Motivational and self-regulated learning components of musical practice

A self-report questionnaire was administered to 190 pianists immediately be fore they undertook a graded, externally assessed music performance examina tion in order to examine possible relationships between self-regulatory (i. e., cognitive strategy use, self-regulation) and motivational (intrinsic va lue, anxiety/confidence) components of learning and the quantity and conten t of musical practice. Factor analytic solutions were consistent with theor etical constructs. Regression analysis suggested that the quantity of pract ice in the month leading up to the performance examination was related to t he amount of technical work the subject reported practising plus the level of anxiety they experienced immediately before entering the examination. Re gression analyses also revealed a consistent pattern across three component s of musical practice with a finding that subjects who reported greater amo unts of practice on Informal/Creative Activities (i.e., playing by ear and improvising), Repertoire (new unlearned pieces, older familiar pieces) and Technical Work (i.e., using a warm-up routine, practising scales/arpeggios, studies, etudes and sightreading) tended to be more cognitively engaged wh ile practising and express more intrinsic interest in learning their instru ment. This finding provides preliminary evidence of the importance of certa in types of cognitive engagement to efficient musical practice. Recommendat ions for future research include extending the study to examine relationshi ps between a greater range of cognitive mediational processes that may infl uence achievement in musical performance.