Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T12:33:50.995Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Exploring the content of instrumental lessons and gender relations in Australian higher education

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 June 2008

Katie Zhukov
Katie Zhukov*
Affiliation:
Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Sydney, [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This observational study analysed the lesson content of 24 instrumental lessons (piano, strings and winds) using a gender-balanced sample (equal numbers of male/female teachers and students) from five Australian higher education institutions to ascertain the priorities of topics in advanced applied music lessons in the Western Classical tradition. The results were analysed according to gender to determine differences of approach between male and female teachers and male and female students. Same-gender and different-gender pairings were also considered. Technique was found to be of the greatest importance, followed by Articulation and Expression. Some gender differences have emerged between the teachers, with the male teachers tending towards a more analytical approach and the female teachers adopting more balanced lesson content. The treatment of students showed some divergence, with greater emphasis on Expression in the lessons of female students, whereas the male students studied more Structure. The results demonstrate stereotypical gender behaviour among the teachers and towards their students not previously observed in this educational setting.

Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Music Education , Volume 25 , Issue 2 , July 2008 , pp. 159 - 176
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

ABELES, H. F. (1975) ‘Student perceptions of characteristics of effective applied music instructors’, Journal of Research in Music Education 23: 147–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ABELES, H., GOFFI, J. & LEVASSEUR, S. (1992) ‘The components of effective applied instruction’, Quarterly Journal of Music Teaching and Learning 3 (2): 17–23.Google Scholar
ALTENMULLER, E., WIESENDANGER, M. & KESSELRING, J. (2006) Music, Motor Control and the Brain. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CLARKE, E. F. (1999) ‘Rhythm and timing in music’, in Deutsch, D., The Psychology of Music (2nd Edn), pp. 473–500. San Diego: Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CLARKE, E. & BAKER-SHORT, C. (1987) ‘The imitation of perceived rubato: A preliminary study’, Psychology of Music 15: 58–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CLARKE, E., COOK, N., HARRISON, B. & THOMAS, P. (2005) ‘Interpretation and performances in Bryn Harrison's etre-temps’, Musicae Scientiae 19 (1): 31–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CLYNES, M. & WALKER, J. (1986) ‘Music as time's measure’, Music Perception 4 (1): 85–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CONNELL, D. & GUNZELMANN, B. (2004) ‘The new gender gap’, Instructor 113 (6): 14–17.Google Scholar
DELZELL, J. K. & LEPPLA, D. A. (1992) ‘Gender association of musical instruments and preferences of fourth-grade students for selected instruments’. Journal of Research in Music Education 40 (2): 93–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DUKE, R. A. & PIERCE, M. A. (1991) ‘Effects of tempo and context on transfer of performance skills’, Journal of Research in Music Education 39 (2): 93–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ELLIOT, C. A. (1995) ‘Race and gender as factors in judgements of musical performance’, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education 127: 50–6.Google Scholar
GABRIELSSON, A. (1982) ‘Perception and performance of musical rhythm’, in Clynes, M. (Ed.), Music, Mind and Brain: The Neuropsychology of Music (pp. 159–69). New York: Plenium.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
GABRIELSSON, A. (1985) ‘Interplay between analysis and synthesis in studies of music performance and music experience’, Music Perception 3 (1): 59–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
GABRIELSSON, A. & LINDSTROM, E. (2001) ‘The influence of musical structure on emotional expression’, in Juslin, P. N. & Sloboda, J. A. (Eds.), Music and Emotion: Theory and Research (pp. 223–48). Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
GERINGER, J. M. & MADSEN, C. K. (1984) ‘Pitch and tempo discrimination in recorded orchestral music among musicians and nonmusicians’, Journal of Research in Music Education 32: 195–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
GINSBORG, J. (2004) ‘Strategies for memorizing music’, in Williamon, A. (Ed.), Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance (pp. 123–41). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
GIPSON, R. C. (1978) ‘An observational analysis of wind instrument private lessons’, Dissertation Abstracts International 39: 2118A.Google Scholar
GREEN, L. (1997) Music, Gender, Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
GREER, R. D. (1980) Design for Music Learning. New York: Columbia University, Teachers College Press.Google Scholar
GRUSON, L. M. (1988) ‘Rehearsal skill and musical competence: Does practice make perfect?’, in Sloboda, J. A. (Ed.), Generative Processes in Music (pp. 91–112). UK: Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
GRUZELIER, J. H. & EGNER, T. (2004) ‘Physiological self-regulation: biofeedback and neurofeedback’, in Williamon, A. (Ed.), Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance (pp. 197–219). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
HEPLER, L. E. (1986) ‘The measurement of student-teacher interaction in private music lessons and its relation to teacher field dependence/independence’. Dissertation Abstracts International 47: 2939A.Google Scholar
JERDE, T. E., SANTELLO, M., FLANDERS, M., & SOECHTING, J. F. (2006) ‘Hand movements and musical performance’, in Altenmuller, E., Wiesendanger, M. & Kesselring, J. (Eds.), Music, Motor Control and the Brain (pp. 79–90). Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
JOHNSON, C. M. (1996) ‘Musicians’ and nonmusicians’ assessment of perceived rubato in musical performance’. Journal of Research in Music Education 44 (1): 84–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
JUSLIN, P. N. (2001) ‘Communicating emotion in music performance: A review and theoretical framework’, in Juslin, P. N. & Sloboda, J. A. (Eds.), Music and Emotion: Theory and Research (pp. 309–37). Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
JUSLIN, P. N., FRIBERG, A., SCHOONDERWALDT, E. & KARLSSON, J. (2004) ‘Feedback learning of musical expressivity’, in Williamon, A. (Ed.), Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance, (pp.247–70). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
KEMP, A. (1982) ‘The personality structure of the musician (Part 4)’, Psychology of Music 10 (2): 3–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
KEMP, A. (1996 ). The Musical Temperament: Psychology and Personality of Musicians. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
KOPIEZ, R. (1994) ‘Agogics, dynamics, and the perception of musical interpretation’, Proceedings of Third International Conference for Music Perception and Cognition (pp. 325–6). University of Liege: European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music.Google Scholar
KOPIEZ, R., WEIHS, C., LIGGES, U. & LEE, J. I. (2006) ‘Classification of high and low achievers in music sight-reading task’, Psychology of Music 34 (1): 5–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
KUHN, T. L. & BOOTH, G. D. (1988) ‘The effect of melodic activity, tempo change, and audible beat on tempo perception of elementary school students’, Journal of Research in Music Education 36: 140–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LEINHARDT, G. & GREENO, J. G. (1991) ‘The cognitive skill of teaching’, in Goodyear, P. (Ed.), Teaching Knowledge and Intelligent Tutoring (pp. 233–68). Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Corporation.Google Scholar
LEHMANN, A. C. (2006) ‘Historical increases in expert music performance skills: optimizing instruments, playing techniques, and training’, in Altenmuller, E., Wiesendanger, M. & Kesselring, J. (Eds.), Music, Motor Control and the Brain (pp. 3–22). Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LEHMANN, A. C. & ERICSSON, K. A. (1993) ‘Sight-reading ability of expert pianists in the context of piano accompanying’, Psychomusicology 12: 122–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LEHMANN, A. C. & MCARTHUR, V. (2002) ‘Sight-reading’, in Parncutt, R. & McPherson, G. (Eds.), The Science and Psychology of Music Performance: Creative Strategies for Teaching and Learning (pp. 135–50). Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LOW, S. (2000) Applied Violin Instruction: Strategies and Factors Contributing to Effective Teaching. Unpublished Masters’ thesis, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney, Australia.Google Scholar
MCPHERSON, G. E. (1994) ‘Factors and abilities influencing sightreading skill in music’, Journal of Research in Music Education 42 (3): 217–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
NADEAU, R. L (1996) S/he Brain: Science, Sexual Politics, and the Myths of Feminism. Westport, CT: Praeger.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
NAKAMURA, T. (1987) The communication of dynamics between musicians and listeners through musical performance. Perception and Psychophysics 41 (6): 525–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
NEILL-VAN CURA, K. (1995) The Applied Music Studio: A Model of a Master Teacher. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Dissertation Services.Google Scholar
O'NEILL, S. A. & BOULTON, M. J. (1996) ‘Boys’ and girls’ preferences for musical instruments: a function of gender?’, Psychology of Music 24: 171–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
OTT, B. (1992) Lisztian Keyboard Energy: An Essay on the Pianism of Franz Liszt. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Miller Press.Google Scholar
PERSSON, R. S. (2001) ‘The subjective world of the performer’, in Juslin, P. N. & Sloboda, J. A. (Eds.), Music and Emotion: Theory and Research (pp. 276–89). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
RAKOWSKI, A. (1990) ‘Intonation variants of musical intervals in isolation and in musical contexts’, Psychology of Music 18: 60–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
REICHLING, M. (1989) ‘Memorising piano music: What the research offers teachers’, Update 8 (1): 9–13.Google Scholar
RUBIN-RABSON, G. (1941) ‘Studies in the psychology of memorising piano music’, Journal of Educational Psychology 32: 593–602.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
REPP, B. H. (1989) ‘Expressive microstructure in music: A preliminary perceptual assessment of four composers’ “pulses”’, Music Perception 6 (3): 243–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
REPP, B. H. (1990) ‘Patterns of expressive timing in performances of a Beethoven Minuet by nineteen famous pianists’, Journal of Acoustical Society of America 88 (2): 622–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
REPP, B. H. (1992) ‘Diversity and commonality in music performance: an analysis of timing microstructure in Schumann's “Träumerei”’, Journal of Acoustical Society of America 92 (5): 2546–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
REPP, B. H. (1994) ‘On determining the basic tempo of an expressive music performance’, Psychology of Music 22: 157–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
REPP, B. H. (2006) ‘Musical synchronization’, in Altenmuller, E., Wiesendanger, M. & Kesselring, J. (Eds.), Music, Motor Control and the Brain (pp. 55–76). Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
REUBART, D. (1985) Anxiety and Musical Performance. New York: Da Capo Press.Google Scholar
SALZBERG, R. (1980) ‘The effects of visual stimulus and instruction on intonation accuracy of string instrumentalists’, Psychology of Music, 8 (2): 42–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SHAFFER, L. H. (1981) ‘Performances of Chopin, Bach and Bartok: Studies in motor programming’, Cognitive Psychology 31: 326–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SHAFFER, L. H. (1995) ‘Musical performance as interpretation’, Psychology of Music 23: 17–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SLOBODA, J. A. (1974) ‘The eye-hand span: An approach to the study of sight reading’, Psychology of Music 2 (2): 4–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SLOBODA, J. A. (1978) ‘The psychology of music reading’, Psychology of Music 6 (2): 3–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SLOBODA, J. A. (1991) ‘Music structure and emotional response: some empirical findings’, Psychology of Music 19: 110–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
TEMPERLEY, D. (2001) The Cognition of Basic Musical Structures. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
TODD, N. (1985) ‘A model of expressive timing in tonal music’, Music Perception 3 (1): 33–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
THOMPSON, S. & LEHMANN, A. C. (2004) ‘Strategies for sight-reading and improvising music’, in Williamon, A. (Ed.), Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance (pp. 143–59). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
WILLIAMON, A. (1999) ‘The value of performing from memory’, Psychology of Music 27: 84–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WOODY, R. H. (2000) ‘Learning expressivity in music performance: an exploratory study’, Research Studies in Music Education 14: 14–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WUBBENHORST, T. M. (1994) ‘Personality characteristics of music educators and performers’, Psychology of Music 22: 63–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
YOUNG, V., BURWELL, K. & PICKUP, D. (2003) ‘Areas of study and teaching strategies in instrumental teaching: a case study research project’, Music Education Research 5 (2): 139–55.Google Scholar
ZBIKOWSKI, L. M. (2002) Conceptualizing Music: Cognitive Structure, Theory and Analyses. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ZHUKOV, K. (2005) Teaching Styles and Student Behaviour in Instrumental Music Lessons in Australian Conservatoriums (Doctoral dissertation). ProQuest Information and Learning, ISBN 0-542-01937-X (UMI No. 3166825).Google Scholar
ZHUKOV, K. (2006) ‘Gender issues in instrumental music teaching in Australian Conservatoriums’, Research Studies in Music Education 26: 22–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar