four participants were purposefully chosen to explore this phenomenon.
Setting and Participant Selection
RC is a small 4-year liberal arts college located in a highly affluent area just north of a major American Midwestern city. The student population of 1,500 students (86% residential) represents 47 states, 78 countries, and has a student to faculty ratio of 13:1. Tuition and room and board annually were $49,000 2 with extensive financial aid available. The music department offers a full music major/minor and music education major/minor resulting in a bachelor of arts degree. At the time of the study, there were 33 music majors, 29 music minors, 4 music education majors, and 4 music education minors with 52 students involved in instrumental ensembles (i.e., concert band, string orchestra, jazz band, West African drumming ensemble, and pep band). 3
After securing institutional review board approval, instrumental music students at RC (N = 4) were selected from the pool of potential instrumental music students. Potential participants were defined as instrumental music students who were music majors, music minors, music education majors, music education minors, or participants in an instrumental ensemble. The pool consisted of 52 students as all majors/minors were involved in the ensembles. Within this pool of students, participants were purposely selected as musically diverse and highly involved members of the department and to represent demographic diversity. Participants were selected who represented both genders (participants self-identified as either male or female), varied majors, and different demographic backgrounds (socioeconomic status, ethnicity, music participation). Another primary selection criterion was to be active in the music department. The resulting participants included two males and two females with three being second-year students and one being a first-year student. These four represented dedicated instrumental musicians from varied backgrounds with unique stories. All of the first four participants approached agreed to and consented to participate.
Participants. 4
Participant profiles were primarily created from data collected in the first interview. See Figure 1 for more information on each participant.
Participant profiles.
Carolyn
Carolyn was a second-year student from Boston. Her parents were divorced, both remarried, and she had three siblings. She had played an instrument since she was 5 years which was when she began playing piano. Since then, she began playing clarinet (fourth grade) and guitar (high school). She had a very strong music upbringing but chose not to pursue music as a major, although this was an idea she is “constantly flirting with” (Interview 1). She preferred to keep music informal. “I feel like for me it’s kinda like keeping a separation between my enjoyment element and my academics. I want music to be there as a break from my normal academics” (Interview 1). Carolyn had very high expectations of herself and pushed herself academically and musically.
Catherine
Catherine was the only first-year student participating in the study. Her father was a military musician and was relocated frequently to places such as South Carolina, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia Beach, Japan, and Illinois. She described this experience as “pretty lonely, but I kind of got used to it, made friends, got more involved in school” (Interview 1). She had three younger brothers and is very close to her family. Catherine married another instrumental music student the summer prior to her first semester at RC and largely chose to attend because of her husband.
Derrick
Derrick was the younger of two children born to Mexican immigrant parents and was a first-generation college student. Music was not overly valued in their home so it had to be fostered on its own. Derrick’s first school music experience was in fourth grade when he joined the choir. Derrick grew up near RC and his family, who was very dear to him, was in close proximity. He was constantly curious about different music experiences. He arrived at RC interested in band and playing the horn, and then chose to explore cello and play in the orchestra.
Earl
Earl grew up an hour away from RC in an underresourced area regularly dealing with gang violence. He recalled these events as if they were normal (Researcher journal). His parents were divorced and he grew up in a household of all women, including his twin sister and mother. He started his school music experiences in fourth grade playing trumpet and progressed to euphonium and eventually drum major of the marching band, an experience he fondly recalled (Researcher journal). It was his dream to go to medical school. In his first year, he was thoroughly involved in the music department and was a music major. He eventually changed to prehealth and had not been able to continue his involvement: “Not everything could be music because I was doing psych too” (Interview 1).
Data Sources and Timeline
Data were collected at varied points during the academic year and included (a) three semistructured individual interviews guided by Seidman’s (2006) phenomenological interview model; (b) one focus group interview with all participants; (c) a researcher journal outlining observations of and interactions with the participants as I was their band director and music (education) professor (all data derived from this source are identified as researcher journal); and (d) a stress log completed by each participant during the course of the study, outlining stressful events and a music connection, if relevant.
Participants were recruited during the first week of classes of the fall 2013 semester. The first interview (October 3, 2013) was focused on participants’ journey, musically and personally, prior to matriculating to the college, and varied in time from 20 to 57 minutes. Interview 2 (November 21, 2013) focused on the participants’ personal challenges and varied in time from 20 to 41 minutes. Interview 3 (January 16, 2014) focused on the roles of music in the participants’ lives. They ranged from 20 to 62 minutes in length. The focus group interview occurred on February 13, 2014 and focused on following up from individual interviews, specifically the difference between performing and listening to music, and lasted 41 minutes. All interviews occurred in my office were audio recorded and transcribed.
My role as band director and music professor was a benefit and limitation in this study. Students were willing to divulge details, as they knew me. This benefit was consistent with prior research on music teachers’ role in students’ personal challenges (Edgar, 2012). Conversely, some students may not have felt comfortable fully disclosing their challenges and details due to our relationship outside of this study. To account for this, I kept a journal of all interactions I had with these four students in all settings including class/rehearsal. The journal helped document our interactions and account for this relationship. The participants’ stress logs were completed during the final portion of the study with entries ranging from January 23, 2014 to February 12, 2014. Participants documented between five and nine entries, which consisted of date, time, stress event, and a music connection, if applicable. This diversity of data represents what is needed for both case study and action research (Merriam, 2009).
Trustworthiness
To achieve trustworthiness, I relied on data triangulation and member checks. All transcripts were sent to participants to ensure I was accurately interpreting their perceptions in text. Participants did not report any inaccuracies resulting in no changes to the data. Finally, my experiences conducting prior research allowed me to interpret the data critically. My role as a professor at this college, instructing the participants regularly, is a liability for this study; however, I believe it allowed me to be privy to data that may not have been divulged had I not had this prior relationship.
Analysis
Analysis was approached from multiple perspectives exploring (a) assertions: Interpreting of the meaning of the case; (b) categorical aggregation: Developing a collection of instances from the data in the search for themes; and (c) naturalistic generalizations: Generalizations that people can learn from the case either for themselves or to apply to a population of cases (Creswell, 2007). Individual themes focused on the research questions, while remaining open to emerging themes, guided the initial stages of coding focusing on the quintain. The data were analyzed as individual cases, but to maintain the rigor of a case study, the emphasis remained on the phenomenon of student challenges and music. All data were coded manually utilizing a codebook and memo writing on the transcribed interviews. Pieces of data and participant quotations were reorganized around the themes in a separate document. All data sources were analyzed to develop individual portraits of the participants and then compared to find themes. Final themes were (a) challenges, (b) music’s meaning/music connection, and (c) music connection with challenges.
Findings
Challenges
The students articulated a variety of challenges ranging in impact from annoying to detrimental. In the analysis of the data, challenges were identified (coded) or self-identified by the participants as anything causing them distress personally, socially, or musically. The participants were either first-year or second-year students and their challenges should be viewed in terms of where they are developmentally in their undergraduate education. After a brief presentation of each participant’s unique situations, common findings will be presented in the themes of: (a) time management/overcommitted, (b) professional expectations, and (c) data from the stress logs. Many of the challenges presented here may be common among undergraduate students, not just music majors.
Derrick was a first-generation college student who felt isolated not being able to go to his closest allies with college-related questions: “There’s no one I can really go to for advice—no one I can go to in my family. It’s incredibly frustrating. How am I supposed to learn and know these answers without being provided any kind of help?” (Interview 1). Now that he was a second-year student he was beginning to feel comfortable at RC. Derrick struggled to let people get to know him as he was the most introverted of the four participants: “I’m totally okay with leaving people at a certain distance because I like to keep things tucked away. That’s the easiest way to do things” (Interview 2). Eventually, he did allow people close to him: It takes a few months of me knowing them, getting to know them, talking to them, and seeing them regularly to actually being able to open up to them. I go to them for personal advice, as opposed to the people I just sort of keep at a distance—oh how are you doing, how are classes? . . . My freshman year I had a difficult time making friends so I spent a lot of time by myself. The more and more I got to know people, the more fun it was and it eased the amount of stress I had in my life. The more you talk to people about how things are going in your life, the easier things seem. (Interview 2)
Earl also mentioned differences as students got more familiar with their social circles: Freshman year was more stressful because it was getting used to college. You have to get used to how to study right, when to study, to get into the college experience. How to live your life in college, not at home. Sophomore year it wasn’t what do I need to do to fit in or what should I do, rather, it was courses, my major and what do I need to do to get out of here and what am I going to do with the rest of my life. Freshman is more of fitting in and sophomore is trying to succeed. (Interview 2)
Another transitional challenge for Earl was living in a group environment. He was “not used to sharing their emotions and being around other people all the time. Living in a dorm is hard” (Interview 2).
Carolyn’s primary challenges centered on overcommitting and time management. Broadly, she articulated challenges she perceived her peers experienced: There are the universal far-reaching things like stress of school work, stress of how much school costs, being away from home . . . I know that a lot of friends miss home, not for me. A lot of my friends miss their parents, siblings. (Interview 2)
Catherine had unique challenges as she was a married, first-year nonresidential student. This affected her ability to acclimate to RC and make new friends: “I’m a commuter and I have a different schedule than everybody else. I work 30 hours during the week at a pizza shop. It’s kind of tough to have a friendship if you’re only here for a short time” (Interview 1). She found support in her husband (John) and parents who lived close to the college: “You can get stressed out when you feel alone or you don’t have the support you once had. My parents and John are part of my support system” (Interview 2). This support system is what helped her through her first year. Her challenges were more real-world than the other participants’: Not your average freshman is married and lives off campus by themselves. It makes me feel like the oddball on campus because I don’t spend a lot of time on campus. I don’t have the experience of going to a friend’s dorm and hanging out on a late night. I do feel like I’m missing something that the other freshmen have. (Interview 2)
Time Management/Overcommitted
The most prevalent challenge for participants was balancing all that was expected of them with what they wanted to do. This was consistent with findings from prior research (Kay, 2010; Soet & Sevig, 2006). For Derrick, this involved home expectations: It’s been a rough transition finding a balance between being here and being home and my parents wanting me to do all this stuff for them. Finding a balance between school work, having a social life, and all these extracurriculars. (Interview 1)
The balance of coursework and extracurricular activity and maintaining a social life was stressful for Carolyn, especially in her second year: It’s difficult to keep up with your studies but also hang out with people who want to go out every night. The professors have certain expectations of me and I want to perform to those expectations and standards. . . . You want to put more effort into your academics where in reality you put more effort into your extracurricular activities. It’s stressful! . . . It sounds like my biggest stress is maintaining a social life, but I think that’s a legitimate thing because you need that component. (Interview 2)
Catherine’s real-world commitments added to her time commitment stresses.
One of the most stressful things is finding out when I’m going to do everything. I like to keep a neat little schedule. There are certain things I don’t like to do in certain times because it doesn’t go as well. I don’t do homework at home because it doesn’t happen. When am I going to go grocery shopping? Are we going to have time to do laundry this week? (Interview 2)
This results in an overly full schedule: Monday through Sunday I don’t get home until after 9 pm. The more stuff that gets put in my schedule the less time I have to decompress, get ahead on homework, or put in extra hours practicing. I feel like I’m not able to do everything that I want to with all my time commitments, but I really don’t know how to tell people “no.” (Focus group)
Difficulty in saying “no” was a common experience. This can result from wanting to please professors or professional benefits.
There are opportunities that would look good on a résumé. I need some experience doing this. I really want to do that. It’s a lot of opportunities that have come my way I didn’t want to say no. I wanted to do everything. (Catherine, Focus group)
This led Carolyn to say: “There is no prioritizing. It’s just yes across the board” (Focus group).
Derrick acknowledged time management skills are something he lacked: I’m awful at time management. I tell myself I have a certain amount of time to do things and to do them in a certain amount of time and not stress myself out, but that never ends up happening. Leaving stuff to the last minute. I always end up stressing myself out. (Interview 2)
Professional Expectations
The participants struggled with the pressures to succeed academically at RC and as they started their professional lives. These pressures were self-imposed or presented by professors, society, or parents. Earl felt this from his parents: “I really want to show my parents I can do this. My parents didn’t go to college. Showing them that I can do something great!” (Interview 2).
Carolyn believed this pressure was largely from societal pressures to achieve monetary success, which was not necessarily her primary goal: It’s the overall expectation in terms of the American culture and society: We’re taught go to school, get a degree, get a good paying job. I’m in the humanities and social sciences. I’ve had people tell me you’re going to be working at a Starbucks the rest of your life. A lot of people are very stressed about that and might think they’re wasting their time here. (Interview 2)
Some of this pressure is professor and self-imposed for Carolyn: I always do my readings, I always get everything in on time and because of that I feel like I should be doing well. It’s my perception of the professor putting it on me, a lot of it is myself. But then I develop personal relationships with my professors and then I feel like I can’t let them down. (Interview 2)
Derrick felt pressure to have his life plan set: I’ve been in the midst of telling myself I should have my entire life figured out, but I’m not sure I should have my entire life figured out. I just want to have an idea of what I want to do, not necessarily where I want to go or how I want to go about doing it. (Interview 2)
Catherine felt professional pressure was one reason people cease to participate in music once they arrive at college after participating in high school: The reason they don’t do band anymore is because it was not something they were going to pursue as a career. I feel like they didn’t join an ensemble when they got on campus because they didn’t see themselves pursuing it professionally. (Focus group)
As I was also these students’ academic advisor, due to these findings, I started to begin my advising sessions giving them permission to say “no” and to develop further agency over their path at the college (Researcher journal).
Data From the Stress Logs
The participants’ stress logs provided insight into types of challenges, when they were experienced, and a music connection, if applicable. Derrick had five entries, all occurring in the evening. All five entries were related to a heavy course load in music, so music was a direct stressor for him. He used noncurricular music to distract him and alleviate the stress in all instances. Carolyn had the most thorough stress log with nine entries. Eight of the nine entries were either directly caused by music (time management preparing for recital/rehearsals) or were resolved by listening to music. Catherine logged six entries, none caused by music (primarily time management-based), but five alleviated by listening to music. Earl logged six entries, two associated with a music history midterm and the rest associated with interpersonal relationships. Listening to music alleviated all instances for Earl. Out of all participants’ 26 entries, only 2 were not related to music in any way. This response to music was a typical finding in prior research (Bartlett, 1996).
Music’s Meaning/Music Connection
An analysis of music’s meaning in the participants’ lives was necessary to properly view how challenges were or were not influenced by it. Each of the participants articulated their connection with music differently. For Carolyn, she was an amateur (a lover of) musician: “I’m in it because I enjoy doing it. I like the community with the music department, especially the band. It’s a nice break!” (Interview 1). She valued performing music “just to kind of focus on that and leave everything out, it’s so mechanical that you can’t think of anything else!” (Interview 1); listening to music “Music is always in my life, I’m always listening to it” (Interview 1); and her involvement at the radio station “being able to discuss an album intelligently with people is something I missed from home. Music has always been the way I bonded with people” (Interview 1). While Carolyn’s life was saturated with music, Earl’s connection with curricular music was decreasing. “I’m not participating in anything. Surprisingly, I still go to the practice rooms all the time. It relieves a lot of stress. I feel it’s wrong, not participating in anything. It’s all psychology and pre-med stuff” (Interview 1). He still listened to music regularly; however, his formal performance life ceased.
Derrick recalled his early school music experiences as a major reason he loves music: I was in the fourth grade when I started choir—this is so much fun! The cheesiest thing was that at my elementary school each month a different grade would perform for the school. We’d be in cheesy little costumes and sing your heart out! You’re singing it together and that’s all that matters. It was fun, it was an hour a day that was stress free! (Interview 1)
This gratification inspired him to be a music major, exploring as many music outlets as he could: “I love working for the radio station. That’s like the most fun thing I’ve done at RC”; “I’ve been very happy with participating in the music ensembles here. Here everyone has a lot of fun”; “I’ve found in myself that it is important for me to learn as many instruments as I possibly can! It’s fun” (Interview 1).
For Catherine, her connection with music was sentimental: “That’s how John and I met. We always sat next to each other in band. It’s nice having someone else to share it with” (Interview 3). This deeper meaning was also evident as music was a form of expression for her: “No matter how you’re feeling you can go on the Internet and find some music that reflects your emotions. It’s one of the easier ways to express yourself” (Interview 3). Carolyn had a similar view: Music is an expression of feeling. No matter what genre it is, it’s always trying to portray whatever the composer or writer or whatever was feeling at the time. . . I can use it to heighten an emotion or balance something out or just listen to it. (Interview 3)
Choice in Music Involvement
The ability for the participants to have a choice in their music involvement was critical for there to be meaningful connection. Earl saw this as being able to play piano on his own: I personally love playing piano, especially by myself, not with the instructors. I can work on what I want to work on, play the music that puts me in that mood, to get away from people. I play for hours and hours and hours. I play the songs that I think are interesting. (Interview 1)
Conversely, performing in an ensemble was sometimes stifling for him: Playing in a band or singing in a choir you have to do what other people tell you to do. It’s fun to play and sing with big groups but it’s also great to do things individually, at your own pace, with your own personal goals. It gives me a better outcome than participating in a band or choir. It’s just you, you know you’re going to get there and when you do get there it’s like YES! (Interview 1)
As his participation in music waned, Earl noticed his listening to music had increased: If I needed something to do and was bored I would practice music and I would enjoy doing it. Now, it’s more like listening to music. I have tons of music but I only listen to things I want to listen to when it’s convenient to me. (Interview 3)
Throughout the process of this study, participants largely assumed that playing or performing music was relegated to practicing and performing academic music. At the focus group, I explored the option of recreational music performance: I kind of forgot about guitar. When you say “play music” it always goes to formal practice for performance. Sometimes when I’m stressed I do play guitar. It’s helpful to play guitar. You can just mess around and not think about what you’re doing. It’s kind of like listening in that you don’t focus. You can just play some chords and think about stuff. (Carolyn, Focus group)
Earl also mentioned the benefits of messing around . . . I go to the piano rooms a lot with my friend who can sing. It’s fun. It’s not formal, it’s super chill. You can hang out with someone who you’re comfortable singing or playing with. Let that out . . . stress, frustration. (Interview 3)
Music Connection With Challenges
As was illustrated with the stress logs, there was often a temporal connection between when the participants experienced social and emotional challenges and the students listening to or performing music. The participants articulated that music could be the cause of the challenge (a music history midterm for Derrick or not getting a difficult run on their instruments for Carolyn and Catherine) or an aid to help distract them.
Carolyn put music at the top of her list of aids she went to for stress relief, especially listening to her favorite genre, pop punk: “I can’t think of anything that would help as much because the combination of the happy melody but the sad lyrics, there really isn’t anything more beneficial than that” (Interview 3). Catherine agreed, but saw similar benefits in playing music: Practicing my music on bassoon is a great one because I feel like I’m being productive and not avoiding the thing that’s stressing me out but at the same time gets my mind off of it. If I go practice music I feel like I’m doing something with my life while enjoying it and getting away from my stress. (Interview 3)
Derrick found similar benefits by escaping while listening to music: “It’s just kind of a way to relax and just focus on music and just listen to everything that’s going on in the song and not what’s going on around you. It’s a way to escape everything that’s stressful” (Interview 3). Like Carolyn, music was his primary source for aid: “Music would be the first thing I would do if I’m really stressed out. I usually go to my iTunes and play a couple of songs or go to YouTube and find something” (Interview 3).
Earl had similar reactions to how music can help; however, he believed music did more than serve as a distraction: It changes my mood! Say I’m doing homework or I need to get a lot of stuff done and I put music on that will motivate me and I’m procrastinating. I’ll put on the music, open my blinds so I can get some air and it will change me and I’ll want to start doing things. (Interview 3)
He organized his playlists, not by artist or genre, but by mood so he could listen to music that reflected how he was feeling: “I have sad songs, happy songs, in genres by mood. When I’m in those moods I can just play those lists and shuffle all those musics” (Interview 3). Beyond reflecting mood, Earl was the most emphatic about what music meant to him: I think that no matter what type of music, everyone does it when they need that push when nobody’s there for them. It’s your friend in a weird kind of term. The lyrics or the mood is always going to back you up how you want it to back you up. If I’m sad and I want something to get me out of being sad, I know I can go to music and it’s going to help me. Where sometimes you can’t get that from other people. (Interview 3)
Listening to Versus Playing 5 Music
The participants articulated they largely preferred listening to music over playing music when they were distressed. This was attributed to potential stressors associated with practicing and accessibility issues of playing music while listening was easier: Listening is more of a passive way of dealing with stress, whereas playing is more active. The playing itself can be stressful but it puts the stress on a different thing. If I have a solo in band, I kind of forget, “crap I have a paper due tomorrow, but I have to focus on this right now.” It shifts the focus. (Carolyn, Interview 1)
Performance itself can be stressful: If I can’t nail a run or a passage or if I haven’t practiced for my lesson. Sometimes when I’m performing it can be stressful if I don’t think I’m ready or the ensemble is ready. Sometimes rehearsal can be stressful just in terms of patience if you’re not getting something right consistently. (Carolyn, Interview 3)
Derrick agreed, “Performing music is stressful, really, really stressful. It’s not just about me performing the piece. It’s also about me wanting to do the best that I can and not wanting to disappoint anyone with the performance” (Interview 3). He also thought it was worth it: “The feeling you get after a great concert is just so good! It’s stressful but at the same time it’s good stress and at the same time I’m working towards something” (Interview 3). This finding supports prior research suggesting that depression and anxiety in collegiate music student is a very real challenge (Wristen, 2013). The participants further articulated that accessibility and convenience played a role in listening versus playing music. Earl felt, “It’s not always easy to practice at the time that you might be stressed out or pick up an instrument when I’m stressed” (Focus group). As these students’ band director, I noticed that as we approached performances (i.e., concerts, juries, etc.) the participants reported a higher level of anxiety related to performance. This finding has informed how I approach rehearsals as we approach performances, focusing to ensure I am empathetic to the performers’ emotional needs (Researcher journal).
Accessibility of Music
The ability to listen to the music of their choice whenever they wanted was a relatively recent technological advancement. They did not have to purchase an album or wait for the radio DJ to play the song. Catherine thought this accessibility made people’s listening more diverse: “I think people might listen to a wider variety of music—within a genre or a couple of genres. You have access to so much more music. You don’t need to go buy an album” (Focus group). This accessibility, while making it easier to listen to music, was not always seen as a positive element. The participants felt music transitioning from a communal to an individual activity in their American culture. “Way back people used to come together and sing—tribes, monks, coming together. Now, it’s more individual-based. We listen to music on our own time, when we want to, and it’s not very social and participating with other people” (Earl, Focus group). Catherine felt this led to a decrease in music performance: I remember in our jazz history class we talked about how people would play music because they didn’t have the album. It wasn’t on the radio so they played it how the remembered it. That was their way of remembering music. Whereas now you don’t have to play anything to listen to music. (Focus group)
“It’s immediate gratification. You don’t have to work hard to perform it or play it by ear. You can just go on YouTube and look it up and you’ll be fine” (Derrick, Focus group). Catherine saw the breakdown of communal music making reaching beyond listening: I think it’s really interesting how it’s developed from a very community-based thing to being very individual. Not only in listening practices and performing practices but in the music industry itself. Now it’s all about the singer/songwriter, whereas previously it was the ensemble. (Focus group)
All of these quotations were part of an overall discussion about how they engaged with music and how there may be a disconnect with “relevance” (Catherine, Focus group) and the current music education curriculum found in their K–12 schools and at RC.
Discussion and Conclusion
The students had challenges that were consistent with the findings of prior literature (Kay, 2010; Soet & Sevig, 2006) and music could help (Edgar, 2012; Hodges, 1996; Juslin & Sloboda, 2010); however, music (especially, formal ensemble performance and juries) could be stressful and become a challenge itself (Wristen, 2013). These findings provide insight for both college music students and professors. At the heart of the findings was that there was a music connection and through playing or listening to music, it elicited a tangible emotional response, commonly either arousal or anxiety (Abeles & Chung, 1996).
One finding not consistent with prior literature was the type of music connection the participants experienced when distressed. For the participants, performing music was not superior to listening to music in relation to relieving stress (Koebel, 2001; Noh, 2009). The participants often preferred to listen to music, as performing music was solely associated with formal practice and performance associated with academic ensembles and lessons and could be stressful. The participants’ inability to see informal music making as performance highlighted how college musicians could be put in a position to only pursue music academically. They found informal music making or “messing around” to be very beneficial, but that was not what came to mind when playing music was discussed. The tendency for college musicians to forget about informal music making is problematic. The traditional music ensemble model in the United States with studio and ensemble auditions, intense performance expectations, and high-pressure performances seemed to contribute to the high levels of potential anxiety these music students experienced. Broadening the presentation of emerging ensembles and inclusive democratic music pedagogy in traditional ensembles could decrease the stress and social emotional challenges experienced by college music students. This model of tertiary music education should be contextualized as prominent in the United States. Other cultures maintain high value of communal music making (Aborigines in Australia, Yupik of Southwest Alaska, and Aka and Mbuti equalatorial African Pygmies; e.g., Trehub, Becker, & Morley, 2015). Challenges could be present regardless of music modality and pedagogy; however, the more control a student has over their own music learning, the less likely for them to feel distressed by the process and performance. The field of music education is slowly growing to include a broader definition of “legit” music ensembles. Along with this, further study is warranted comparing challenges experienced in different types of ensembles (traditional vs. emerging).
While there were many diverse challenges the participants experienced, time management and overcommitting were by far the most frequently mentioned. While this appeared to be a concern for students at RC, the instrumental music students, specifically, had difficulty saying no. These music students wanted to be involved in as many music activities as possible. This finding could indicate the importance for advisors and professors to help students limit their activity to a manageable amount. While the stress logs were a snap shot of the participants’ lives, they clearly indicated there was often some connection between stressful events and music. Regardless of the type of interaction, whether catalyst or precipitant, the common connection is something to be aware of as students seek to be more resilient when dealing with social and emotional challenges.
The elements of choice and accessibility indicated that the music culture (in America) of the participants may be undergoing a shift, or has already shifted away from communal, ensemble-based music making. This is a major concern for music educators. Instead of worrying about the relevance of large ensembles, this finding may be a call to action to make communal music making a priority and involve an element of choice for participants. While listening is an invaluable music activity, losing communal music making would be a travesty. The implications for music educators here are profound. Broadening the democratic and informal pedagogies presented in emerging ensembles (modern band, e.g.,) into traditional ensembles deserves further thought to help combat this challenge of “relevance” as articulated by the Catherine (Focus group). The potential for a more democratic pedagogical approach to limit social emotional challenges and increase the social health of an ensemble could be profound.
This study explored perceptions of four underclassmen instrumental music students at one small, liberal arts college. Due to this limited scope, generalization is not appropriate; rather, application is left to the readers as they see fit (Patton, 2002). Findings may resonate with students and professors in similar positions. Expanding the setting and population to include more diverse types and sizes of institutions would be beneficial. It would also be interesting to track these four participants as they progress into their third and fourth years to see how their challenges may change as they mature.
As technology changes so will music accessibility. Further investigation into preferred music modalities on a larger scale could provide insight into how music educators can best reach students. This may highlight areas where music educators need further professional development to stay relevant. It appears that music and music students are evolving; music education may need to do so as well.
It was a personal relief that the participants were able to articulate ways they could be resilient and alleviate some of the effects of their challenges. Furthermore, that music can have a powerful role was exciting. Those who work with college students or are college students, themselves, can capitalize on this potential tool to help through difficult times. Carolyn and the other participants already have said, “I rely on music every time I’m stressed” (Interview 3).
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.