Practice lab project: a report from an autoethnographic assignment with students in higher music education

This presentation focuses on a project at an early stage of development. The aim of the practice lab project is twofold: (i) to strengthen the competence among students in higher music education with regards to the topic of practice, and (ii) contribute to research on musical practice and skill acquisition. The project is conducted at Malmö Academy of Music (Lund university). Students take part in their project in various ways (music teacher students take part through a course in didactics, whereas students at the performers program take part through the course Music as profession). As part of these courses, the students are given an assignment through which they employ anautoethnographic approach towards their own practice. In these assignments, the students can choose to focus on (i) sensorimotor skills, (ii) systematized practice, and (iii) socio-musical context of practice. During a preparatory seminar, the students engage in dialogue with each other through which they discuss how they practice and what kind of instructions they have received on this matter during their past and present education. A lecture is given which (i) takes an ecological/enactive perspective on sensorimotor learning (Gibson, 1979/2014; Noë, 2004; Tullberg, 2022) (ii), offers a perspective on work habits, such as time management, concentration, self-regulation, (McPherson & McCormick, 1999; McPherson & Zimmerman, 2011, Varela, Abrami, & Upitis, 2016) and deliberate practice (Ericsson et al., 1993), and (iii) introduces the students to the theory of situated learning and communities of practice (Lave &Wenger, 1991; Lave, 2011; Wenger, 1998; Tullberg & Sæther, 2022). Each student cohort taking part in the project counts as one cycle. As of spring 2025, four cycles are completed, with an output amounting to 80 autoethnographic essays. These essaysreports on the background to the chosen topic of exploration, actions undertaken, results, and take aways for future development. The data material is analysed through a grounded theory approach. Preliminary findings are weaved into the preparatory activities of the next cycle. I this presentation, I discuss the open-ended and emergent design of the project and present some early findings.Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory (2nd edition.). Sage Publications.Ericsson, A., Krampe, R., & Tesch-Roemer, C. (1993). The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition ofExpert Performance. Psychological Review.Lave, J. (2011). Apprenticeship in critical ethnographic practice. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226470733.001.0001Lave, J., and Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge, MA:Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/ CBO9780511815355McPherson, G. E., & McCormick, J. (1999). Motivational and self-regulated learning components of musicalpractice. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 141, 98–102.McPherson, G. E., & Zimmerman, B. J. (2011). Self-Regulation of Musical Learning : A Social CognitivePerspective on Developing Performance Skills. Oxford University Press. https://doi-org.ludwig.lub.lu.se/10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199754397.003.0004Tullberg, M. (2022). Affordances of musical instruments : Conceptual consideration. Frontiers in Psychology, 13.https://doi-org.ludwig.lub.lu.se/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.974820Tullberg, M., & Sæther, E. (2022). Playing with tradition in communities of Swedish folk music : Negotiationsof meaning in instrumental music tuition. Frontiers in Education, 7. https://doi-org.ludwig.lub.lu.se/10.3389/feduc.2022.974589Varela, W., Abrami, P. C., & Upitis, R. (2016). Self-regulation and music learning: A systematic review.Psychology of Music, 44(1), 55–74. https://doi-org.ludwig.lub.lu.se/10.1177/0305735614554639Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge, MA: CambridgeUniversity Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511803932