In a publication that explores the intriguing nature of conflicting professional identities in music, freelance singing teacher and choral director, Kerry Boyle, enables the voices of over 300 instrumental teachers working in a variety of educational contexts in the UK to come to the fore via a national survey and 18 case study interviews. In the book description, Boyle highlights ‘a lack of regulation and curriculum’ where ‘individuals can teach with no training or qualification’. This seemingly negative assertion is juxtaposed with the notion, expressed positively for the most part, that instrumental teachers enjoy ‘high levels of personal and professional autonomy’ (p. 1).
The majority of participants in Boyle’s study identify as musicians as opposed to teachers, a phenomenon the author can relate to from an autoethnographic stance. Ambiguously, multiple-choice options vary across Survey questions 2: ‘Which of the following most accurately describes your main professional occupation?’ and 18: ‘Which of the following terms would you suggest is most appropriate in describing your professional identity?’ (see Appendix 1). Given the classroom-based practice associated with the word ‘teacher’, it is potentially problematic that it was not possible for participants to select ‘instrumental teacher’ in response to the latter question. This may have been intentional, however, to highlight the notion that instrumental teachers are ‘unable to claim the status of teacher attributed to professionals working as qualified classroom teachers’ (p. 92).
Set against a wider research context where instrumental teaching is surprisingly perceived as ‘non-musical or non-creative activity’ (p. 102), participants’ teaching is evidently informed by a portfolio of broader musical activity. Despite this, much compartmentalised thinking is prevalent amongst participants, many of whom seem to view performing and teaching as separate entities involving the switching of roles. There is scope to tease out the interrelated and complementary nature of these activities a little more, especially in response to a conservatoire tutor’s suggestion that three years of performance training had been ‘wasted’ (p. 68) following their student’s decision to undertake a music-focused Postgraduate General Certificate in Education (PGCE) in lieu of a final year of specialist performance training. Indeed, Boyle suggests that ‘musician first then teacher’ models (p. 6, resonating with Huhtanen, Reference HUHTANEN, Bennett and Hannan2008) emphasise hierarchical roles in music where musicians who choose to train as music educators are perceived as inferior to those who sustain a performance career alongside teaching.
The striking statistic that over 50% of participants in this study had never received any ‘organised training or guidance’ (p. 20) before they began teaching suggests that they only had their own previous teacher(s)’ methods as a foundation for their own practice. It is interesting therefore that participants perceived that training in the master-apprentice model of teaching would be the most beneficial for their needs. Debatably, this view adds another dimension to Boyle’s ‘hierarchy of roles’ thread, implying that certain ‘types’ of teaching and/or teachers are ‘better’ than others. As Boyle suggests, it has long been argued that the master-apprentice model, prevalent in private teaching and the ‘performer-teacher’ culture of university and conservatoire education, serves to perpetuate existing teaching practices. In addition, I question whether a perception that instrumental teachers should have significant performance experience may in fact be harmful in deterring numerous teachers from pursuing training. Crucially, it appears that at present, many instrumental teachers aspiring to gain a qualification have concerns about ‘quality, relevance, availability and access’ of provision (p. 55).
Boyle’s astute observation that many existing training courses for instrumental teachers in the UK are at postgraduate level and, furthermore, are designed for those who are already teaching, accompanies her concerns about a dearth of instrumental teacher education for undergraduate students who do not teach currently. She misses the opportunity to explore the modular provision developed by various UK HE institutions across the past decade, some of which runs in partnership with music hubs, independent schools and arts organisations, though her interest in facilitating the transition from student to professional teacher resonates strongly with Shaw (Reference SHAW2020).
The issue of regulation is worthy of further exploration beyond this publication, for example, whether this should focus on individuals, institutions or both. Quite how stringent this should be for instrumental teachers is questionable, since there is a danger that the autonomy that the instrumental teachers in Boyle’s study appear to value so highly could be restricted in the face of accountability measures, as reflected in Gardiner’s recent research involving PGCE music students (Reference GARDINER2020). Equally, an imposed curriculum for instrumental music education might be undesirable and impractical for learners, potentially restricting their motivation and creativity. If a balance could be achieved, however, thus ensuring both autonomy and accountability, this might enhance the quality of instrumental teaching and learning whilst retaining job satisfaction for professional musicians who teach their specialist instrument(s), supporting them to identify as ‘real’ and ‘proper’ teachers.
Derived from a doctoral thesis, a certain amount of repetition is perhaps inevitable, but revisiting ideas and arguments throughout is also helpful. Many of Boyle’s academic sources date from approximately a decade ago, yet this only serves to emphasise the need for more research in this area and to establish this publication as an important contribution. Boyle’s findings certainly offer significant food for thought, unearthing and revisiting pertinent questions at a time when, arguably, the quality and diversity of instrumental teaching and learning is more vital than ever to the longevity of music education in the UK.
