Enhancing instrumental pedagogy : the interface between the dimensions of learning and instrumental music study at the tertiary level

Tertiary institutions face pressures to make better use of resources—to teach more effectively and efficiently. This chapter investigates how a tertiary instrumental music program might be designed to respond to such pressures. The core of traditional tertiary music education is the practical study of music, and one of the ways that this is delivered is through personal tuition on a one-to-one level. Each student works with a specialist teacher who creates an individual course of study that is designed to challenge and develop his or her technical and music skills. The traditional approach follows a master–apprentice paradigm that sees a transfer of knowledge largely through imitation. A first stage in brokering change may involve scholarly exploration of ways to enhance traditional practice that build on research and evidence of effective learning and teaching in other contexts. The work of Marzano and Pickering (1997), with its strong basis in educational research and cognitive psychology, illuminates traditional practices and suggests new approaches to improving learning processes for the musicians. This chapter examines their Dimensions of Learning framework as a tool for reflecting critically on traditional practices and changing these practices to enhance the teaching and learning of instrumental music at the tertiary level.