What do children think of music teachers? Their conceptions about cello teaching and learning

We present an exploratory study about the conceptions held by basic level conservatory students about what they think of cello teachers and how different teaching strategies could improve their learning skills, focused on the educational-evolutionary variable. In this research, twelve Spanish children participated, and they were evenly in four different grades of basic level in Spanish conservatories. The main aim of this study was to describe, from a qualitative perspective, the different conceptions about cello teaching and learning. This project helped to develop and test the goodness of the materials, tasks, and criteria of analysis needed. Data were collected through a structured interview, which contained questions and tasks on five different studios related to teaching and learning musical instruments. It seems that children come with constructive ideas to the music lessons, but when they receive instruction, these ideas disappear gradually. Theoretical and educational implications suggested by the findings of this investigation are discussed. Copyright © 2009 The Author, Published by the AEC. All rights reserved.