Name:Marie, Fujimoto

School/Affiliation:The University of Tokyo,

Co-Authors:none

Virtual or In-person:In-person

Short Bio:

I am a PhD Candidate in Educational Psychology at the University of Tokyo, and my research focuses on the long-term development of advanced classical musicians. I hold a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from the New England Conservatory and a Master of Education from the Graduate School of Education at the University of Tokyo.

Abstract:

Self-regulated learning (SRL), where learners set goals, monitor, and reflect on their own progress, is vital in learning classical music performance. Yet, even advanced musicians often lack SRL skills, practicing without goals, taking lessons passively, and relying on external evaluation. However, what fosters self-regulation among classical musicians remains unclear. This study hypothesized that interpretive autonomy—autonomy in musical interpretation—plays a pivotal role in self-regulation. Early training, however, often prioritizes the technical reproduction of normative interpretations, which may neglect interpretive autonomy. Some teachers explicitly reject students' original ideas, and while such an authoritarian teaching style is warned against for hindering autonomy, its long-term effects on advanced musicians have not been quantitatively examined. Through a questionnaire survey among Japanese conservatory students and alumni, this study shows that studying with an authoritarian teacher in childhood undermines self-regulated learning behaviors in higher education and beyond. Multiple regression analyses revealed that interpretive autonomy positively predicted SRL, whereas authoritarian teaching negatively predicted it. A moderation analysis further revealed a significant interaction: the negative relationship between authoritarian teaching and SRL weakened and became non-significant as interpretive autonomy increased. These findings suggest that authoritarian teaching in childhood undermines musicians' long-term SRL behaviors, yet musicians with acquired interpretive autonomy demonstrate effective SRL, buffering its negative effects. This implies that while technical development is often prioritized at the early stage of learning, ensuring students have interpretive freedom contributes to their long-term development significantly.