Perceptions of college-level music performance majors teaching applied music lessons to young students

The present study was designed to examine the reflections of college music performance majors (N = 12) who were teaching private music lessons. Students were instructed to keep a journal during one private lesson of their choice per week. Results indicated initial expectations of lessons that were consistently lower than lesson evaluations after the fact, teacher concerns about student motivation and practice, and a relatively low connection between teacher perceptions of the best and worst aspects of their teaching with the best and worst aspects of student learning. Directions for future research include continued objective evaluation of cause-and-effect relationships between teaching and learning in one-on-one situations, evaluation of career goals and opportunities for college-level music performance majors, and pedagogical content and focus for musicians studying music teaching in higher education.