Angela Jaap

Teachers’ concepts of musical talent and nurturing musical ability: music learning as exclusive or as opportunity for all?

In recent years, there has been a shift in terminology used to describe gift and talent. This has resulted in widespread adoption of the term high ability to describe more able pupils. This shift has promoted a more inclusive ethos in terms of the concept of encouraging talent development, but it has also highlighted tensions between teachers’ more inclusive approaches to nurturing talent and the concept of identifying talent. This issue is particularly relevant to music teaching where musical ability is often identified through specific aptitude tests. This article discusses a small-scale study that explored the perceptions of music teachers and instructors (n = 35) about musical ability and how it might best be nurtured in school pupils and conservatoire students. By comparing the views of participants with findings from the research literature, it is suggested that musical ability should be developed by taking an inclusive approach to music learning, focusing on providing enriching music activities for all children.

The Role of Perceived Self-Efficacy in the Development of Musical Ability: what can the study of successful musicians tell us about teaching music to able children?

The role of perceived self-efficacy is important to human social development and to learning in general, but how it relates to music talent development is not well understood. This article explores the concept of perceived self-efficacy as it relates to the development of musical talent by considering what is meant by the concepts of high ability in music and self-efficacy, and by discussing the results of interviews with successful professional musicians. The interview data suggest the need for four aspects of self-efficacy to be present in order to fully develop talent: individual judgement of capability; a belief that outcomes are tied to individual actions; self-regulation of activities related to learning; and persistence in the face of difficulties. The implications of this for music teaching are also discussed.

'I've taken confidence away from this: The experiences and impact of moving image education with young people who require more choices, more chances

This article provides an overview of Reel to Real, a Moving Image Education project undertaken with groups of young people who require More Choices, More Chances, the overarching policy context in Scotland which aims to provide support for those young people aged 16–19 years who have completed compulsory education but find themselves not in employment, education or training. Supported by Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Screen (now Creative Scotland) and Urban Learning Space, Reel to Real aimed to promote learning with and through digital media. The overall project evaluation was to determine the benefits of learning and preparation for work in such a project as well as the experiences of the participants. This article focuses specifically on the perceptions and experiences of the young people involved in the project in order to understand what they felt they had gained from the project and how they perceived this may have helped them as they prepare to embark on employment. Data were gathered through observation and focus group interviews with groups of young people aged 16–19 years undertaking the Reel to Real project.

Book Review: The Ingredient of Challenge, Future Citizens: 21st Century Challenges for Young People, Knowing Our Place: Children Talking about Power, Identity and Citizenship

The reality of learning is more than setting the standards and assessing performance, but determining ‘what matters and what works, as well as what needs to change to promote success’ (Darling-Hammond, 1998, p. 3). Accommodating each student’s particular learning style continues to be a challenge. The Ingredient of Challenge focuses on the theme of pedagogy and challenge, ‘children need challenge to become motivated about learning ... Good teachers know this and work hard to keep their pupils challenged by responding to their needs and interests, providing wellconsidered activities and carefully planned tasks’ (Winstanley, 2010, p. ix). The premise of this book analyses and reflects on the ‘elements that contribute to challenge and the principles that underpin the concept. It is solidly based on practice and grounded in theory, with research-based evidence presented throughout and applied to pedagogy, without losing sight of the concrete constraints within which practitioners have to work’ (p. ix). This book is written by an accomplished lecturer, researcher and author, with particular responsibility for Learning and Teaching at Roehampton University, United Kingdom. In addition, the writer works with highly able children and is also the author of Too Clever by Half. She puts forward the view that: