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THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY Copyright in relation to this thesis* • Under the Copyright Act 1968 (several provisions of which are referred to below), this thesis must be used only under the normal conditions of scholarly fair dealing for the purposes of research, criticism or review. In particular no results or conclusions should be extracted from it, nor should it be copied or closely paraphrased in whole or in part without the written consent of the author. Proper written acknowledgment should be made for any assistance obtained from this thesis. Under Section 35(2) of the Copyright Act 1968 'the author of a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work is the owner of any copyright subsistinfj in the work'. By virtue of Section 32(1) copyright 'subsists in an original literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work that is unpublished' and of which the author was an Australian citizen, an Australian protected person or a person resident in Australia. The Act, by Section 36(1) provides: 'Subject to this Act, the copyright in a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work is infringed by a person who, not being the owner of the copyright and without the licence of the owner of the copyright, does in Australia, or authorises the doing in Australia of, any act comprised in the copyright'. Section 31 (1 )(a)(i) provides that copyright includes the exclusive right to 'reproduce the work in a material form'. Thus, copyright is infringed by a person who, not being the owner of the copyright and without the licence of the owner of the copyright, reproduces or authorises the reproduction of a work, or of more than a reasonable part of the work, In a material form, unless the reproduction is a 'fair dealing' with the work 'for the purpose of research or study' as further defined in Sections 40 and 41 of the Act. Section 51(2) provides that 'Where a manuscript, or a copy, of a thesis or other similar literary work that has not been published is kept in a library of a university or other similar institution or in an archives, the copyright in the thesis or other work is not infringed by the making of a copy of the thesis or other work by or on behalf of the officer in charge of the library or archives if the copy is supplied to a person who satisfies an authorised officer of the library or archives that he requires the copy for the purpose of research or study'. Registrar and Deputy Principal "Thesis' includes 'treatise', 'dissertation' and other similar productions. S 1 ~'d l-1L '"C SblC ·t~Lb ApPLIED VIOLIN INSTRUCTION: FACTORS AND STRATEGIES CONTRIBUTING TO EFFECTIVE TEACHING OF THREE MASTER TEACHERS IN SYDNEY SHEAU·FANG Low A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment ofthe requirements for the degree of Master ofMusic (Music Education) Sydney Conservatorium ofMusic University ofSydney 2000 Statement from Supervisor I hereby declare that the Master ofMusic (Music Education) thesis prepared under my supervision by Sheau-Fang Low entitled Applied violin instruction: Factors and strategies contributing to effective teaching approaches ofthree master teachers in Sydney is in a suitable form for examination. Approved by, ~4...-.., -<- r Preface Statement This research study has been conducted in accordance with the protocol outlined by the Human Ethics Committee, the University ofSydney (Ref. no. 98/12/13). I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best ofmy knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award ofany other degrees ofa university or other institutes ofhigher learning, except where due acknowledgement is made in the text. (Signed)~~ ABSTRACT The standard ofclassical violin perfonnance around the world has increased dramatically in the last century, as a result ofthe dedicated work ofmany eminent violin pedagogues. With the aim ofinvestigating the characteristics ofeffective applied violin instruction for students above the elementary level, this study examines the teaching approaches and circumstances ofthree violin master teachers in Sydney: Professor Shi-Xiang Zhang, Goetz Richter and Janet Davies. The study was conducted using qualitative methodology. Analysis of lesson observationsqfthe master teachers instructing nominated students in the violin studio, illuminated the areas ofemphasis, strategies used during instmction and other factors that may have contributed to the high level ofperfonnance ofthe master teachers' students. Infonnal interviews and e-mail correspondences with the master teachers provided further clarification. Data collected from the various sources were analysed and synthesised in accordance with the procedures of grounded theory. The diverse backgrounds, teaching experiences and philosophy ofthese master teachers provided contrasting teaching approaches that have all proven to be successful. Results show that factors contributing to the success ofapplied violin instmction ofmaster teachers included the mentor-protege relationship, as well as the milieu and intensity of instmction. Some teaching strategies promoting effective violin instmction were also identified from the observed lessons. These encompass well-adapted repertoire selection, which provides a balance between developing technical skills and musicality of students; an emphasis on the perfection ofthree fundamentals ofviolin playing: accuracy of intonation, rhythmic precision and beauty oftone; and appropriate use ofreinforcement and enhancement instructional tactics, using the relevant instmctional modes (verbal, demonstration and modelling). Ofparticular interest were the different approaches utilising individual teaching strengths which master teachers employed during instruction to achieve similar instmctional outcomes. These included the use of computer technology, performance expertise and knowledge ofthe Alexander Technique. The findings suggest that the backgrounds ofteachers and students have an impact on the nature ofinstruction and affect the dynamics ofthe instruction. They also indicate that dedication and enthusiasm in teaching and learning, a thorough understanding ofthe mechanics ofviolin playing, and the ability to impart skills and knowledge to students at suitable times, are attributes which applied violin teachers can emulate. 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Without the understanding and encouragement ofall the wonderful people that have come along the path in the learning and discovering journey ofmy postgraduate study, this thesis would not have been possible. I am especially grateful to a number of generous individuals, who has shared their time and wisdom with me. I am indebte~ 10 my supervisor, Dr. Kathryn Marsh, for her support, patience and encouragement in the process ofthis research study, as well as for her invaluable comments, questions, illumination and constructive criticism on the innumerable draft chapters. All these had made the course ofmy postgraduate study a more introspective experience than it would have been otherwise. I would like to thank the three ofthe master teachers in this study: Professor $hi-Xiang Zhang, Goetz Richter and Janet Davies. They had generously allowed me to observe their teaching sessions, given their time in clarifying questions that emerged from the observations and shared their wisdom in violin teaching with me. I am grateful to Professor Hu, who had provided information on the musical activities organised by Professor Zhang. Many thanks should also be extended to the students ofthe master teachers, and in some cases, their parents, for participating in this research study. My sincere thanks go to Jackie Luke, the resource librarian at the Sydney Conservatorium library, for acquiring many ofthe reading materials through inter library loans. Without her thorough search, many ofthem would be unavailable to me. I am also grateful to Felicia Chadwick for drawing my attention to the literature on deliberate practice. I wish to thank Melanie Lee for her continual friendship and helpful suggestions after reading the final draft ofthis thesis. Thank you also to Marieanne DeLaney for being my postgraduate buddy. Special thanks to Dr. Peter Dunbar-Hall and Dr. Peter McCallum III for turning me into the field ofMusic Education and indirectly setting me on this thesis. I am also thankful to Dr. Nic Witton and Ms. Martina M611ering, for providing confidence and encouragement in the early stages ofmy postgraduate studies. A final debt ofthanks is owed to my family members: to my parents, who have sacrificed a great deal in supporting our dreams, and to whom this thesis is dedicated with gratitude; to my brother and sisters, who have inspired, cheered and shared with me the ups and downs in their various fields oftertiary studies and in the course of completing their (my brother and younger sister) honour's theses. IV TABL.E OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 Purpose ofthe study 4 Significance ofthe study 6 Outline ofthe thesis 8 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 9 Evolution ofViolin Instruction 9 Role ofthe master teacher 12 Strategies ofeffective teaching 15 Curricular decisions 16 Syllabus design 17 Curriculum objectives 19 Instructional decisions 21 Instructional choices 22 Instructional processes 24 Vygotskian theory 24 Practice behaviour 25 Psychological-related decisions 28 Conclusion 29 CHAPTER 3 DESIGN OF THE STUDY AND ANALYSIS METHODS 31 Selection ofresearch method 31 Parameters ofthe study 34 Research procedures 35 Participants 35 Procedure

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