Personological Research on Creativity in the Performing and Fine Arts

1994

Brit. J. Music. Ed.

This article reports an exploratory study into applied music teaching at a tertiary level. The study was staged as a case study where the case comprises one performance lecturer of clarinet and eight of her students. The focus of the study is how a performance teacher with no formal teacher training fares in the training of musical performers, how students respond, and what are the particular successful or unsuccessful issues in 'commonsense teaching'. The data were gathered through participant observation and questionnaires. The findings suggest that the distinction between the role of the pedagogue (skilled in the dynamics and principles of teaching and learning) and the role of the expert performer (skilled mainly in the domain of performance) is an essential distinction to make. However, it is also a distinction that traditional performance teaching at a tertiary level seldom makes. The article concludes by tentatively proposing some pedagogical considerations for applied music teaching, as drawn from the case study.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Control before shape - on mastering the clarinet: A case study on commonsense teaching

1994

Brit. J. Music. Ed.

“…Streznewski, 1999;Locke, 1984). Shaughnessy and Manz (1991), for example, made the observation that "typically, artists, musicians and writers find their life's work outside bureaucratic institutions, which may hamper their creativity and originality" (p. 98). Furthermore, David Willings-a personnel management expert and scholar-offers a few typical statements as told by senior managers of intellectually gifted individuals as part of the workforce: "Why do we hire these intellectuals?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intellectually Gifted Individuals' Career Choices and Work Satisfaction: A Descriptive Study

Gifted and Talented International

2009

This study set out to study which career path a group of intellectually gifted individuals chose, if any. How did they actually like their work, and which were the reasons for satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their chosen career? In all, 287 Mensa members (216 men and 71 women) constituted the research group. Average age was 34.4 years (SD = 8.8). All had obtained IQ scores equal to or higher than the 98 th percentile. The study was designed as a survey operationalized as anInternet-based questionnaire using the SPSS Dimensions software. A shortened version of the Work and Life Attitudes Survey (Warr, Cook & Wall, 1979) was included as part of the questionnaire.Quantitative data were analyzed as dispersions within the research group whereas qualitative data were content-analyzed using the so-called VSAIEEDC Model. Results show that participants tended to pursue careers mainly in Technology, Science and Social Work and to a lesser degree in Practical and Aestethic work. For all these fields work satisfaction was shown to be average. For individuals choosing to start their own company and/or who end up in leading managerial positions, however, satisfaction with work and career is very high. Possible reasons for these difference between subgroups in the sample are focused, and in conclusion a possible way forward to improve

“…Shaughnessy and Manz (1991) concluded that not very many "pure creatives" go into conventional education. They fare badly during their training or subsequent professional existence.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survival of the Fittest or the Most Talented?: Deconstructing the Myth of the Musical Maestro

Journal of Secondary Gifted Education

2000

This article reviews the literature and anecdotal data charting potential problems in the training of gifted musical performers. The objective of this article is to feature a conceptual framework that evaluates the role of a musical maestro (or master performer as educator) in the development of talent. Although research into the training of performers in music conservatories is scarce, clinical psychology and performance art medicine report evidence that musicians may suffer from the expectations, psychological paradoxes, and traditions inherent in the so-called "conservatory culture." The literature suggests that musical maestros, themselves highly gifted performers, may at times be unsuitable teachers and mentors.