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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ItemFrom Dropping Out to Dropping In: Exploring Why Individuals Cease Participation in Musical Activities and the Support Needed to Reengage Them(American Psychological Association, 2019-06-24)Continued participation in music has been associated with well-being outcomes, yet many either fail to begin or cease musical participation after limited exposure. The current research examined why individuals cease participating, focusing on identifying barriers to participation and the support needed to reengage in musical activities. A sample of 190 Australian residents (Mage = 26.87; 75.80% female) who had ceased previous musical participation completed an online questionnaire in which they rated the degree to which 15 items reflected their reasons for ceasing musical participation and answered an open-ended question regarding their requirements for reengagement. An exploratory factor analysis of the quantitative responses identified 4 components relating to cessation: "access and opportunity," "activity experience," "obligations," and "difficulty with practicing." A grounded theory analysis concerning the support required for reengagement indicated 4 key themes: "personal investment," "requirements of the musical activity," "personal qualities," and "no interest in reengagement." Collectively, these results provide an in-depth understanding of factors external to music itself as influences on continued musical participation. With implications for facilitators and educators, these results suggest a need for collaboration and interaction between music facilitators and participants.
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ItemUsing Self-Determination Theory to Examine Musical Participation and Well-Being(FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2019-03-01)A recent surge of research has begun to examine music participation and well-being; however, a particular challenge with this work concerns theorizing around the associated well-being benefits of musical participation. Thus, the current research used Self-Determination Theory to consider the potential associations between basic psychological needs (competence, relatedness, and autonomy), self-determined autonomous motivation, and the perceived benefits to well-being controlling for demographic variables and the musical activity parameters. A sample of 192 Australian residents (17-85, M age = 36.95), who were currently participating in a musical activity at the time, completed an online questionnaire. Results indicated that females were more likely to perceive benefits to their well-being; and that how important an individual considers music in their life was positively related to perceived well-being. Importantly, the analyses also revealed that the basic needs of competency and relatedness were related to overall perceived well-being as well as specifically social, cognitive, and esteem dimensions of well-being. Autonomous motivation demonstrated significant associations with both an overall well-being score as well as four of five specific well-being subscales measured. Collectively, the findings indicate that Self-Determination Theory offers a useful theoretical framework to understanding the relationship between musical participation and well-being. Further, the pattern of findings reiterates the positive associations between musical participation and one's psychosocial well-being, with broad implications for people involved in the facilitation of musical activity.
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ItemEfficacy of Parkinsong Groups for improving Communication and Wellbeing in Parkinson's Disease(World Federation of Music Therapy, 2017)Communication impairment is one of the most common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, significantly impacting quality of life (Miller, 2012). Speech characteristics may include a soft, monotone, breathy or hoarse voice quality, imprecise articulation, dysprosody and dysfluency (Skodda et al., 2013). These characteristics, combined with reduced nonverbal communication, cognitive-linguistic impairment and poor self-perception of speech, make communication difficult and lead to self-consciousness, reduced likelihood to participate in conversation, and the avoidance of social interaction that requires speaking. Communication difficulties can compound issues of depression and related social isolation (Miller et al., 2006).
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ItemNo Preview AvailableRegistered music therapists motivations and perceptions of the impact of their practices on the well-being of clients and themselves(Australian Music Therapy Association, 2016)
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ItemNo Preview AvailableMusic's Role in Facilitating the Process of Healing: A Thematic Analysis(MDPI AG, 2017-09-01)This qualitative study aims to understand the factors motivating Korean migrants’ participation in weekly Charismatic Prayer Meetings in a Catholic Church. As music plays a crucial role in these meetings, the paper explores whether active engagement with music motivated the long-term commitment of participants to the meetings. The research is based on a thematic analysis of a focus group comprising six Korean adults living in Australia. Results show that music performed in religious forms such as Praise and Worship and Speaking/Singing in Tongues prayers was found to intensify spiritual experiences of the people as a group, and over time, each participant experienced improved physical and mental wellbeing, which in turn motivated further investment in the meetings. It was evident that the passionate group music-making enabled participants to focus on conscious and subconscious body, mind, and spirit, eliciting transpersonal experiences within each person. The findings of the current study are deemed relevant to this specific cohort and to others in similar contexts, where minority groups use worship and music for socio-cultural inclusion that addresses both spiritual and mental health issues. Though a small-scale study, the current paper provides a rationale for these religious groups to be involved in music-based spiritual practice.
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ItemEffective Educational Strategies to Promote Life-Long Musical Investment: Perceptions of Educators(FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2018-10-25)While research has broadly considered the wide-ranging intellectual, social, personal, and physical benefits of active musical participation across the lifespan, there is little research that explores how music educators work to promote participant investment inside school and beyond. The present research, therefore, aimed to investigate the practices employed by leading music educators within a range of cultural and pedagogical contexts that facilitate investment toward life-long engagement in music. Interviews with North American, European, and Australian music educators with both practitioner and research expertise from within school as well as higher education institutions were undertaken to gather reflections on participants' own practices and beliefs. Content analysis of the interview transcripts revealed deep knowledge and skills relating to teaching music, education philosophy and pedagogy, and strong recognition of the support of peers, supervisors, institution/school, and local community. It was clear that interviewees were deeply influenced by local, national, and cultural trends. Further, the advice they offered for new/beginning music educators was to think beyond the structure of their own music education and to explore culturally diverse educational experiences for students. Educational approaches that fostered co-production were favored, thus guiding students in their pursuits in learner-directed environments. While the beliefs and practices described are not "new" - echoing well-established educational philosophies - all interviewees argue for a shift from the prevailing pedagogical practice based on expertise training to the promotion cultural connectedness and sharing in and through musical experience. These findings are discussed in terms of Self-Determination Theory, to provide a framework for how music educators can facilitate long-term musical investment through the development of autonomous engagement to generate personal meaning and value in music, which can translate to deeper, longer musical investment. Exploring these pedagogical practices and beliefs in terms of Self-Determination Theory is a significant addition to the literature, enabling the consideration of the type of motivation required to stimulate and develop long-term interest in music.
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ItemSocial and applied psychological explorations of music, health, and wellbeing(Palgrave Macmillan, 2018)This chapter explores the specific well-being benefits that diverse forms of musical engagement can promote from the particular perspective of the social and applied psychology of music. It surveys recent social-psychological literature broadly, and the authors also draw from their own research offering case studies to highlight research evidence concerning health and well-being benefits when applying a social-psychological lens to music research. It explores the influence of newer, digital technologies for promoting self-regulation, such as mood management via playlists; points to the range of benefits across types of well-being from music participation; and considers the role of music facilitators and educators with respect to promoting well-being. Relevant influences range from micro- to meso-level determinants interacting across the levels to influence our experiences every day.
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ItemThe PERMA well-being model and music facilitation practice: Preliminary documentation for well-being through music provision in Australian schools(SAGE Publications, 2017-06-01)The aim of this study was to consider how we can invest in music-making to promote well- being in school contexts. Web-based data collection was conducted where researchers identified 17 case studies that describe successful music programs in schools in Australia. The researchers aligned content from these case studies into the five categories of the PERMA well-being model: Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment in order to understand how each well-being element was realised through the music programs. The results indicate that the element of the PERMA well-being model that relates to relationships was described most often. Collaboration and partnership between students, teachers, and staff in schools, and local people in the community such as parents, local entrepreneurs, and musicians were repeatedly identified as a highly significant contributing factor in the success of the music program. The school leaders’ roles in providing opportunities for students to experience musical participation and related activities (engagement) and valuing these experiences (meaning) were also crucial in the facilitation of the music programs. The findings of this study indicate that tailored music and relationship-centred music programs in schools not only increase skills and abilities of the students, but also improve the psychosocial well-being of the students and the community.
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ItemMUSICAL ACTIVITY AND WELL-BEING: A NEW QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENT(UNIV CALIFORNIA PRESS, 2018-04-01)A relationship between participation in musical activity and well-being has frequently been observed in recent research reports. Of these, some propose various well-being-related correlates of musical participation, but the varying samples and foci leave researchers without a reasoned appraisal of these correlates or a data-driven categorization of them. To address this lacuna, the current research reviewed of existing literature, identifying 562 benefits of well-being benefits perceived to be associated with musical participation. These items were used as the basis for developing a new quantitative measure to evaluate the perceived benefits of well-being arising from music participation. Principal axis factor analysis of data using this new, 36-item measure identified five discrete dimensions: mood and coping, esteem and worth, socialization, cognition, and self-actualization. The development of this well-being measure addresses a gap in the research and provides a tool for future research concerning musical participation.