What's new in pedagogy research?(Professional Resources)

Take two equally talented and ambitious student musicians--one attends a top music school and pursues a life-long career as a professional musician, while the other drops out and goes into another career. Why does this happen? What makes the difference between the two students? This question was investigated in a British study titled: The Pathway to Excellence: the Role of Psychological Characteristics in Negotiating the Challenges of Musical Development. (1)

Previous studies in the area of identification and development of potential ability have constructed an interview-based approach to identify the "Psychological Characteristics for Developing Excellence" (PCDEs). These included trait characteristics (the tendency to) and related skills (the ability to), which have been shown to be important in the development of potential. (2) This study used this interview-based approach to identify the PCDEs, and divided the processes of development into three stages. Data were collected from eight top-level professional musicians, ranging in age from 35 to 58 years. They had all begun playing their instruments (percussion, harp, guitar, violin, vocal, flute, oboe and piano) between ages 3 and 5. A guided interview was conducted with each musician to explore each stage and transition of their musical development, and to identify the use and effectiveness of the PCDEs in their lives. Each interview lasted between 43 and 62 minutes, and was transcribed verbatim. The resulting data were divided into three main stages: early, middle and later years.

The Early Years: All of the participants indicated that when they began their involvement with music, the activity was generally fun and not pressured. They were fascinated and completely absorbed by the process of making music. This passion for music undoubtedly provided the dedication and sacrifice needed to develop to their high level of playing. Surprisingly, a number of the participants described little family support in the early years, but had other good music systems and supports in place. There were very few challenges listed at this stage. Although the musicians reported a great deal of practice, sacrifice and commitment, they felt that their raw talent and natural ability to learn had been enough to ensure success. "... [D]uring these Early Years, it was their enthusiasm for music making that motivated them to devote considerable time to practice." (3)

The Middle Years: These were the years when the participants became full-time music majors in various colleges and universities. Unlike the early years, the middle years presented major challenges for these developing musicians. It was at this point that they began to realize what they would have to do in order to be successful in music. They recognized that natural talent or musicality was not enough, and in order to meet the demands of the school there would have to be a marked increase in deliberate practice. "... [M]any of the musicians, suggested that some peers, several with less natural musical ability, were able to succeed by being completely focused and determined, such that hard work and practice compensated for lack of natural ability." (4) Despite the increased rigors and expectations of this stage, the musicians still reported a passion for making music and being in this musical environment. They reported a number of psychological characteristics which they felt helped them cope and be successful in this demanding time of development:

* the importance of self-belief and understanding yourself

* goal setting

* the ability to focus, adapt, re-evaluate, be versatile, and learn from mistakes