Students’ Well-Being and Lifelong Learning in Estonian Music School Violin Curricula: A Policy Analysis Grounded in Self-Determination Theory

For decades, global policies have advocated for child-centred approaches intended to support children’s well-being and motivation in educational settings and to provide them with flexible learning pathways for lifelong learning. Following these guidelines, national education policies in many countries – including Estonia – have been reformed, replacing teacher- and subject-centred approaches with advocacy for methods supporting students’ holistic development. Yet, responsibility for implementing those innovative approaches in Estonia’s decentralised music school system remains the task of music schools’ leaders and teachers at the local level. This study contributes to the growing body of research concerning post-Soviet music education with a focus on reforms on both the national and local levels, by investigating how violin students’ basic psychological needs, and thereby their well-being and lifelong learning, are supported in Estonian music schools. Grounded in self-determination theory, the findings of a reflexive thematic analysis of 126 violin curricula from 76 music schools point to a lack of guidelines concerning Basic Pyschological Needs support, while schools rely on students’ controlled motivation, which can contribute to the large number of dropouts and thwart students’ general life satisfaction. In order for the global and national policies to effect music schools’ curricula, music educators’ work tasks and schedules should be redesigned to facilitate the understanding and implementation of policy changes.