Challenging the orthodoxy : an alternative strategy for the tertiary teaching of piano

This thesis outlines the rationale for and development of a small group piano teaching model for application in the Australian higher education environment. Initially, the history and development of the piano learning and teaching profession is investigated, prior to a synthesis of the research literature and perceptions of piano pedagogies in action, which reveal a number of issues of concern in relation to the efficacies and efficiencies of existing methods and models of learning. The first phase methodology involves the investigation of piano pedagogies in action, via reflections obtained during in-depth interviews with committed learners and post tertiary individuals, analysis of video footage of piano teaching, and an examination of models of advanced student group teaching obtained via questionnaires. The emerging principles from this first phase feed into the second phase methodology and development of the small group model and learning environment for higher education piano students. The resultant four-year trial of a small-group model is then outlined and evaluated via participant questionnaires, teacher reflections, video analysis of interaction, and student self-reflective data. The findings propose a number of implications and possible directions for instrumental teaching at the tertiary level.