From Orchestra to Classroom: Learner-Centered Music Training as a Tool to Support Motivation to Learn

Fostering intrinsic motivation in students remains a key challenge in education. According to selfdeterminationtheory (SDT), environments supporting autonomy, competence, and relatednessenhance internal motivation. Emerging theoretical work suggests that music education incollaborative, learner-centered formats, may provide such conditions within school contexts. Thisstudy investigates whether orchestral music training can influence children's general academicmotivation.A total of 130 children aged 8–10 years, took part in the study. Half participated in a free,three-month orchestral training program emphasizing active participation, peer collaboration, andpublic performance. The other half formed a control group with no music training. Motivation tolearn was assessed pre- and post-training using the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire.Children in the music group showed a significantly greater reduction in external motivationcompared to the control group. A trend toward a Group × Time interaction was observed for intrinsicmotivation, suggesting a differential pattern of change between groups.These findings indicate that learner-centered orchestral training may foster more internalizedforms of motivation, potentially by fulfilling key SDT-related needs. Such approaches could beadapted to enhance student engagement and motivation across educational settings.