| This investigation into instrumental music teaching at the tertiary (conservatorium) level sought to observe and describe typical teacher and student behaviour in this under-researched educational setting. The aim of the study was to examine a wide range of areas associated with instrumental music teaching in order to identify patterns of behaviour exhibited by teachers and students and to define teaching and learning styles present in advanced applied music teaching.;After a review of literature on teaching in general and on music teaching in particular, an observational instrument for individual instrumental music lessons was developed and refined in pilot studies. 12 prominent Australian teachers were videotaped teaching 24 students, with the sample being balanced geographically, institutionally, by instrument (three mainstream groups: piano, strings and winds) and by gender (equal numbers of male and female teachers and students). Steps were taken to observe realistic teaching of typical students and to minimise the observer's intrusion into the lesson dynamics. The videotaped lessons were analysed using an observational instrument and the data was subjected to various statistical analyses. Results are reported according to five main areas (lesson structure, lesson content, teaching methodology, teacher/student relationship, and teaching and learning styles) and discussed with reference to existing literature.;The conclusions of this study enhance current understanding of studio music teaching, by supporting many of the findings of previous research and substantiating their application to advanced instrumental music teaching. This study provides new insights into the underlying structure of instrumental music lessons, the primacy of technique in terms of lesson content, the use of teaching strategies such as demonstration, evaluation and questioning, gender differences between teachers and between students, and the types of teaching and learning styles that are prevalent in conservatorium settings. Findings contribute to and extend existing research into applied music teaching. |
