What's new in pedagogy research?

What's new in pedagogy research? Take two equally talented and ambitious student musicians--oneattends a top music school and pursues a life-long career as aprofessional musician, while the other drops out and goes into anothercareer. Why does this happen? What makes the difference between the twostudents? This question was investigated in a British study titled: ThePathway to Excellence: the Role of Psychological Characteristics inNegotiating the Challenges of Musical Development. (1) Previous studies in the area of identification and development ofpotential ability have constructed an interview-based approach toidentify the "Psychological Characteristics for DevelopingExcellence" (PCDEs). These included trait trait(trat)1. any genetically determined characteristic; also, the condition prevailing in the heterozygous state of a recessive disor der, as the sickle cell trait.2. a distinctive behavior pattern. characteristics (thetendency to) and related skills (the ability to), which have been shownto be important in the development of potential. (2) This study usedthis interview-based approach to identify the PCDEs, and divided theprocesses of development into three stages. Data were collected fromeight top-level professional musicians, ranging in age from 35 to 58years. They had all begun playing their instruments (percussion percussion/per¡¤cus¡¤sion/ (per-kush¡äun) the act of striking a part with short, sharp blows as an aid in diagnosing the condition of the underlying parts by the sound obtained. , harp,guitar, violin violin,family of stringed musical instruments having wooden bodies whose backs and fronts are slightly convex, the fronts pierced by two f-hole-shaped resonance holes. , vocal, flute, oboe oboe(ō`bō, ō`boi)[Ital., from Fr. hautbois] or hautboy(ō`boi, hō`–), woodwind instrument of conical bore, its mouthpiece having a double reed. and piano) between ages 3 and 5. Aguided interview was conducted with each musician to explore each stageand transition of their musical development, and to identify the use andeffectiveness of the PCDEs in their lives. Each interview lasted between43 and 62 minutes, and was transcribed verbatim ver¡¤ba¡¤tim?adj.Using exactly the same words; corresponding word for word: a verbatim report of the conversation.adv. . The resulting data weredivided into three main stages: early, middle and later years. The Early Years: All of the participants indicated that when theybegan their involvement with music, the activity was generally fun andnot pressured. They were fascinated and completely absorbed by theprocess of making music. This passion for music undoubtedly provided thededication and sacrifice needed to develop to their high level ofplaying. Surprisingly, a number of the participants described littlefamily suppo rt in the early years, but had other good music systems andsupports in place. There were very few challenges listed at this stage.Although the musicians reported a great deal of practice, sacrifice andcommitment, they felt that their raw talent and natural ability to learnhad been enough to ensure success. "... [D]uring these Early Years,it was their enthusiasm for music making that motivated them to devoteconsiderable time to practice." (3) The Middle Years: These were the years when the participants becamefull-time music majors in various colleges and universities. Unlike theearly years, the Years, Thethe seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109]See : Time middle years presented major challenges for thesedeveloping musicians. It was at this point that they began to realizewhat they would have to do in order to be successful in music. Theyrecognized that natural talent or musicality was not enough, and inorder to meet the demands of th e school there would have to be a markedincrease 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, suchthat hard work and practice compensated for lack of naturalability." (4) Despite the increased rigors and expectations of thisstage, the musicians still reported a passion for making music and beingin this musical environment. They reported a number of psychologicalcharacteristics which they felt helped them cope and be successful inthis demanding time of development: * the importance of self-belief and understanding yourself * goal setting * the ability to focus, adapt, re-evaluate, be versatile, and learnfrom mistakes * the development of social skills and the ability to multitask * the possession of discipline, self determination, dedication andcommitment "It was clear from the interview data that during the MiddleYears, self-beli ef and focus were crucial for coping with theoften-competitive nature of the music college. Indeed, it has beensuggested that those musicians who succeed in pursuing professionalmusic careers have developed successful methods for coping with thecompetition and. pressure of the conservatoire conservatoireNouna school of music [French]Conservatory, Conservatoirea school of advanced studies, usually in one of the fine arts, hence, the students and professors collectively; . The Later Years: The challenges following graduation and entry intoa full-time career as a professional musician were apparent for most ofthe musicians. Their first priority was survival--the need to make moneyby playing. Financial pressure was a continuing theme throughout thecareers of the participants. "... [T]here was an acknowledgment acknowledgment,in law, formal declaration or admission by a person who executed an instrument (e.g., a will or a deed) that the instrument is his. The acknowledgment is m ade before a court, a notary public, or any other authorized person. that ability to play well was not going to be enough to succeed in themusic profession and that other qualities are important." (7) Thechallenge of combining family and career was also a recurring re¡¤cur?intr.v. re¡¤curred, re¡¤cur¡¤ring, re¡¤curs1. To happen, come up, or show up again or repeatedly.2. To return to one's attention or memory.3. To return in thought or discourse. challengefor these musicians. As their practice time diminished, they relied onall the practicing and learning that had taken place during the earlyand middle years to sustain their level of playing. All the participantsthought that talent, though vital, was not enough for continued successat this stage, and perseverance PerseveranceSee also Determination.Ainsworthredid dictionary manuscript burnt in fire. [Br. Hist.: Brewer Handbook, 752]Call of the Wild, Thedogs trail steadfastly through Alaska’s tundra. [Am. Lit. , self -belief, determination, dedicationand commitment were crucial. They recognized the need for adaptability a¡¤dapt¡¤a¡¤ble?adj.Capable of adapting or of being adapted.a¡¤dapta¡¤bil and flexibility of approach to make the most of their opportunities toplay. "In fact, all participants remarked that this ability tooffer something different, something unique was vital in order to bedifferentiated from peers and succeed in the competitive musicprofession." (8) The successful transition from one stage to the next was seen ascritical to success, and the transition from collegiate col¡¤le¡¤giate?adj.1. Of, relating to, or held to resemble a college.2. Of, for, or typical of college students.3. Of or relating to a collegiate church. study to life asa professional (from the middle to the late stage) appeared to be themost crucial. This transition entailed leaving the safety of theuniversity environment and dealing with the uncertainty and frustrationof establishing a career as a pro fessional musician. These participantsindicated that their formal education "... did not equip e¡¤quip?tr.v. e¡¤quipped, e¡¤quip¡¤ping, e¡¤quips1. a. To supply with necessities such as tools or provisions.b. them withthe skills and characteristics necessary to thrive in that environment.Indeed, it was suggested that the lack of these psycho-behaviouralfactors in their peers led to potential not be realised." (9) The researchers write that while raw talent, dedication, planningand commitment are necessary for successful development, a range ofnon-musical characteristics such as interpersonal skills "Interpersonal skills" refers to mental and communicative algorithms applied during social communications and interactions in order to reach certain effects or results. The term "interpersonal skills" is used often in business contexts to refer to the measure of a person's ability , realisticperformance evaluation Performance evaluationThe assessment of a manager's results, which involves, first, determining whether the money manager added value by outperforming the established benchmark (performance measurement) and, second, determining how the money manager achieved the calculated return , goal setting and confidence, are also needed.They conclude: "If the importance of developing key psychologicalattributes alongside musical skills is recognised, the deliberatedevelopment of extra-musical skills necessary for the realisation ofindividual performing potential becomes a real possibility." (10) Reflections If you are a regular reader of this column, you may realize thatthis is the first research that I have reviewed that is qualitativerather than quantitative (the conclusions were drawn from interviewsrather than based on numbers from data). I found myself drawn to thisstudy because it resonated so strongly with my own experience in workingwith students--some very talented players did not have what it took tocomplete a music degree at the undergra duate or graduate level; or somewho completed degrees were unable to sustain a professional career. Itis easy to conclude that there are just not enough jobs in the musicworld to keep pace with the number of graduates, and this is a validargument. But it is not the whole story. This study clarifies some ofthe non-musical characteristics that are necessary for a highly talentedchild to grow into a successful professional musician. Unfortunately, itdoes not include how these non-musical characteristics can be taught.Social skills can be honed by all except the most inept, but realisticperformance evaluations--do we encourage that in our private lessons,jury evaluations and recital Recital - dBASE-like language and DBMS from Recital Corporation. Versions include Vax VMS. grades? We can warn aspiring as¡¤pire?intr.v. as¡¤pired, as¡¤pir¡¤ing, as¡¤pires1. To have a great ambition or ultimate goal; desire strongly: aspired to stardom.2. performersthat "it's a jungle out there," bu t how do we instill in¡¤stillv.To pour in drop by drop.instil¡¤lation n. theself-belief and confidence that will sustain the blooded and bowedperformer after losing a competition? We can mentor, but how do wetransform? Perhaps just being more aware of the psychological needs ofour students will help us find ways to encourage and develop thecharacteristics that will lead to success at each transition and stageof development. NOTES (1.) D. Collins, P. Holmes and A. MacNamara, "The Pathway toExcellence: the Role of Psychological Characteristics in Negotiating theChallenges of Musical Development," British Journal of MusicEducation 23, No. 1, (2006): 285-302. (2.) Ibid. 286. (3.) Ibid. 293. (4.) Ibid. 294. (5.) Ibid. 295. (6.) Ibid., 296. (7.) Ibid., 296. (8.) Ibid., 299. (9.) Ibid., 300. (10.) Ibid., 300. Rebecca Grooms Johnson, NCTM NCTM National Council of Teachers of MathematicsNCTM Nationally Certified Teacher of MusicNCTM North Carolina Transportation MuseumNC TM National Capital Trolley MuseumNCTM Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage , is the director of keyboard pedagogyat Capital University in Columbus, Ohio Columbus is the capital and the largest city of the American state of Ohio. Named for explorer Christopher Columbus, the city was founded in 1812 at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, and assumed the functions of state capital in 1816. . She is an experiencedindependent piano teacher and a past president of the Ohio MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system.(2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. . Johnsonholds a Ph.D. degree in piano pedagogy.