Instrumental Music Teachers' Acquisition of Expertise

42A music teacher’s journey to life, the universe and everything.

Thank you Douglas Adams!!

Research Issues

• What are the concerns and characteristics of instrumental teachers at novice, experienced and expert levels?

• What is in the ‘tool box’ from which expertise is built?

Literature

• The development of teacher expertise: Berliner, 1986; Bullough & Gitlin, 1995; Borko, & Livingston, 1989; Calderhead, 1996; Carter, Sabers, Cushing, Pinnegar, & Berliner, 1987; Ericsson, Charness, Feltovich, & Hoffman, 2006; Gage & Berliner, 1998; Hattie, 2003; Hattie, Clinton, Thompson, & Schmitt-Davies, 1996; Huberman, 1989; Nias, 1989; Schempp, Tan, Manross, & Fincher, 1998.

Literature

• The development of instrumental teacher expertise: Bautista, Pérez Echeverría, & Pozo, 2010; Bautista, Pérez Echeverría, Pozo, & Brizuela, 2012; Castejón, & Martinez, 2001; Marín, Pérez Echeverría, & Hallam, 2012; López, & Pozo, 2011; López-Iñiguez, Pozo, & de Dios, 2013.

Literature

• How do instrumental teachers learn to teach? Haddon, 2009 and less directly: Gaunt, 2008; Mills, 2004b; Persson, 1996a, 1996b; Purser, 2005.

Method

• Conceptual framework was drawn from theories of informal learning that are social in origin: constructivism, lifelong learning, experiential learning, reflective practice, situated learning, communities of practice and transformative learning

• Data was collected through 33 in-depth semi-structured interviews and a focus group

• Each data set was analysed as a collective case study to allow cross case comparison between participant groups

The Novice Participants

Name Gender Instruments Taught

Danny Male Guitar

Samantha Female Drums

Fay Female Piano

Macy Female Piano

Jack Male Guitar

Thomas Male Guitar

The Experienced ParticipantsName Gender

Instruments Taught

Qualifications

Matthew Male Bass AssocDip(Jazz); MMus(Jazz Composition)

Edward Male Trombone, Tuba DipMus

Patrick Male Violin BMus(Ed); GradDip

Annette Female Sax, Clarinet BMus; AMusA

Natalie Female Flute BMus; BA; BPsych (Hons)

Georgina Female Violin BEd(Primary); AMusA

Fiona Female Piano TMusA

Lucy Female Flute BMus; MMus

The Expert Participants

Name GenderInstruments

TaughtDescription

Gavin Male Piano Professor of piano, concert pianist, recording artist

Daphne Female Clarinet Lecturer of clarinet, soloist, recording artist, academic

William Male Piano Professor of music, concert pianist, lecturer, broadcaster, academic

Florence Female Piano Lecturer, teacher, performer, writer, Suzuki Method expert

Madeline Female Violin Teacher, conductor

Arthur Male Guitar Lecturer of guitar, performer, recording artist, composer

James Male Bassoon Teacher, orchestral musician, recording artist

Raphael Male Clarinet Lecturer of clarinet, teacher, conductor

Data analysis

• Thematic analysis was used to provide a descriptive-interpretive account of the data

• Data was coded according to grounded theory coding protocols

Findings - Novice

• “Like, I got out of heaps of bad habits in my twenties that I’d been taught wrong for many years and it didn’t take me long to get out of those habits but I had a positive experience with my teacher so I enjoyed playing and I continued with it. I think that’s probably the biggest factor to getting a young musician to become a good musician when they’re older if that’s what you’re after” (Jack – guitar – focus group)

Findings - Experienced

• “On one hand it sounds like I'm trying like find the ultimate way to teach my students but actually I know within that it's got to be completely different for every single student and then but, you know, I want that basic pathway to follow but how I get to those sort of sign posts along the way it’s going to have to be tailored differently to every student” (Edward – trombone/tuba – interview)

Findings - Expert• “And I remember, because I had a lot of contact with Claudio

Arrau, who of course is one of the greatest pianists who ever lived. And he said, playing the piano is not only about reading the notes. It’s really reading behind the notes. Hearing it internally, feeling the keys, seeing the keyboard and all the rest of it. And then ultimately, you will get to the stage when you’re studying something, all these facets happen at the same time. The problem-solving happens on all the levels at the same time. But it only comes once you’ve actually pulled it apart like a flower, each petal, so that you understand how the flower is made. And then you put the flower back together again, and you can actually treat it and you can smell the flower, see the flower, and touch the flower” (Gavin – piano – interview)

ConclusionsSTAGES OF EXPERIENCE

Novice Experienced Expert

‘Big sister’ stage: Concerned with learning being fun. Highly constructivist and student centred. Emphasis on creative tasks. Prioritised the interpersonal relationship of the one-to-one teaching setting over the musical skills taught. Taught from reflecting on past learning experiences, research, repertoire, being mentored and learning from peers.

‘Tough nut’ stage: Concerned with student development. Were focused on developing outcomes based teaching systems that were consistent. Concerned with tensions between freedom and discipline. Creativity was a secondary consideration to technique building.

‘Holistic’ stage: Most distinct and least generalisable group. Used individually distinct methods to unite a student centred and creative approach and a systematic and technique based approach informed by distinctly individual teaching philosophy. Saw their students as partners in the teaching/learning paradigm.

So What’s in the Toolbox?