Abstract
Interest in the psychology of music among scholars, musicians, psychologists, educators, policy makers, and parents has grown dramatically during the last two decades. Developing the Musician—a title in the series of the SEMPRE [Society for Education Music and Psychology Research] Studies in the Psychology of Music—draws on international research. Its purpose is to present contemporary views on these subjects and promote links between music, education, and psychology research for a broad readership.
Dr. Mary Stakelum, editor, is now area leader for music education at the Royal College of Music. She has also held positions as associate director of the University of Reading Graduate School, editorial board member of Music Education Research, board member of the European Association for Music in Schools, and SEMPRE conference secretary. In addition to editing, Stakelum co-authored a chapter. International authors, comprised of collegiate faculty, lecturers, professional musicians, doctoral students, and research fellows, also contributed chapters.
Intended for a wide readership in a variety of music-related fields, the book includes introductory materials, sixteen chapters, and an extensive index. The informative introductory materials provide insights regarding the purpose of the text, authors, and chapter content. A brief description of the SEMPRE Studies in the Psychology of Music, including other titles in the series, is followed by a table of contents, lists of figures, tables, examples, notes on contributors, a preface, and an introduction. Contributor notes include brief biographical paragraphs for each author, and the introduction provides brief chapter synopses. The sixteen chapters are merged into three sections that explore aspiration and identity, teaching and learning attitudes, and assessment. The last section is an extensive index useful for readers in navigating the text.
Each chapter follows a format similar to an academic journal article and presents original research or ideas or both. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies are employed by chapter authors and represent modes of inquiry including life history, content analysis, classroom observation, and survey, among others. Most chapters include a web reference section, and some include convenient “overviews” which act as abstracts that summarize chapter content.
The first section, “Aspiration and Identity,” consists of seven chapters and is the longest of the three larger sections of the book. Topics pertaining to self-efficacy, musical taste, and approaches to performance are discussed in regard to emergent professionals and amateurs who have moved beyond adolescence. The section provides diverse and contemporary views into musicians’ desires and attitudes as they develop “musician” identities.
In Chapter 1, “Identity dimensions and age as predictors of adult music preferences,” Leadbeater and Marsden discussed means of understanding music preferences after adolescence. Long authored Chapter 2, “Conservatoire students' attitudes, self-efficacy and aspirations,” and discussed conservatory students’ development of a professional self-concept. In Chapter 3, “The formation and development of musical identities with a hearing impairment,” author Fulford outlined the development of deaf identities and musical identities among individuals with hearing impairments. In Chapter 4, “Undergraduate music students’ experiences in community settings: developing the musician within a university module,” Triantafyllaki and Anagnostopoulou investigated how opportunities for musical participation and community engagement affect undergraduate music students’ professional identities. Pulman, author of Chapter 5, examined how a peer learning system influenced musicians’ personal attributes and life skills in “Knowing me, knowing you.” In Chapter 6, “The influence of learning history on musical approaches to piano improvisation,” Morijiri determined how multiple factors influence improvisatory practices. In Chapter 7, Hallam examined practice habits (e.g., motivation, self-management, organization) to discuss young instrumentalists’ musical aspirations and levels of expertise in “Levels of expertise and musical aspirations in young instrumental players.”
The second section of the book, “Attitudes to Teaching and Learning,” is the shortest and contains four chapters. Authors focus on popular music, students with special needs, and professional development, and present information that is relevant and useful to a diverse reading audience. Together, they contribute to a well-rounded discussion of music teaching and learning in the twenty-first century.
In “The MaPS project: mapping teacher conceptions of musical development” (Chapter 8) authors Stakelum and Baker investigated the conceptions of primary teachers regarding musical ability in themselves and young children. In “Canon (re)formation in popular music pedagogy” (Chapter 9), Parkinson discussed the challenges of offering popular music courses at the university level and how it could lead to adopting a popular music canon. Mather in “Music as a specific learning support resource for children with special educational needs and disability in mainstream primary education: practice and attitudes” (Chapter 10), illuminated the views and practices of educators working with students with special needs regarding using music as a learning support. In “Continuing professional development for the musician as teacher in a university context” (Chapter 11), Haddon advocated integrating vocal and instrumental teachers into university music departments and providing access to professional development opportunities.
Section three, “Modes of Assessment,” is divided into five chapters. Matters of collaboration, culture, metacognition, leadership, and ear playing are investigated using video observations, verbal analysis, and survey methods. The diverse subject matter, data collection and analysis methods provide a multi-faceted and engaging view of contemporary music assessment.
Preston, in Chapter 12, “‘Ryan’s not counting – it’s eight beats on C:’ developing the musician in a classroom context,” investigated student collaboration and musical participation in classroom music lessons. In Chapter 13, “Cultural tools in the classroom – a tool to develop the musician?” Backman Bister employed a cultural psychological model of musical learning to examine teaching and learning. Bathgate and Schunn, in Chapter 14, “Exploring and encouraging metacognitive awareness in novice music students,” examined the influence of metacognitive practice and metacognitive teaching on adolescent instrumental beginners’ performance and practice. In Chapter 15, “Assessing leadership skills in the conservatoire,” Palmer discussed the value of using alternative means to assess leadership skills in performance degree programs. Baker, in Chapter 16, “Music, informal learning and the instrumental lesson: teacher and student evaluations of the Ear Playing Project (EPP),” provided an overview of a research project wherein teachers incorporated playing by ear strategies into instrumental lessons.
Developing the Musician is suitable for a diverse audience with interests in music teaching and learning and readers comfortable with an academic format. At times the content can be rather dense—particularly chapters using primarily quantitative analysis to report complex statistics—but the consistent format and conclusion sections help readers navigate the chapters. Readers with musical backgrounds or research backgrounds or both with interests in contemporary music teaching and learning would benefit most from this title.
Interested audiences and their views regarding music teaching and learning have changed throughout the years. This title provides an excellent resource for researchers, musicians, parents, and music educators as well as individuals with interests regarding contemporary issues in music and music education. Chapters pertaining to popular music, learners with special needs, ear-playing, and music identity make this a timely resource that addresses issues currently impacting the music teaching and learning field. Pertinent information within each chapter is easy to locate, as all authors organized their material in a similar fashion.
Contemporary approaches to music teaching and learning are rooted in history, and music educators with an interest in history will likely be able to appreciate the implications of important historical events on contemporary practice. Researchers may also find inspiration to (re)examine the historical narratives surrounding certain topics or approaches described in order to provide additional insights and interpretations to the field of music education. As the knowledge base on these complex issues increases, it remains important for researchers in all music fields to continue to seek publications such as Developing the Musician to stay on the cutting-edge of a varied and dynamic field.