Expanding self-referential awareness in music learning
Utilising the expressive arts to facilitate reflection during group free improvisation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21717878 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tawnya D Smith (0000-0002-7592-1870, Music Education, Boston University, Boston, USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 598-608 |
| Publication date | 2024-10-19 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Music Education Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1461-3808 • E-ISSN: 1469-9893 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14613808.2024.2373481 |
| OpenAlex | W4400451875 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 11 |
Traditional music education has prioritised external over internal performance aims, leading some learners to prioritise external motivations. I facilitated a workshop series for participants who experienced music performance anxiety when improvising, to examine if free improvisation coupled with expressive art response could cultivate self-knowledge and self-referential awareness to balance internal and external motivations and restore healthful evaluations of the participants’ music-making. Using case study and art-based research, I invited six participants to improvise, journal, engage in art response during the playback of improvisations, and participate in group discussions. Findings suggest that participants learnt to identify self-referents and expand their conscious awareness of inner dialogue, emotions, and physical sensations during music-making. They were able to use this expanded awareness to begin to redirect their focus from self-conscious thoughts to more non-judgmental or creative states. Internalised fear-based motivation was identified as a barrier to effective musical communication during improvisation
Art · Improvisation · Mathematics education · Music education · Pedagogy · Psychoanalysis · Self-Reflection · The arts · Visual arts · Communication · Computer Science · Diverse Music Education Insights · Music Therapy and Health · Neuroscience and Music Perception · Psychology
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |