Self-regulation strategies and behaviors are important aspects of instrumental music learning because they allow students to set learning goals by testing and controlling their cognition, motivation, behaviors, and emotions. This work investigates the self-regulation processes of four young instrumentalists (aged 10-11 years) in their initial…

Traditional music education has prioritised external over internal performance aims, leading some learners to prioritise external motivations. I facilitated a workshop series for participants who experienced music performance anxiety when improvising, to examine if free improvisation coupled with expressive art response could cultivate…

Reflecting their dominance within music education, most musical instruments used in schools are of Western origin. In stark contrast, the adoption of folk instruments for the purposes of facilitating students' music-making and learning in the educational context is rarely encountered. This article reports the empirical data of a study in which a…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the motivational factors that contribute to primary school students' sustained participation in a traditional Chinese orchestra in a capital city in South China. The methods included participant observation, reflective journals and semi-structured interviews. The participants were 32…

Selecting repertoire that adult piano students find motivating and musically satisfying is more complex than simply finding pieces that are aurally pleasing. Drawing on theories of motivation, adult learning and transformative pedagogy, this practitioner-based study describes how the author learned to involve her students in the selection process,…

Music plays a very important role in student development, it can help them acquire the skills for expressing their opinion and critical assessment of the world as well as foster their self-confidence and learning motivation. It is extremely important to promote the formation of collective musical experience through a creative process that…

Latest studies point out the importance of emotional competencies in young people's education. Music is closely linked to people's personal development and the evidence suggests that there are differences in young people who participate in group music-making activities and young people who do not. In the present study we analysed the…

Motivation has formed a core strand of research in music education, reflecting its importance in educational psychology and other skill-based performance domains. Understanding motivation is crucial for explaining students' achievement, performance, well-being, and intentions to continue participation in (or drop out of) music learning throughout…

Over the past three decades, piano learning has witnessed an upsurge in popularity in China. To examine why, between 2016 and 2018 ethnographic fieldwork was conducted among piano teachers, students, and parents of students. Employing the concept of piano pathway, this article tracks the relationship between piano learning and formal schooling and…

This study extends an eight-country mapping exercise (McPherson & O'Neill, 2010; see "Research Studies in Music Education" issues 2010-2011) to include students' motivation to study music within the Australian context. It sought to determine whether music learners (students learning an instrument or voice), might be more motivated to…

This article reports findings from a qualitative study of adults' perceptions and experiences of learning musical instruments. Conducted in the south-east United States, 15 adults who were learning instruments were recruited via community music groups and private instrumental teachers. Analysis of transcripts of semi-structured interviews…

Research exploring learning outcomes in instrumental music has tended to focus on attainment ignoring other outcomes including long-term commitment to engage with music. This research addresses this issue. One hundred and sixty-three instrumental music students completed a questionnaire which sought information about their practising strategies,…