When children commence instrumental music tuition, learning difficulties can emerge to disrupt predictable learning processes and impact musical development. However, children’s experiences of learning difficulties, including how they present, are managed and can be supported, are rarely examined in music research. This longitudinal, qualitative study used Participatory Action Research and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis methodologies to examine the lived experience of fourteen 7-year-old beginner cellists. It focussed on how children’s learning difficulties emerged in the music studio and affected their continued engagement, and how the instrumental music teacher supported children with difficulties. Unexpectedly, half ( N = 7) of the young learners encountered challenges, including memory and processing difficulties, impulse, attention and focus issues, intrusive synaesthesia, fine motor skill difficulty, dyslexia and persistent anxiety. Children’s highly individualised experiences of their learning difficulties were impacted by their motivations, self-perception and ratio of skill acquisition. A reflexive pedagogical approach by the teacher, together with pragmatic support and emotional guidance from parents, influenced the children’s learning behaviour and continued investment, contributing to their longer-term musical engagement. This study offers a unique contribution to the literature by providing a rare investigation of children’s emergent learning difficulties, as revealed in the instrumental music studio.

中文翻译：

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在器乐工作室揭露儿童的新兴学习困难经历


当孩子们开始器乐教学时，可能会出现学习困难，从而扰乱可预测的学习过程并影响音乐发展。然而，儿童的学习困难经历，包括他们如何表现、如何得到管理和支持，在音乐研究中很少得到检查。这项纵向定性研究使用参与式行动研究和解释性现象学分析方法，考察了 14 名 7 岁初级大提琴手的生活经历。它侧重于儿童的学习困难如何在音乐工作室中出现并影响他们的持续参与，以及器乐教师如何支持有困难的儿童。出乎意料的是，一半 （ N = 7） 的年轻学习者遇到了挑战，包括记忆和处理困难、冲动、注意力和注意力问题、侵入性联觉、精细运动技能困难、阅读障碍和持续焦虑。儿童对学习困难的高度个性化体验受到他们的动机、自我认知和技能获得比率的影响。老师的反思性教学方法，加上家长的务实支持和情感指导，影响了孩子们的学习行为和持续的投入，促进了他们长期的音乐参与。正如器乐工作室所揭示的那样，这项研究通过对儿童的紧急学习困难进行了罕见的调查，为文献做出了独特的贡献。