Reflection in and on practice: a cellist’s search for meaning

Date
2022-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Recent studies on musicians’ individual practice habits have evaluated practice through the lens of self-determination theory, self-regulated learning, self-efficacy, and metacognition, to determine effective practice strategies. Considerable research has also been conducted in the field of musician’s health, focusing on the physical and psychological wellbeing aspects of practice and performance. Studies have been undertaken on musicians’ psychological health through the lens of Positive Psychology, which provides an ideal framework for assessing musicians’ health and wellbeing. It addresses multiple facets of musicians’ lives by utilising both the hedonic and eudaimonic perspectives of wellbeing (Ascenso, Williamon & Perkins, 2017). Within this framework, meaning forms an integral part of structuring musicians’ wellbeing (Ascenso, Perkins & Williamon, 2018). However, there is a need to explore the experience of meaning construction in musicians; in particular, to investigate the relation between musicians’ practice and meaning. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of Reflective Practice in cultivating and sustaining meaning in a cellist’s individual practice. The longitudinal, practice-led case study design was grounded in narrative inquiry and autoethnography. Reflective Practice was utilised as the method to explore the cellist’s perceptions, understanding and experience of meaning during individual practice. Journal entries, based on rigorous well-researched reflective frameworks by Moon (2006) and Walker (1985), were written during and after practice sessions to record the cellist’s experience. Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) structured the recursive data analysis process where the cellist, as researcher, engaged with the journal entries to induce themes pertaining to meaning. Meaning was approached as a component of the Positive Psychology PERMA model (Seligman, 2011), and as a construct grounded on coherence, purpose, and significance (Martela & Steger, 2016). The final thematic structure demonstrates the gradual progression from absence of meaning and its contributing factors (Entropy), to the search for meaning through reflection and inner change accompanying it (Search & Change), to the presence of meaning and the systems that sustain it (Flow Mindset). The results indicate how Reflective Practice enabled the cellist to develop psychological strengths that aided in her search for meaning, leading to her own unique and sustaining meaning framework, and better self-perceived psychological wellbeing. Reflection served as an effective medium through which meaning in practice could be enhanced and sustained. The study demonstrates the value of Reflective Practice in arts-based, practice-led research designs, to enable deeper insights into performing artists’ occupational, personal, artistic, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. The Reflective Practice framework could be applied to research in a range of performing arts populations and contexts, including research on pedagogical approaches and curriculum development, and to larger mixed-methods studies. Reflective Practice may hold potential as an effective tool to supplement educational, preventative, rehabilitative, and therapeutic approaches in performing arts health, to better understand and support artists’ learning, wellbeing, challenges, and recovery.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Tot dusver het studies musici se individuele oefengewoontes in hul oefenpraktyk ondersoek deur die lens van selfbeskikkingsteorie, selfregulerende leer, selfdoelmatigheid en metakognisie om doeltreffende oefenstrategieë te bepaal. ’n Beduidende hoeveelheid navorsing is ook reeds gedoen oor die gesondheid van musici, met ’n fokus op fisiese en psigiese welstand ten opsigte van oefenpraktyk en uitvoering. Daar is veral studies gedoen oor musici se psigiese gesondheid vanuit die perspektief van Positiewe Sielkunde, wat ’n ideale raamwerk daarstel om musici se gesondheid en welstand te assesseer. Dit spreek ’n verskeidenheid fasette van musici se lewens aan ten opsigte van die hedoniese sowel as die eudaimoniese aspekte van welstand (Ascenso, Williamon & Perkins, 2017). Binne hierdie raamwerk vorm betekenis ’n integrale deel van die strukturering van musici se welstand (Ascenso, Perkins & Williamon, 2018). Daar is egter ’n behoefte om betekeniskonstruksie in musici te ondersoek om die verhouding tussen oefenpraktyk en betekenis te verstaan. Die doel van hierdie studie is om ondersoek in te stel na die rol van Reflektiewe Praktyk in die kultivering en handhawing van betekenis in ’n tjellis se individuele oefenpraktyk. Die ontwerp van hierdie longitudinale, praktykgebaseerde gevallestudie is gegrond op narratiewe ondersoek en outoetnografie. Reflektiewe Praktyk was benut as metode om die tjellis se persepsies, verstaan en ervaring van betekenis tydens haar individuele oefenpraktyk te ondersoek. Joernaalaantekeninge gebaseer op strawwe en deeglik nagevorste reflektiewe raamwerke deur Moon (2006) en Walker (1985), is gedurende en ná oefensessies geskryf om rekord te hou van die tjellis se ervaringe. Tematiese Analise (Braun & Clarke, 2006) het die proses van rekursiewe data-analise gestruktureer, waartydens die tjellis, as navorser, joernaalaantekeninge ontgin het om temas met betrekking tot betekenis voort te bring. Betekenis is benader as ’n komponent van Positiewe Sielkunde se PERMA model (Seligman, 2011), en as ’n konstruk gebaseer op koherensie, doel en beduidendheid (Martela & Steger, 2016). Die uiteindelike tematiese struktuur demonstreer die geleidelike progressie vanaf afwesigheid van betekenis en die faktore wat daarmee saamhang (Entropie), na die soeke na betekenis en die gepaardgaande interne verandering (Soektog & Verandering), tot by die aanwesigheid van betekenis en die sisteme wat dit instand hou (Vloei-ingesteldheid). Die resultate dui aan hoe Reflektiewe Praktyk die tjellis in staat gestel het om dié karaktertrekke te ontwikkel wat haar ondersteun het in haar soeke na betekenis, en gelei het na haar eie, unieke en standhoudende betekenisraamwerk, asook beter self-waargenome psigiese welstand. Refleksie het as ’n effektiewe medium gedien waardeur betekenis in oefenpraktyk versterk en gehandhaaf kan word. Die studie demonstreer die waarde van Reflektiewe Praktyk in kunsgebaseerde en praktykgebaseerde navorsingsontwerpe om dieper insig te verkry in uitvoerende musici se beroepsgerigte, persoonlike, artistieke, emosionele en psigiese welstand. Die raamwerk wat aan Reflektiewe Praktyk gekoppel is sou aangewend kon word in navorsing oor ’n wye spektrum van omstandighede en persone wat kuns beoefen, insluitende navorsing oor pedagogiese benaderings en kurrikulumontwikkeling, en in groter studies wat gemengde metodes aanwend. Reflektiewe Praktyk mag potensiaal inhou as ’n effektiewe wyse om opvoedkundige, voorkomende, rehabiliterende en terapeutiese benaderings in gesondheid rakende uitvoerende kunstenaars aan te vul en om kunstenaars se welstand, leer, uitdagings en herstelprosesse beter te verstaan en te ondersteun.
Description
Thesis (MMus)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.
Keywords
Positive psychology -- music, Reflective practice, Meaning, Cello -- Performance -- Psychological aspects, Practicing (Music) -- Instruction and study, Music -- Psychological aspects, Musicians -- Psychology, UCTD
Citation