International Journal of Music Education

The landscape in which music is experienced in the 21st century has dramatically changed and scholarship in music education calls for classrooms in which teaching and learning are responsive to the new challenges. Furthermore, within the broader concerns of the place of the arts in the curriculum, the literature calls for empirical evidences grounded in the actual teaching and learning processes in the arts, in order to support claims that they nurture future-ready habits of mind and enhance academic performance. This study responds to these gaps by: (a) adapting the studio thinking framework of Hetland, Winner, Veneema and Sheridan to extract, through grounded theory methods, community music-based structures of learning and observe their corresponding pedagogies to nurture artistic thinking; (b) providing evidence for specific claims of community music such as inclusiveness through evidence of engagement across learner abilities; (c) demonstrating partnerships between community musicians, teachers and researchers; and (d) showing community music’s potential to develop students’ critical musicality.

This study examines the state of music education in the public schools of Ecuador from the perspective of school administrators. A survey that was distributed to 1800 school administrators (27.4% response rate) was used to answer the following research questions: What are administrators’ perceptions of the current national policies for arts education? What are administrators’ perceptions of the current state of the music curriculum? Is there a difference between administrators’ perceptions of current and ideal states? What are administrators’ perceptions of the degree to which numerous variables impact on the music curriculum in their schools? What are the obstacles and challenges that administrators’ face in supporting the music curriculum? Are there differences by political zone in the ways administrators implement policies and oversee arts education instruction in their schools? Findings show that despite the creation of a national curriculum for arts, there is limited access to music. Moreover, there is a generalized lack of familiarity with policy and curricular implementation, especially among administrators who do have music. Despite this, significant differences between current and ideal conditions showed that administrators believe improvement is possible. The administrators also indicated budget and lack of music teachers were factors that had a negative impact on their music programs.

Categorized as developing nations, India and the Philippines are not generally known as centers for piano study. There has been little research investigating the traditions of piano education in these nations. In this study, I examined a number of issues related to piano pedagogy in each country. Data were collected from teachers in India (n = 45) and the Philippines (n = 28), who completed a 29-item questionnaire. Additionally, three instructors from India and one instructor from the Philippines were interviewed to gain further insight. A summary and comparison of the availability of piano instruction for pre-college students were outlined and opportunities for teacher support and professional development were explored. I looked at the current professional practices, the types of pedagogical methodologies and materials used in each country, the quality and types of pianos and keyboard instruments available, as well as the practice expectations and environments of students. How each country’s system of piano education adopts Western influence and observes their respective traditions is also presented. It is hoped that this research will lead to more in-depth investigation about these countries’ teaching practices and provide additional perspectives for pedagogues around the world.

Evidence found throughout the history of Western European art music reveals traditions that encompassed improvisation. This furthers the idea that without improvisation, music education based on canonized works of Western European art music is incomplete. When the goal of music education is to preserve works exactly as notated, improvisation occupies a marginal role in representations and practices commonly associated with the canon. Drawing upon participant observation and semi-structured interviews, this ethnographic case study investigates narratives of experience and pedagogical strategies of two Dalcroze music teacher-participants who treat canonized repertoire as an impetus to creative thought. Field sites included a kindergarten and an adult music class. Several themes emerged from the data analysis, providing a basis for understanding how previous experiences influence classroom practices and pedagogical strategies for opening creative processes in interaction with canonical repertoire. Findings show that the teacher-participants consider improvisation as inextricably linked to other musical processes and conceive of teaching itself as improvisation, treating features of repertoire as material for creative development. By revealing pedagogical practices that offer exceptions to an established model, this study illuminates patterns of interaction that challenge a widespread view of music education based on Western European art music as enacting static preservation.

In this article I analyse merit-based exclusion in Finnish music schools for children and young people. I base my study on my earlier research on meritocracy and written data collected online from current and former music school students in the autumn and winter of 2015–2016. I am able to show there are implicit and explicit merit-based hierarchies in the music school. Hierarchies and exclusion are shown to be connected to the institution’s meritocratic features. As the hierarchies are merit-based, it is hard to question them. The hierarchies justify excluding students from certain practices such as performances. These practices are in fact learning opportunities, as has been established by earlier research. In addition to this, the hierarchies also influence students’ views of their potential and this, combined with limited learning opportunities, hinders their development. The hierarchies thus produce self-fulfilling prophecies of the students’ advancement. This is how the meritocratic system can in fact produce the failure it pretends only to reflect.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of two distinct learning approaches to preparing culturally responsive music teachers. In this article we will describe the two different learning experiences, one in a graduate-level course and another as part of a preservice music teacher professional development session, and interpret the impact of these two approaches on music teachers’ observations and thinking regarding others, themselves, sociocultural issues, and teaching practice. Preservice and experienced music teachers were asked to reflect on their experiences resulting from one of two learning experiences—simulated or situated. We analyzed their reflections using grounded theory techniques. Five themes emerged from this analysis: (a) observations of diversity and difference; (b) awareness of intersections; (c) awareness of macro structures of power; (d) feelings of “otherness” and empathy; and (e) social agency and application. Despite the differing learning approaches applied, both experiences moved teachers beyond singular and simplistic notions of culture and diversity, towards understandings of intersections, structure, and power, as well social action and agency.

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) is an experiential research methodology that aims to rigorously investigate personal meaning and lived experience. Informed by phenomenological philosophy, hermeneutics and idiography, IPA allows researchers to conduct a detailed exploration of how participants construct meaning from their personal and social contexts. The method has been applied further afield in social science disciplines such as education. This article provides insight into the process of conducting IPA in music education research, which is illustrated by material taken from studies conducted by the author who began using the analysis system in 2005. In this context IPA is regarded as an authentic approach situated in constructivism for exploring and interpreting authentic learning and teaching practice. It is proposed that such an approach can be used in music education qualitative research studies to provide an evidence-base for practice.

This follow-up pilot study investigates the effect of a six-month analysis course, during which college music majors learned to see the meaning of music as being essentially intra-musical. The study aims to explore relationships between intra- and extra-musical perceptions among subjects (N = 33) while listening to Beethoven’s Thunder Storm (Pastoral Symphony, 4th movement). During pre- and post-intervention sessions, listeners represented the music via self-invented audiovisual products (AVPs) and related notes. Four systems of conceptualization emerged: Random responses (category-R), reflecting no reference to the music; Associative contents (category-A), suggesting extra-musical interpretations; Compound responses (category-C), combining extra- and intra-musical contents; Intra-musical contents (category-I), referring to purely musical properties. A scale of 4-6-8-10 grades for the respective categories R-A-C-I was established, with the highest score for category-I which reflects fulfilment of the course objective. By comparing between pre- and post-intervention AVPs, results show an insignificant increase in I-responses (zero to 9.5%) and 52.6% of no conceptual change through phases. The most prominent response is the extra-musical (68%) often at both pre- and post- phases (47%). The study empowers the position that classical music evokes referential contents, which should be given as much attention in teaching and learning music as ‘analytical’ properties of sound.

As the number of adults seeking to learn the piano increases, so too does the need for piano teachers to understand how to better facilitate their learning. Self-direction is an oft-cited requirement of adult learning, but one that is often absent from piano studios. This practitioner-based research investigates the role of the teacher in fostering and supporting self-direction, empowering adult piano students to take ownership of their learning. It offers pedagogical insights into the author’s experiences within her own piano studio and details the practical application of theories and strategies offered within the fields of piano pedagogy and adult learning.

This study finds that fostering self-direction is more complex than offering the balance between guidance and freedom that some experts suggest. It also requires strong student–teacher rapport, supporting and building students’ self-efficacy and being willing to set aside expectations. This was made possible by implementing transformative pedagogical strategies, such as effective questioning, collaborative discussions and adapting the structure of lessons. While the author’s journey is uniquely her own, the approaches used to engage adult students with their learning, and the use of reflective practice as professional development, may be of interest to other studio instrumental teachers.