A.M.E.B. and Suzuki piano teaching in New South Wales : an overview of pedagogical issues

Abstract

The prime purpose of this study is not only to provide an overview, but to examine at close quarters the activities and attitudes of piano teachers in two of the main pedagogical systems for the piano, namely the Suzuki Method and the course of study promulgated by the Australian Music Examinations Board. The writer has selected two areas for close scrutiny, namely the piano lesson and the teacher. Observations are then made about each teaching mode in relation to research in the extra-musical areas of child development and teacher effectiveness.

This study is primarily one of investigation and observation. The two modes of teaching are quite distinct and part of the writer's intention is to define some of the distinctions between them. The purpose is not to conclude which is the better of the two systems: a quite different research design would have to be used to arrive at such a verdict. The elementary statistical tables are provided as a complement to the observations made, merely in order to indicate trends, and are not in any way to be viewed as conclusive evidence.

The motivation for the research in this study was twofold. Firstly, in the writer's experience there seems to be a dearth of research in the area of piano teaching. For example, in the current listings of University Microfilms International there is not one 3 thesis which pertains to piano teaching. Also, in the current listing of theses accepted by the Department of Music at the University of Sydney, only two out of fifty-three theses pertain to this area.

Secondly, the writer has observed that, before the advent of current piano teaching "methods" 1 some teachers seemed content to emulate the manner and style to which they had become accustomed as students. Some of the teachers involved in the research for this study fit into this category; thus, some observations can be made about the effectiveness of such a style of teaching, particularly when considered against the findings of research into child development and teacher effectiveness.

In deciding on a research plan for this study I was drawn to the work in educational research, of Professor Lawrence Stenhouse, of the University of East Anglia. I was fortunate enough to be present at a series of lectures, given by him and his staff, on the subject of curriculum research. He contends, because of what he sees as limitations of questionnaires and other statistical evidence, that researchers in education should consider a mix of statistics and observation, with perhaps smaller samples than would normally be deemed acceptable in a pure statistical study. He also feels that questionnaire respondents should, in addition to completing the survey, be given the opportunity to comment freely, without the restrictions of the questionnaire topics. Further, he contends that one can come "closer to the truth" through simply talking to, and observing the participants during a case study. It is these prinoiples that I have adopted in the current study.