Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Research Publications
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ItemPlaying an Instrument(Oxford University Press, 2016)Learning to play a musical instrument is one of the most widespread musical activities for children. While much research in the past century has focused on the assessment of musical abilities and the content of their lessons, more recent research has focused on children’s interactions with their social environments and how these interactions impact their ongoing ability and motivation to learn and play music. This chapter explores these social and cognitive developments starting with how children and their parents select an instrument and negotiate the commencement of formal music learning, through to the task related cognitive strategies children use to overcome the difficulties associated with learning and practice, and the ways they may eventually become able to integrate an identity as a musician with their own sense of self. Aspects of self-regulation and self-determination theory are discussed.
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ItemSelf-regulation and mastery of musical skills(RoutledgeCurzon, 2011)
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ItemThe genetic basis of music ability(FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2014-06-27)Music is an integral part of the cultural heritage of all known human societies, with the capacity for music perception and production present in most people. Researchers generally agree that both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the broader realization of music ability, with the degree of music aptitude varying, not only from individual to individual, but across various components of music ability within the same individual. While environmental factors influencing music development and expertise have been well investigated in the psychological and music literature, the interrogation of possible genetic influences has not progressed at the same rate. Recent advances in genetic research offer fertile ground for exploring the genetic basis of music ability. This paper begins with a brief overview of behavioral and molecular genetic approaches commonly used in human genetic analyses, and then critically reviews the key findings of genetic investigations of the components of music ability. Some promising and converging findings have emerged, with several loci on chromosome 4 implicated in singing and music perception, and certain loci on chromosome 8q implicated in absolute pitch and music perception. The gene AVPR1A on chromosome 12q has also been implicated in music perception, music memory, and music listening, whereas SLC6A4 on chromosome 17q has been associated with music memory and choir participation. Replication of these results in alternate populations and with larger samples is warranted to confirm the findings. Through increased research efforts, a clearer picture of the genetic mechanisms underpinning music ability will hopefully emerge.
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ItemLearning to perform: From 'gifts' and 'talents' to skills and creative engagement(Oxford University Press, 2017)To perform any skilled activity to expert level requires committed and intensely motivated learning. This chapter explores how musical development, particularly as it applies to learning an instrument, depends crucially on inventive and productive opportunities that coalesce in configurations unique to each learner. It reveals how an obsession with gifts and talents on the parts of researchers, teachers, parents and musicians alike has led to confusion over the nature and acquisition of the skills required for high-level music performance. It traces key theories on family scripts and self-determination to illustrate the ways in which psychological constructs shape belief and thus motivate learning. Environmental catalysts such as practice support and opportunity for creative expression offer additional significant influences. These factors are shown to align with intrapersonal characteristics and are described as syzygies, or inventive configurations, that provide pathways to committed music learning.
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ItemSELF-REGULATED LEARNING IN MUSIC PRACTICE AND PERFORMANCE(Routledge, 2017-01-01)This chapter discusses self-regulated learning (SRL) in the context of music. SRL holds significant potential for increasing the efficiency of musical skill acquisition across all aspects of music performance instruction. We begin with a review of selected research that has studied skill acquisition when learning to play a musical instrument. Although the literature related to this topic is growing steadily, much of the scholarship is scattered and atheoretical. Moreover, researchers in music tend to concentrate on behavior and cognition as separate and somewhat unrelated theoretical topics to the exclusion of affect. We discuss these limitations and present a summary of literature that brings research-based evidence pertaining to behavior, cognition, and affect together into a coherent SRL framework. Current and future research priorities are then detailed as a means of outlining ways of maximizing music practice, teacher-student interactions, and efficient approaches to learning complex musical skills. Our final section summarizes the discussion and provides implications for how SRL might be adopted more widely in the music education domain.
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ItemMotivation, engagement, and performance in elite musical training: A longitudinal study(Listaháháskóli Islands, 2017)Background Musicians training at the highest levels in university music schools and conservatories face considerable challenges. They need to undertake enormous amounts of practice—an activity which requires substantial effort and can be lonely, difficult, and boring. They also face considerable motivational challenges: studio teachers are renowned for their demandingness, conservatories can be hotbeds of competitiveness and pressure, and the uncertainties and risks of pursuing a music performance career require resilience and adaptability. Little systematic research has examined the motivational dynamics of music training at this level, and the style of studio instruction—a consistent tradition largely unchanged for many centuries—has rarely been scrutinized. Aims We aimed to understand the role motivation plays in cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects of musicians’ practice, and the subsequent effects that motivation and practice quality have on performance. Method Music students (N=611) from four conservatories and university music schools in three countries participated in the research. A longitudinal survey research design was used, with data collected at four time points over an academic year. Measures were taken from the established literature on motivation in educational settings or developed for the present study, based on theoretical frameworks including self-determination theory and self-regulated learning. Performance examination grades were obtained from the relevant institutions. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling. Results Moderate to large effects were found for the role of motivation in practice quality. Students who were intrinsically motivated were more cognitively, affectively, and behaviorally engaged in their music practice, and had higher self-efficacy for their performance. The extent to which their music learning fulfilled their psychological needs impacted on important outcomes, including performance, career intentions, wellbeing, and adaptability. Controlling teaching and a poor teacher-student relationship, on the other hand, was associated with detrimental outcomes. Interestingly, the perceived competitiveness of their music learning environments was overall very low and unrelated to their motivation and practice, potentially challenging the stereotype of music schools as competitive hotbeds of pressure and anxiety. Most importantly, many of these factors were related to the quality of their music performance. Conclusions The results of this study provide strong evidence for the need to support student motivation and wellbeing, and also suggest ways in which music institutions and studio teachers might provide such support. The results also show that theoretical frameworks and approaches tested extensively in other domains—self-determination theory, self-regulated learning, and deliberate practice—are also applicable to a creative performance setting at the highest levels of training.
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ItemInternational Symposium on Performance Science(Listaháháskóli íslands, 2017)Background An increasing body of research in both music and sports psychology indicates that repetitive, habitual, and mindless practice often leads to sub-optimal preparation and performance. In contrast, deliberate practice, intrinsic motiva-tion, and a growth mindset can optimise preparation for public performance. Still, the majority of musicians devote their time to blocks of physical practice and mistake-avoidance, as opposed to mental preparation, desirable difficul-ties, and strategies that strengthen self-efficacy and autonomy. Music teachers may want to steer their students away from mindless drill towards 21st century self-regulated learning strategies, yet both the scientific and pedagogical literature is lacking in alternatives supported by empirical research. Aims This exploratory study was designed to capture what musicians planned to practice, as well as what they actually did in the practice room. In order to separate behavior from thought and emotion, we designed a brief questionnaire (seven questions) to accompany a video recording made of a portion of a practice session. Participants were asked to report their intentions regarding practice focus and planning, then to appraise what they had experienced during practice, and, finally, to access the difficulty of applying this strategy and their motivation to use it in the future. Method Fourteen participants, faculty and students in music degree programs at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, volunteered for this pilot study to test the effectiveness of the practice questionnaire. Each one completed questions both prior to and following the videotaping of an excerpt of a practice session of their choice. The first three questions (pre-recording) addressed the focus of the practice session, i.e. problem to be solved, the source, and choice of strategy. The last four questions (post-recording) allowed participants to self-rate the effectiveness, new-ness, ease of application, and usefulness of the strategy, as well as what they were doing, feeling, and thinking during the session. Two professional musicians evaluated the videos in terms of strategy applied and improvement over the session. Results Examinations of practice process were conducted, including specificity of goals, problem areas to be addressed (such as accuracy, musical expression), and planned strategies to address problems. Participant self-evaluations of strategy effectiveness were correlated with rater assessments taken from practice video footage. Strong positive relationships were found between: participant-rated strategy effectiveness and rater-assessed mindful deliberate practice (r=0.66, p=0.01) and degree of progress (r=0.59, p<0.05); as well as rater-assessed degree of progress and deliberate practice (r=0.95, p=0.001). Conclusions Breaking any cycle of less than optimal practice requires the adoption of new strategies that augment or replace old habits. To do this one must self-regulate, by identifying patterns in behavior that are based on habits, and then ac-tively working to modify these routines. This study provides preliminary evidence for the efficacy of a short protocol which encourages musicians to improve practice outcomes through self-regulated skills in practice planning and observation for proactive learning and enhanced performance.
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ItemThe use of microanalysis as an innovative tool for improving musician’s self-regulated learning and practice efficiency(Listaháhåskóli Íslands, 2017)Background This paper describes the development of a music practice microanalysis protocol that is based on the three phase model of self-regulated learning (i.e., Forethought, Performance and Self-Reflection). Up until now, most studies on music practice have tended to focus on behavioural aspects. The expanded view presented here outlines a technique that focuses on the types of behaviours (actions), cognition (thoughts), and affect (feelings) that can help focus musicians’ practice, and enable them to make improvements to the efficiency of their learning. Aims To develop a research and intervention tool reflecting the breadth of self-regulated learning strategies, and within-subject, moment-to-moment fluctuations in practice quality that determine the intensity and quality of practice within and across practice sessions. Method We conducted a two-stage research study: first, a baseline observational study; second, a practice intervention, involving seven first year Bachelor of Music students studying at a large University music school across two semesters as they prepare repertoire for their performance exams. Results The technique revealed students demonstrate broadly contrasting self-regulated learning profiles. It also informed an effective self-directed educational intervention to cue students to think about what they are doing and then reflect critically on the strategies they can use to improve their playing. Implications This flexible, working microanalytic protocol can inform educational interventions aimed at breaking the cycle of habits that typify musicians at this developmental stage, encouraging them to become more behaviourally, metacognitively, and emotionally involved in their own learning. This tool could be used to help musicians become more aware of their own practice efficiency, and an aid for teachers who wish to adopt the technique to improve their student’s learning.
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ItemMusical prodigies: Early manifestations, development and outcomes( 2016-06-18)Presentation to the Mozart and the Mind symposium. Continuing Medical Education (CME) symposium, sponsored by Mainly Mozart, June 15-18, 2016.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableProdigy(SAGE Publications, Incorporated, 2014-08-13)The interdisciplinary nature of the work provides a starting place for students to situate the status of music within the social sciences in fields such as anthropology, communications, psychology, linguistics, sociology, sports, political ...