The Role of Parents and Teachers in the Success and Failure of Instrumental Learners.

Abstract

Recent investigations show that the persistent music learner does not achieve levels of competency in isolation. Sloboda and Howe (1991) showed that parents of children who attended a specialist music school sat with their children during their initial practice and lesson times. These children also regarded the warmth of their first teachers to be a significant influence. The results presented in the current paper develop the previous research by examining the role of parent and teacher in the biographies of young musicians who ranged from pupils at a specialist music school, Children to Children, who had given up music studies. The results confirm the earlier findings that support by both parent and teacher motivates initial music making In addition, over time motivation becomes increasingly intrinsic and self-sustaining The study also shows that the persistent musician is a child who is able to differentiate between personal and professional qualities of teachers. For the children who give up, there is less earfy parental and teacher support and less ability to differentiate between teacher qualities. With such a clear demonstration of the importance of parental and teacher support, the paper examines the implications of these findings for education.