Talent development in Chinese and Swiss music students

Abstract

Musical talent development and the factors that influence it—such as family or peers—have been widely researched, especially in a Western setting. Despite the growing body of research in non-Western cultures and regions, there is still a lack of research comparing the factors and perceptions of musical talent development between Western and Asian settings. This interview study compared Swiss and Chinese music students’ ( N = 19) musical talent development and the factors influencing musical talent during childhood and adolescence, their professional aims, and their perception of internal and external factors affecting talent development. The students had similar opinions regarding the role of their teachers, the roles of internal and external factors in talent development, and their career goals. However, the students from China and Switzerland differed in their experiences of making and discussing music with peers, in the difficulties experienced during their music education, and in their relationship with their families. The results are a starting point for further comparative research on the perception and development of musical talent, and offer material for a mutual understanding of music students’ backgrounds in countries with differing music education traditions.

Das Selbstkonzept im Schulfach Musik: Einbettung in die Forschung zum akademischen Selbstkonzept

“…Entsprechend erwarteten wir höhere Korrelationen zwischen den Selbstkonzepten in den Schulfächern Musik und Kunst als zwischen dem Selbstkonzept im Schulfach Musik und Selbstkonzepten anderer Schulfächer. Dies lässt sich mit der Ähnlichkeit der Schulfächer Musik und Kunst begründen: Begabung und außerschulisches Engagement spielen in beiden Fächern eine wichtige Rolle für gute Leistungen (Davis 1994;Evans et al 2000;Petersen 2018;vgl. z Verschiedene Studien verweisen darauf, dass sich Jungen und Mädchen nicht in der Struktur verschiedener akademischer Selbstkonzepte unterscheiden (Marsh 1993).…”

Perspectives of Chinese students on studying MA Music programmes in a UK University

“…Leung and McPherson have identified that in addition to difficulties relating to perceptions of the value of Music which have an impact on uptake of study, there are also issues concerning the curriculum, which they argue needs to move from a functional focus of skills and knowledge assimilation to "authentic experience that involves creating, listening to and performing music" (LEUNG; MCPHERSON, 2010, p.165). These aspects of value and motivation may influence students' and parents' views on the value of Music, and may be connected to perceptions of genre enjoyment and validity: Ho and Law (2006) found preferences for Western classical and popular music among students from Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taipei; however, Petersen (2018) identified that students feel there is less acceptance of jazz and rock than of classical music in China. Ho's analysis of the views of 2971 secondary school students in Beijing revealed that while teachers acknowledged the need for a balanced curriculum including Western and Chinese classical and popular music, they would prefer a "more open and culturally diversified curriculum" containing more popular music and music from other cultures (HO, 2014, p.283).…”

“…The tensions of subject content as well as issues of resources and teacher support may have implications for alignment of content and practice when students embark on subsequent programmes of study. While there is a lack of comparative research on learning music at higher education level, Petersen (2018) undertook comparison of a small sample of Chinese and Swiss university music students, finding similarities between their career aims, their views on the role of the teacher, which included the teacher as friend and "role model/mentor" (p.235), and on the relationship between ability levels, effort and talent. Both Swiss and Chinese students expected to find working in the music profession challenging.…”

“…Most had no siblings and were the first in their family to study overseas; they mentioned that their parents understood the importance of the UK qualification, the quality of the degree and its subsequent value to the student and therefore to the family, and the importance of breadth of experience. Huang (2012) observed that Western classical music can be perceived as a tool for social mobility; Comeau, Huta and Liu (2014) and Petersen (2018) recognized the support of the family for those learning music; participants in Petersen's study revealing the importance of grandparents as well as parents to their music study. In this research, students' families financed extra English tuition to help them achieve the IELTS qualification, and helped them find advisers and guidance on studying abroad.…”

Factors and Clusters of Musical Self-Concept Discovered in a Cross-Cultural Sample of Swiss, Chinese, and Taiwanese Students

“…However, it is not only cultural, but also societal, familial, or educational circumstances-the social environments (Spychiger, 2017b)-that play a role in shaping the musical self-concept. In this regard, aspects such as socialization, the available music education, or beliefs about inborn potential or practice to achieve musical competence are of importance (Evans et al, 2000;Petersen, 2018). If Chinese students tend to emphasize achievement, this could possibly be explained culturally, since disciplined practice, training, and effort have historically been an important part of the Chinese educational system (e.g., Huang & Gove, 2015).…”