Interpretive autonomy at the heart of classical musicians’ learning and well-being: the role of professional education

Abstract

A classical musician’s role is to convey their interpretations of pre-composed pieces to audiences; however, classical musicians have been criticized for conforming to normative interpretations, demonstrating a lack of autonomy in interpretation. While a lack of interpretive autonomy may harm musicians themselves by leading to maladaptive learning behaviors and lowered well-being, this has not been thoroughly examined. Additionally, interpretive autonomy may be hindered by professional training that emphasizes reproducing normative interpretations, but the extent of this remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted case study research on eight elite piano and violin students to explore how interpretive autonomy is promoted or hindered by learning experiences, and how it influences their learning behaviors and well-being. In addition, we investigated how inhibited interpretive autonomy can be promoted by education, and how earlier learning experiences in interpretation have long-term effects in college and post-college. Using a model of Werktreue internalization, we found that interpretive autonomy was promoted through need-supportive learning experiences, where students felt competent, autonomous, and related in interpretation; on the other hand, it was inhibited by need-thwarting learning experiences, where students felt incompetent, forced, and rejected in interpretation. We also found that interpretive autonomy is central to self-regulated learning behaviors and well-being. Furthermore, early need-thwarting experiences created psychological barriers to conveying intended interpretations during college and post-college, even when their needs were not directly threatened. In contrast, early need-supportive experiences enabled musicians to express original interpretations, even when they faced restrictive norms in the classical music field. Therefore, the study shows that while need-thwarting experiences, such as authoritarian teaching, parental overcontrol, and competitions were often implemented with good intentions to advance students’ career success, such professional education may harm their long-term artistic growth. The study also provides hope, as interpretive autonomy could be promoted by education even after being inhibited. We conclude the article with examples of learning experiences that provide students with a sense of competence, autonomy, and relatedness in musical interpretation, offering insights into how we may transform professional education for the optimal development of students and the classical music field.

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