Encouraging reflective practice in conservatoire students: a pathway to autonomous learning?

ABSTRACT

This paper reports on first-year conservatoire students’ reflections on their one-to-one performance learning through a reflective journal. One-to-one lessons have been a central part of the education of performing musicians, although their place in the twenty-first-century conservatoire is not beyond challenge. Recent research has indicated that this model has potential for students to rely heavily on their teachers for feedback and that more reflective and autonomous learning might benefit their progress. Students’ journal responses revealed three main themes: the development of student autonomy; a sense of shared responsibility and collaboration; and increased clarity and confidence in the direction of their learning. The findings suggest that the journaling process can prompt an increased level of reflection and lead to more collaborative and autonomous learning in the one-to-one studio context.

KEYWORDS:

• Conservatoire learning and teaching
• music learning and teaching
• one-to-one studio lessons
• reflective practice
• student autonomy

Acknowledgement

The views in this project do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching [grant number ID14-3815].

Notes on contributors

Gemma Carey

Professor Gemma Carey is Deputy Director (Learning and Teaching) and Head of Pedagogy at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. Gemma's expertise and research interests are in the area of Performance Pedagogy, Curriculum and Teaching and Learning. She has presented and published papers in the field of Instrumental Pedagogy both nationally and internationally. Recent publications include “Peer Assisted Reflection in Studio Music Teaching” 2014 (Carey and Grant) and “Enacting Transformative Pedagogy in the Music Studio: A Case Study of Responsive, Relational Teaching” 2016 (Carey and Grant).

Scott Harrison

Professor Scott Harrison has taught singing and music in primary, secondary and tertiary environments. He has over 20 years of experience in performance of opera and music theatre, as both singer and musical director. His recent publications include Perspectives on Teaching Singing (2010), International Perspectives on Males and Singing (2012), Research and Research Education in Music Performance and Pedagogy (2013) and Teaching Singing in the 21st Century (2014). He has grants from the Office for Learning and Teaching and Australia Research Council.

Rachael Dwyer

Dr Rachael Dwyer spent a number of years as a music specialist teacher in primary and secondary schools prior to completing her doctoral studies at The University of Queensland. A monograph based on her doctoral research entitled Music Teachers' Values and Beliefs will be published in 2016 by Ashgate/Taylor and Francis. Rachael’s other research interests include teacher education, research pedagogy, critical pedagogy and narrative inquiry.