Studio Piano Teaching in Australia - An Exploration of the Teaching Materials and Practices Used by Teachers for Older Beginner Piano Students

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy

An anonymous survey of 239 Australian piano teachers investigates the teaching materials and instructional practices used for older beginner studio piano students aged 12–17. Framed within broader constructivism research in music education, the study examines teachers’ choices and opinions regarding published teaching materials and their practical classroom approaches. It addresses perceived strengths and weaknesses of resources and identifies curriculum gaps in currently available materials, aiming to explain drivers behind effective pedagogy and sustained learner enjoyment.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Survey Design

Analysis

Survey Results

Studio piano teaching in Australia: An exploration of the teaching a u s t r a l i a n a s o c i e t y s f o r m u s i c m e d u c a t i o n e i n c o r p o r a t e d materials and practices used by teachers for older beginner piano students Joanne Burrows Riverina Conservatorium of Music & Central Queensland University Judith Brown AM Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music within Central Queensland University Abstract This paper discusses the results of an anonymous survey completed by 239 Australian piano teachers in relation to the teaching materials and practices used by teachers with piano students aged 12-17, older beginners. The survey, which is part of a broader study investigating constructivism in music education, explores teacher choices and opinions of published teaching materials and teacher practice when teaching older beginner piano students. Research investigating older beginner piano students, teaching materials and teaching practice is scant. Studies investigating studio piano teaching has primarily focused on children (under 11 years of age), tertiary students and adult learners with a significant proportion of these conducted outside Australia. The survey asked participants, who were all studio piano teachers within Australasia, a range of questions related to the choice of, and reasons for using different teaching materials when teaching older beginners. Teaching practices were explored through specific questions that included the teacher’s assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of various teaching materials, approaches to teaching older beginners and the areas of curriculum missing from currently published resources. Analysis of the survey results found that the choices of teaching materials and teaching practices of Australian studio piano teachers were motivated by a deep commitment to student progress, a strong desire for the continued enjoyment of learning and an awareness of effective pedagogy. Keywords: older beginner, teaching materials, teaching practice Introduction This paper discusses the results of an anonymous survey completed by 239 Australasian piano teachers in relation to the teaching materials and practices used by teachers with older beginners, students aged 12 to 17 years. The survey, which is part of a broader study investigating constructivism in music education, explores teacher choices and opinions of published teaching materials when teaching older beginner piano students. Research investigating the pre-tertiary, oneone piano lesson is scant (Klopper & Power, 2012; Zhukov, 2004). The majority of this research has been conducted outside Australia and primarily focused on children aged 11 years and under, tertiary students and adult learners (Carey & Lebler, 2012; Chen, 2013; Chmurzynska, 2012; Daniel, 2006; Yang, 2015). Studies examining studio piano teaching related to the older beginning piano student, aged 12 to 17 years is almost non-existent (Muck, 2009). The survey sought to determine the preferred Australian Journal of Music Education 19 teaching materials selected by Australian teachers when teaching older beginners. Teachers from every State and Territory in Australia were invited to participate facilitating a random sample of the piano teaching cohort. Participants were contacted via the Australasian Facebook Hub, the Music Teacher Associations, the Association of New South Wales Regional Conservatoriums, public websites and tertiary institutions. The survey was voluntary, administered through SurveyMonkey and conducted from November 2018 to February 2019. Survey Design The survey included 21 closed-ended questions that collected demographic information pertaining to the participants’ age, location (by State or Territory only), number of years teaching, studio composition and size, music and teaching qualifications and preferred teaching materials. Eight open-ended questions invited participants to; elucidate

FAQs

What does the survey study about older beginner piano instruction?

It examines which teaching materials and practices Australian studio piano teachers use for students aged 12–17 and the reasons behind those choices.

How was data collected from participating teachers?

The study used an anonymous, voluntary survey administered through SurveyMonkey, completed by 239 Australian piano teachers over November 2018 to February 2019.

What themes were identified from the survey results?

The analysis found teacher decisions were driven by commitment to student progress, desire to sustain enjoyment of learning, and awareness of effective pedagogy.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy