Studio Music Teachers’ Perceptions Towards Community Music Participation and Its Influence on Their Teaching Approaches

This study explores studio music teachers’ motivations for engaging in community music and how these experiences can enhance their teaching approaches. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with studio music teachers in Australia. A qualitative approach using thematic analysis was used to gain insights into their perspectives on community music involvement. Findings identified that being engaged with community music influenced the teaching approaches of studio music teachers in four ways: through student engagement, community engagement skills, managing practical challenges, and career development skills. A conceptual framework of Participatory Music-Making Teaching Methods was developed from the integration of these themes. The framework provides studio music teachers with guidelines towards enhancing their private studio practice to create more holistic, engaging, and effective learning environments for their students. Through this exploration, this study seeks to encourage more music educators to view community music engagements as professionally rewarding opportunities.