13. The Lived Experience of Radical Acceleration in the Biographical Narratives of Exceptionally Gifted Adult Musicians

Abstract

Although acceleration is fairly common in the education of musically gifted individuals, it has not been studied as much in this population as in the academically gifted. Little is known about the effects and experience of acceleration from the perspective of the musically gifted adult. Seeking to address this gap in the literature, this chapter explores the lived experience of acceleration of four adult musicians, all of whom (a) originated from Serbia, (b) were judged as exceptionally musically gifted in childhood and (c) underwent radical acceleration, eventually entering the music conservatory three or more years ahead of their study cohort. Conducting semi-structured interviews and employing interpretative phenomenological analysis, we uncover how these individuals experienced two critical developmental transitions―deciding to study music at the university level and starting a career as a professional musician―given that they made these transitions at a very young age. We learn that rather than being merely an ‘educational intervention’, radical acceleration has shaped numerous aspects of our participants’ lives, not limited to their professional careers and artistry, but also affecting their social, emotional and identity development.