Browsing by Author "Kühn, Reghardt"

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    An investigation into the motivation of South African orchestral musicians studying at tertiary level
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Kühn, Reghardt; Herbst, Danell; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept of Music
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The conductor of an orchestra or ensemble plays an important role in the motivation of orchestral musicians. It is commonly known that musicians in orchestras work in highly pressured environments which could take its toll on them mentally and physically. As a conductor, I wanted to understand the motivational levels of orchestral players studying at tertiary institutions in South Africa from the perspective of the Self-Determination Theory. Knowing the level of motivation experienced by musicians, could assist the conductor in creating strategies to efficiently and positively influence the orchestra. There have been previous studies into the stress and motivational aspects musicians experience during their transitions from school level through to the professional stage, however, none consider the South African context. Thus, additional studies are required to understand the orchestral environment within in this specific context, as well as to provide a structured methodology that the conductor could use in order to understand and positively influence the motivation of their orchestra. This study evaluated the motivation of musicians (N=53) through the lens of the Self- Determination Theory, not only to describe whether the musicians are motivated, but to indicate the quality and internalisation of the motivation they are experiencing. A quantitative study was done by means of a survey consisting of 65 questions, synthesised through two mini-theories of the Self-Determination Theory, namely the Basic Psychological Needs Theory, and the Organismic Integration Theory. The survey was distributed to students from five South African universities with active symphony orchestras, or comparable ensembles. Statistical results show that musicians do experience intrinsic motivation more than extrinsic motivation within the orchestral environment, however, the intrinsic motivation experienced is negatively affected during final stages within the course of the undergraduate degree, indicating that motivation becomes more extrinsically driven at critical stages.