Gemma Carey

One-to-one pedagogy: Developing a protocol for illuminating the nature of teaching in the conservatoire

This article outlines the approach used to develop a scheme to characterize the nature and quality of specific practices of one-to-one teaching, selected on the basis of their potential significance to the development of student performance. Although the value of one-to-one teaching remains largely unchallenged at the conservatoire level, music institutions are increasingly being called to justify the need for such a cost- and resource-intensive pedagogical approach. Funding pressures combined with a lack of systematic investigation into the value and efficacy of one-to-one teaching underscore the urgent need for a rigorous, evidenced-based way to characterize related pedagogical practices. This article documents the processes of developing one such approach at an Australian conservatoire. The authors hope to encourage and facilitate the implementation of similar projects elsewhere, and thereby help lay the foundation for a systematic and credible international understanding of the value and limitations of one-to-one learning and teaching practices in the conservatoire environment.

Characterising One-to-One Conservatoire Teaching: Some Implications of a Quantitative Analysis.

Despite the significant recent growth in research relating to instrumental, vocal and composition tuition in higher education, little is known about the diversity of approaches that characterise one-to-one teaching in the conservatoire, and what counts as optimal practice for educating twenty-first-century musicians. Through analysis of video-recorded one-to-one lessons that draws on a ‘bottom up’ methodology for characterising pedagogical practices, this paper provides empirical evidence about the nature of one-to-one pedagogy in one Australian institution. The research aims (1) to enable a better understanding of current one-to-one conservatoire teaching and (2) to build and improve upon existing teaching practice using authentic insights gained through systematic investigation. The authors hope the research will lead to a better understanding of the diversity and efficacy of the pedagogical practice within the specific context in which the study was conducted, and beyond, to conservatoire pedagogy generally.

Reforming a Bachelor of Music Programme: A Case Study.

In 2010, the authors conducted a formal review of the Queensland Conservatorium’s Bachelor of Music programme to determine to what extent the programme prepared graduates for professional life in the 21st century. The process was informed by comprehensive performance indicator data and substantial feedback from staff, students, and other stakeholders. Information was collected through meetings with staff and students, student evaluations, graduate surveys, and feedback from the music industry, along with benchmarking with other Australian and International tertiary music institutions. The review found that teachers at the Conservatorium were committed to striving for excellence yet strong criticism was made of the existing programme’s perceived limitations in preparing students for their likely futures. Following extensive consultation, consensus reflecting the review recommendations was reached, resulting in a new Bachelor of Music programme design. This article reports on the process undertaken and the major changes that are now being implemented.

Making music or gaining grades? Assessment practices in tertiary music ensembles

Participation in an ensemble is a significant aspect of tertiary music experience. Learning and assessment practices within ensembles have rarely been investigated in Australia and the perceptions of staff and students as to how they learn and are assessed within ensembles remain largely unexplored. This paper reports on part of a larger project that investigated learning and assessment practices within ensembles at an Australian Conservatorium of Music. Ensembles contribute to approximately 25% of student work in each semester, and the assessment contributes to a final grade for the semester. Using a case study methodology, four music ensembles were studied. The data generated were coded into themes including assessment practices and processes; collaborative learning practices; the development of the professional musician; and communication and transparency between participants and the institution. Findings revealed that both staff and student participants in this study perceived ensemble participation to be valuable to the development of a professional musician, but that assessment procedures did not always support this goal. Institutional demands were found to be an inhibiting factor in the assessment of ensembles, and both students and teachers had problems with current assessment procedures, resulting in confusion and lack of transparency about how ensembles are assessed. Approaches to the development of the professional musician became a dominant discussion point and a substantial finding of the research. By examining dominant and subjugated knowledge in this domain, institutional power relations were interrogated, existing practices were challenged, and assessment practices rethought.

Encouraging reflective practice in conservatoire students: a pathway to autonomous learning?

ABSTRACT This paper reports on first-year conservatoire students’ reflections on their one-to-one performance learning through a reflective journal. One-to-one lessons have been a central part of the education of performing musicians, although their place in the twenty-first-century conservatoire is not beyond challenge. Recent research has indicated that this model has potential for students to rely heavily on their teachers for feedback and that more reflective and autonomous learning might benefit their progress. Students’ journal responses revealed three main themes: the development of student autonomy; a sense of shared responsibility and collaboration; and increased clarity and confidence in the direction of their learning. The findings suggest that the journaling process can prompt an increased level of reflection and lead to more collaborative and autonomous learning in the one-to-one studio context.

Enhancing learning and teaching in the tertiary music studio through reflection and collaboration

ABSTRACT This paper reports on a multi-institutional project using reflection and collaboration to enable one-to-one music teachers to improve their professional skills and foster deep learning in music students. The benefits of reflection and collaboration in student learning and teacher development are reported on in depth within higher education. Less researched is their relevance to the one-to-one tertiary music context. This project comprised several initiatives around professional development activities for teachers and reflective exercises for students. The outcomes indicate the potential for the transformative approaches of reflection and collaboration to improve student learning outcomes in one-to-one tertiary music settings. This would appear to be dependent on two factors: students receiving support and guidance to reflect in such a way that enhances their learning outcomes; and teachers receiving support and guidance on how to foster students’ reflective capabilities. One recommendation from the study is that greater professional development opportunities in these areas are made available to one-to-one music teachers.

Isolation in studio music teaching: The secret garden:

In comparison with classroom settings that are more accessible to the scrutiny of researchers and institutional monitoring, the one-to-one setting of instrumental and vocal studio teaching has been described as a ‘secret garden’. The physical isolation of the music studio has deep roots within the traditions of apprenticeship and embodies aspects of conservatoire culture that are sometimes carried over into other musical styles. With a focus on higher education, this paper explores the nature and significance of isolation for the studio, alongside some of the benefits, limitations, and challenges that it offers. The authors contend that the physical disposition of the studio within the institution gives implicit support to the attitudes and assumptions that sustain traditional approaches to music performance teaching, and that making them explicit can help to open those approaches to further challenge, review and development.

Assessment in Music in the Australian Context: The AiM Project

There are a number of implications of recent imperatives in the Australian higher education sector to ensure that all institutions offering coursework degrees have clearly defined graduate learning outcomes, mapped against individual units of study. The implications in terms of providing evidence that graduate learning outcomes have been met presents challenges for institutions and disciplines. In this chapter, we consider the consequences of regulations in the broader context for the discipline of music, and report on some of the findings of the Assessment in Music project (AiM), which has explored the constructive alignment between assessment and learning outcomes statements of various kinds at the Bachelor degree program level.

Peer Assisted Reflection for Studio Music Teachers

Scholars continue to identify and describe various concerns about traditional approaches to one-to-one learning and teaching of music. These include the limited adaptability, relevance, and generalisability of the learning that often takes place (e.g., Mills, 2002; Carey & Grant, 2014); student submissiveness and dependence, teacher dominance, and other issues of power that can arise between teacher and learner (Burwell, 2013; Carey, 2008; Long, Creech, Gaunt, & Hallam, 2014); and the lack of formal accreditation for one-to-one pedagogy (Gaunt, 2009), meaning that standards of teaching across and even within institutions may be erratic.