Changes in motivation as expertise develops: Relationships with musical aspirations

Abstract

Recent models of musical motivation have recognised the complex interactions which occur between environmental (cultural, institutional, familial, educational) and internal factors (cognition and affect) in enhancing or reducing motivation. Much previous research has been small scale and not taken account of long term musical aspirations. This paper aims to address these issues exploring changes in motivation as expertise develops with a large sample of learners. 3325 young musicians, aged 6-19 playing a wide range of instruments participated, They represented nine levels of expertise ranging from beginner to higher education conservatoire entry level. Level of expertise was established in terms of the most recent graded independent instrumental examination taken. They were asked to respond to a series of statements on a 7 point Likert scale. The statements focused on well-established elements of motivation including: self-beliefs; enjoyment of musical activities; enjoyment of performance; level of support received from parents, friends and teachers; attitudes towards playing an instrument and perceptions of its value; and beliefs about the importance of musical ability. Participants were also asked to respond to statements about their long term musical aspirations. An exploratory factor analysis provided the basis for the development of a motivational scale which included five sub-scales: social support and affirmation; social life and the value of playing an instrument; enjoyment of performing; self-belief in musical ability; and enjoyment of instrumental musical activities. There were linear trends for each of the five sub-scales in relation to level of expertise with the exception of social support and affirmation. The five sub-scales collectively predicted a composite score relating to aspirations with a multiple r of .64.

Pupils’ perceptions of informal learning in school music lessons

“…Given these responses, it is not surprising that only 55% indicated that they thought that they were a musical person. This suggests that while the Musical Futures approach had enhanced interest for a substantial proportion of students, many had failed to develop an identity as a musician, a crucial factor in maintaining engagement with music throughout the lifespan (Hallam et al, 2015). This reflects the evidence from the Nordic research which reported that some students' needs were not being met (Bergman, 2009).…”

Gender-differences in conservatoire music practice maladjustment. Can contextual professional goals and context-derived psychological needs satisfaction account for amotivation variations?

“…Both of these regulations have low levels of autonomy and, thus, may promote conformity, thwart self-expression, and result in feelings of alienation and motivation of lesser quality [16]. Nevertheless, as people progress through their careers in music, the proportions of diverse intrinsic and extrinsic motives may vary: for instance, motives like expressing a musical identity, satisfying personal needs, approaching learning effectively, or addressing specific environmental conditions may, respectively, gain more salience during specific periods, consequently, affecting motivation and possibly even individual career trajectories [26]. Students' experiences may vary not only due to the specific moment in their music career, but also students with different motivational goals may experience their learning environments differently, because they direct their attention to different aspects [27].…”

Music Self-Efficacy for Performance: An Explanatory Model Based on Social Support

“…Many years of training and preparation are required to acquire such skills and put these into practice, a process that involves not only the development of technical dexterity, but also the ability to regulate one's learning activity and to control emotional factors (Hallam, 2002). Personal motivation and the context in which learning takes place also exert a pivotal influence throughout this entire process (Moore et al, 2003;Creech and Hallam, 2011;Lehmann and Kristensen, 2014;Hallam et al, 2016).…”