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Petersen Dissertation Final.pdf (2.31 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Find What Works Best for You: Learning to Practice in a Large Ensemble

Petersen, Elizabeth Ann
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1543425844555961

Abstract Details

2018, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Music.
Many music teachers believe that individual practice is one element required for students to successfully learn to play an instrument. Despite this, very little is known about how students learn to practice in a large ensemble. This collective case study (Stake, 1995) explored how four high school orchestra students learned to practice. Participants included four high school orchestra students. Instrumental case methodology was chosen as a means of investigating the phenomenon of practice instruction beyond the intrinsic interest of the individual cases. A collective design allowed for multiple perspectives on learning to practice. The primary research question that informed the study of this topic was: How do high school students enrolled in a school orchestra program describe their experiences of learning to practice? The following subquestions further guided the study: 1) How do students’ experiences in the orchestra program inform their approach to practicing? 2) How do students’ experiences outside of the orchestra program inform their approach to practicing? Data collection took place over the course of fourteen weeks from late fall of 2016 to spring of 2017 and included nonparticipant classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, videotaped student practice sessions, and other documents such as practice journals, student questionnaires, and practice assignments collected from participants. Data were coded using the constant comparative method. Pre-existing, deductive codes were developed from the literature on practicing and self-regulation, while other inductive codes emerged from the data. Three overarching themes emerged, grouping around sources of practice instruction. First, students in this study learned from others including teachers outside the orchestra program, peers, social media, recordings, and more advanced players. Second, students learned from themselves through a growing awareness of options while practicing and by managing their motivation and other personal characteristics. Finally, students learned from their orchestra teacher. Subthemes related to the orchestra teacher were associated with specific teaching contexts, the teacher’s responsiveness to student needs, efficacious teaching strategies, and resources provided by the teacher. Implications for teachers include the necessity of providing students both practice resources and explicit instruction (including modeling, guided practice, and feedback) in using them. Suggestions for future research include the relationship between “practice strategies” and “rehearsal strategies”; the impact of peer interaction on learning to practice; ways to incorporate social media into individual music practice; and the differing needs of students based upon their reasons for joining orchestra.
Robert Gillespie (Advisor)
Julia Shaw (Advisor)
Jan Edwards (Committee Member)
197 p.
Music Education
musical practice; collective case study

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Petersen, E. A. (2018). Find What Works Best for You: Learning to Practice in a Large Ensemble [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1543425844555961

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Petersen, Elizabeth. Find What Works Best for You: Learning to Practice in a Large Ensemble. 2018. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1543425844555961.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Petersen, Elizabeth. "Find What Works Best for You: Learning to Practice in a Large Ensemble." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1543425844555961

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1543425844555961
317
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.