Self-efficacy is a key factor in performance success, yet little is known about how music educators nurture students' self-belief within studio and class music lessons. This study explored teachers' perceptions of pedagogical priorities in the development of self-efficacy. The goal was to understand how teachers intuitively nurture students'…

The purpose of this study was to develop a measure to investigate studio teacher's observational skill as a function of the observer's ability to identify effective pedagogical practices. A secondary purpose was to see if observational skill varied as a function of scores on a measure of empathy. Participants (N = 60) were saxophonists who…

Self-observation has proven to be a powerful medium for personal and professional growth and development. This research makes use of self-observation through video to determine the latent structure that underlies the gestures to be learned and mastered by orchestra conducting students. Exploratory Factorial Analysis (EFA) techniques have been…

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to investigate the Montclair State University's West African drum and dance ensemble. Analyses of the data revealed three themes related to individual participants and the "lived reality" of the group as a whole, and to the social-cultural teaching--learning processes involved: spirituality,…

The purpose of this study was to examine how four experienced music teachers describe their navigation of the micropolitical landscape in their schools. Research questions included: (a) How do the teacher participants describe their strategies used to navigate the political, contextual, and interpersonal landscape of their schools and school…

Whilst the role of interactive play, thought and language in children's development has been acknowledged, less is known of the role of interactive play, thought and "music." Children's early music-making is both generative and performative in nature and provides a means by which they engage with self and others. Their independent…

This study looks at children's music making in a public setting designed for society writ large. Although known to most children in the city, the subway presents a unique environment, both structurally predictable yet sonically dynamic; it is in continuous transition. Adopting Winnicott's psychoanalytical perspective, we make a case for viewing…

"Sounds of Intent in the Early Years" explores the musical development of children from birth to five years of age. Observational evidence has been utilised together with key literature on musical development and core concepts of zygonic theory (Ockelford, 2013) to investigate the applicability of the original "Sounds of…

The purpose of this multiple instrumental case study was to explore approaches of four high school instrumental music educators assuming the role of facilitative teacher in responding to challenges affecting the social and emotional well-being of their students. This study utilized the framework of social emotional learning as a lens to view the…

Although elementary general music specialists teach students with a variety of exceptionalities every day (Chen, 2007; Hahn, 2010; Hoffman, 2011), many music teacher preparation programs do not adequately address exceptionality (Salvador, 2010). Articles regarding "strategies that work" appear perennially in the professional literature…

This article reports an investigation of the musical and extra-musical outcomes of participation in a music programme for students in four socio-economically disadvantaged school settings. Drawing on the theory of Positive Youth Development, which provides a focus on the positive assets young people bring to their engagement rather than perceived…

There is substantial evidence in the literature to support the claim that teachers' values and beliefs have a powerful effect on their teaching practice, and that these shape students' experiences of music learning. However, little attention has been paid to the forces by which these values and beliefs are shaped, and, more importantly, how more…

This article, drawing upon fieldwork from a larger project investigating the nature of children's self-chosen musical play, explores instances of play that stumble and either morph into something else or are abandoned altogether. Four vignettes of musical play are described, documented during recess observations at several Canadian elementary…

This article reports on a year-long project carried out in three UK primary schools, which aimed to understand the expectations and experiences of children participating in a series of workshops delivered by the chamber music organisation, Music in the Round. Through drawings, discussions, questionnaires and observations, the children's developing…

The purpose of this research study is an examination of a music artist-teacher's pedagogical approaches and practices in teaching composition to a Year 5 IB (International Baccalaureate) class in a Singaporean specialized arts school. The study is approached as a qualitative case study spanning a 5-month period involving observation and recording…