scholarly journals Adopting situationally relevant modes of music information at different stages of information-seeking processes

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 1230-1257
Author(s):  
Antti Mikael Rousi ◽  
Reijo Savolainen ◽  
Pertti Vakkari

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to elaborate the picture of situational relevance by examining how modes of music information are viewed as situationally relevant at different stages of information-seeking processes among music students. Design/methodology/approach Empirical data of the present longitudinal study were collected in two phases by utilizing questionnaire and interview methods. Informants comprised of 14 university-level music students representing the fields of music performance, music education and music theory and composition. Modes of music information were approached through the information typology presented by Rousi, Savolainen and Vakkari. Findings The findings indicate that not only the modes of music information were seen as situationally relevant for different reasons by the three participating music student groups when at the beginning of their tasks, but also that the perceived situational relevance of the information modes underwent changes as their tasks progressed to focus formulation and post-focus stages. Research limitations/implications Due to the small number of participants, further research is needed to verify the results concerning the differences in information-seeking processes between diverse music student groups. Originality/value The paper showcases that approaching music information through frameworks that classify information sources at diverse levels of abstraction enables an accurate description of information-seeking processes and illuminates context-sensitive development of situational relevance of music information of diverse modes.

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 1008-1024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antti Mikael Rousi ◽  
Reijo Savolainen ◽  
Maaria Harviainen ◽  
Pertti Vakkari

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to elaborate the picture of situational relevance of music information from a performing musician’s point of view by delving into its diverse layers within the context of Doctor of Music students’ information seeking. Design/methodology/approach Music-related information is approached through six modes that categorize music information sources based on their levels of abstraction. Situational relevance of the modes of music information is examined in relation to the situational requirements of accomplishing a dissertation on music task consisting of both a series of concerts and a written thesis. The empirical material was collected by interviewing Finnish doctoral students in the field of music performance. Findings A set of situational relevance types related to each mode of music information were identified. As a whole, the differences between the perceived importance of the modes varied a little. Research limitations/implications The goal of the present paper is not to create a generalizable list of situational relevance types suggested by modes of music information, but to show that the modes may suggest diverse situational relevance types of their own when evaluated by performing musicians. Originality/value The present paper provides a rare account on performing musicians’ vocational and school-related information seeking. For studies of music information retrieval, the present paper offers new contextual facets explaining why diverse music information could be relevant to musicians. For studies of music-related information seeking, the present study offers new insights on why performing musicians have information needs regarding certain types of music information sources.


2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antti Mikael Rousi ◽  
Reijo Savolainen ◽  
Pertti Vakkari

Purpose – A need to renew music-related information notions arises from both information-seeking models and literature of musical semiotics. The purpose of this paper is to create a music information typology, which aims at facilitating the examination of music information types at varying levels of abstraction in the context of information seeking. Design/methodology/approach – Literature of musical semiotics and information seeking are juxtaposed to develop a novel approach to music-related information. The grounding concepts are Bruner’s enactive, iconic and symbolic modes of representation. The modes of representation offer a universal scheme of knowledge that is applied to the domain of music by defining their content through Tarasti’s Theory of Musical Semiotics. Findings – This conceptual paper results in a music information typology ranging from the enactive music information representations to the abstract ones as follows. Music making as the first mode of enactive representations; music listening as the second mode of enactive representations; iconic representations of music; technological models of music as the first mode of symbolic representations; and ideological models of music as the second mode of symbolic representations. Originality/value – The present paper develops a music information typology that encompasses broadly different music information facets by categorizing music information sources according to their level of abstraction. When applied into empirical research, the typology opens a new window into the perceived roles of music information types in the context of information seeking.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 366-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Zabuska ◽  
Jane Ginsborg ◽  
David Wasley

While there is a growing body of research concerning the well-being of music students, burnout and engagement remain largely unexplored. Likewise, cross-national variations in approaches to music education, and different educational experiences of men and women may influence burnout and engagement. This preliminary study aimed to inform further research by establishing the levels of, and exploring cross-national and sex differences in burnout and engagement in music performance students at conservatoires in Australia, Poland and the UK ( n = 331). Self-reported levels of burnout were, typically, low to moderate. Nevertheless, one in ten students reported symptoms such that they could be classified as burned out. Australian and UK students displayed more burnout than students in Poland, although Australian students reported lower levels of reduced sense of accomplishment than Polish and UK students. Self-reported engagement was, typically, moderate to high. Students in Poland reported higher levels of engagement than those in the UK. Women displayed higher levels of global burnout and emotional/physical exhaustion, while men reported lower levels of reduced sense of accomplishment. Further research on burnout and engagement could build on this investigation to gain a better understanding of their impact and the influence of the educational experience on students’ music-related well-being.


2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arielle Bonneville-Roussy ◽  
Emese Hruska ◽  
Hayley Trower

According to self-determination theory (SDT), the learning experiences of music students can be explained partly by the autonomy-supportive style adopted by their music teachers. To provide the first in-depth understanding of how music performance teachers support the autonomy of their students and how this support is related to students’ well-being, we adopted SDT and the PERMA model of well-being. We provide answers to three fundamental questions about teacher-student relationships in music: (1) Do music performance teachers support the autonomy of their students in higher music education? (2) How do students perceive this support? and (3) How does autonomy support affect music students’ well-being? Music performance teachers ( n = 35) and students ( n = 190) were recruited from higher music education institutions in the United Kingdom. Analyses included mean comparisons of teachers’ and students’ answers to survey questions, correlational analyses of teacher-student dyads’ responses on measures, and qualitative analyses of open-ended questions. Results showed that teachers and students mostly agreed that teachers provide autonomy support to their students. Teachers’ transmission of passion for music and autonomy-supportive behaviors were related to students’ well-being, whereas controlling behaviors hindered well-being. Qualitative results showed that although students put well-being at the core of their concerns, music teachers seemed unaware or ill-prepared to face those concerns.


Semiotica ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 (204) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitchell Wong ◽  
Marcel Danesi

AbstractThis article presents a system of music notation that uses a combination of colors and shapes to represent sound. This system may present advantages over the traditional system of music notation, as its symbols are inherently related to the musical information that they communicate. The present article explains the basic workings of the system. It then describes an ethnographic study in which the system was used to teach music literacy to a group of elementary school music students. It concludes with the implications that such a system might have in the spheres of music performance and music education.


2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Francisca Schneider Grings ◽  
Liane Hentschke

The purpose of this research was to investigate the causes attributed by undergraduate music students to situations of failure and success in public music performance. Attributional Theory has been used in this research as the theoretical framework to understand how situations of success and failure are interpreted by the person of the activity. The analysis was conducted from an Intrapersonal perspective of motivation, i.e., how the attributions made by the students doing an undergraduate course in music revealed their notions and beliefs. The methodology used included a non-probabilistic survey and the data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire involving 130 undergraduate music students of southern Brazil. The results show that in situations considered to be successful, the most frequent attributed causes are effort (77.7%), persistence (65.4%), and interest in the performance (63.1%), whereas in situations considered to be failures the most important aspects are emotional (60.8%), difficulty of the task (36.2%), and lack of effort (30.8%). This research shows that students who have more musical experience regard their performances as good or excellent, whereas those that have little experience do not view themselves in this way. The data reveal that the greater the importance that is attached to an activity, the more time is spent on preparing for it; in the same way students tend to be more engaged with musical activities and devote more time to them when they are aware of their skills and value them. Music students feel responsible for their results, which shows that they are engaged in their learning and seek to satisfy an inner need to achieve success.


2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clemens Wöllner ◽  
Jane Ginsborg

Team teaching – two or more teachers sharing the training of a group of students – has only recently been implemented in the curricula of many higher music education institutions. This article reports on a survey of 142 music students and their tutors from three departments (the Schools of Strings, Vocal and Opera Studies, and Wind, Brass and Percussion) in a major British conservatoire. Team teaching had been in use for one year in the first department, five years in the second and 30 years in the third. The extent to which respondents valued team teaching was not, however, related to the length of time it had been in use. Key benefits of team teaching were seen as exposure to new ideas and additional feedback. Respondents suggested a variety of improvements to mitigate drawbacks such as perceived differences between tutors' approaches and limited time for individual tuition. Provided tutors and students communicate effectively with each other and negotiate where necessary, this method of teaching and learning is likely to be beneficial for all.


2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-324
Author(s):  
Teresa Lesiuk

Early research investigating the personality of college-aged student and professional musicians examined traits of music performers, composers, and music teachers. Subsequent research studies followed with examinations of personality in university music programs, several of which employed the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory (MBTI). The prevalence of MBTI types has not been examined amongst the diversity of music programs currently offered in many universities. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of MBTI psychological type of university music students ( N = 217) across six different music majors (i.e., Music Business, Music Composition, Music Education, Music Engineering, Music Performance, and Music Therapy). The MBTI mental function of Intuitive–Feeling was found to be highly over-represented in the total music sample as compared to national norms, while several other personality preferences significantly dominated or were sparse in the music majors. The findings extend the personality and music research literature and have practical implications for music educators, academic counsellors, college-aged music students, and students who are considering music as a study and career.


2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petros A. Kostagiolas ◽  
Charilaos Lavranos ◽  
Nikolaos Korfiatis ◽  
Joseph Papadatos ◽  
Sozon Papavlasopoulos

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine information seeking behaviour targeted to music information seeking by amateur musicians, accompanied with empirical evidence from a survey on a community concert band. While several studies in the literature have examined information seeking in the context of hedonic motives (e.g. entertainment oriented), music information can also be used for utilitarian purposes by providing amateur musicians the necessary tools to improve their skill and become better in their practice. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the literature on music information seeking and an empirical study on members of an amateur concert band are presented. The theoretical construct of the survey is informed by Wilsons’ macro model of information seeking behaviour. This is employed in order to understand information motives and needs, as well as obstacles in information seeking of musicians. Findings – Musicians seek information not only for entertainment but for educational purposes as well as for the acquisition of certain music works. The use of the internet for information seeking as well as the gradual adoption of online social networks has provided access to new musical resources within the digital music networks. Originality/value – A person-centred approach for information seeking behaviour is studied and adapted for musicians. The survey provides new information behaviour results for designers of music information spaces which in turn are creating a new model of the relationship between music and society.


Author(s):  
Esa Virkkula

AbstractThis article examines the influence of vocational music education workshops on the learning motivation of popular and jazz music students in a self-determination theory’s (SDT) framework. SDT illustrates that satisfying people’s universal psychological needs has a significant influence on well-being and learning. Psychological needs will become satisfied when the learner autonomously influences the choices and decisions of his or her learning. The learner feels then competent to act in the learning environment and receive the experiences related to it. The present article is based on a qualitative research project that examined 62 Finnish conservatory popular and jazz music students who participated in 11 music performance workshops with professional musicians in 2003–2011. The research data consists of (a) workshop plans and learning goals written by the students before the workshops and (b) reflective essays of experiences after the workshops. The data was analysed using theory-oriented content analyses. The students were responsible for the planning and implementation of music performances with professional musicians. Commitment to challenging performance projects with professional musicians motivated the students to try their best to develop their musicianship.


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