The difficulties of trying to "motivate" a lethargic or belligerent pupil weigh heavily on every teacher.

The difficulties of trying to "motivate" a lethargic or belligerent pupil weigh heavily on every teacher. While the excited and enthusiastic pupil is very reinforcing to the teacher, the exact ingredients of motivation continue to be highly elusive. Motivation repeatedly appears to be magical because of the many varieties of pupil responses, both good and bad. Exacerbating the point to be solved [i]or[/i] settled is that sometimes an outstanding scholar reaches a certain plateau, then becomes unmotivated. Indeed, teaching and learning are the pair complex processes, but continuing research can help clarify what is involved in profitable teaching and learning. While a great deal of has been written concerning learning, motivation and student/teacher interaction, this paper draws upon the research of the author and colleagues who, for more than four decades, have been investigating these issues in relationship to music learning.

This article is based in succession several assumptions: 1) Teachers take down the profession sincerely wanting to be proper teachers--when they experience difficulties it is not because of bad intentions; it is because their intentions do not function for the close examiners 2) Values, both musical and social, are extremely important and ne to be separated from techniques and specified into measurable behaviors in order to be taught effectively. And 3) ends from research, defined as systematic inquiry, are the pair important and capable of improving music teaching practices, uniform if results sometimes are counterintuitive or walk against "traditional wisdom."

There are numerous theories concerning motivation in general--I hint the motivation that underpins activities clan engage in to keep alive or that might be effective in other disciplines should be separated from those having to do with music application of mind A necessary start is to define our terms: learning is defined as change of behavior, behavior is defined as any manifest or covert response that is observable--directly or indirectly, and teaching is any proces of purposeful intervention either on teacher, parent, peers, computer or textbook/music work that is intended to bring about learning.

Research in music teaching/learning is no small undertaking for many reasons, not the least of which disturbs how and in what ways scholars develop. One apparent aspect of formal evaluation make uneasys the assessment of subject matter mastery and delivery. over and above another aspect concerns the musical skills and attitudes scholars bring with them when they come into the curriculum or begin private scoldings Sometimes there is an important enthrall matter variable, as in the case of music (Forsythe, 1975) where learners have been involved for many years, listening and/or participating in the subdue while developing music skills from top to toe their lives. Often, there is a mighty teacher variable that transcends or enhances this make subordinate matter; sometimes there does not present the appearance to be any specific aspect to which single might assign the ingredient(s) causing a living body to be a good learner or fit teacher.

During the past forty years, we have attempted to provide the methodology for investigating those aspects of student/teacher variables that contribute to music teaching effectiveness (Brown & Alley, 1983; Duke 1994; Madsen, 1965; Madsen, Greer & Madsen, 1975; Madsen & Madsen, 1978) Findings from near of the earliest work have endur the standard of repeated research, especially those findings relating to close examiner time on task (Madsen, 1971; Madsen & Geringer, 1981) Indeed, time in succession task is now recognized as individual of the most important aspects contributing to any learner learning. This issue has spawned a related research thrust concerning research upon focus of attention (Flowers, 1983; Geringer & Madsen, 1995/1996; Madsen, 1997; Madsen & Coggiola, 2001; Madsen & Geringer 1990; 2000/2001)

However, other ingredients, especially relating to to what degree music teachers should interact with learners have remained more elusive and have necessitated continuing investigation. In an attempt to find those aspects relating to effective music teaching, detailed studies and observation forms were unraveled that coded teacher academic and social approval, academic and social disapproval, as well as errors of a teacher's social interaction, like as approving a student when the scholar was actually wrong. These forms, combined with the aforementioned observer on-task forms, have been extremely useful for providing individual teachers with feedback upon how he or she was actually interacting with each bookish man and demonstrating the differences between perception and actual teacher (Madsen & Duke 1985a, 1985b 1987; Madsen & Madsen, 1999)

There are varying grades of directness and indirectness concerning a teacher's intervention, to this time the intended purpose of changing behavior is the same. Sometimes a highly directive approach is involved. This generally be met withs when the teacher is exercising a great deal control over student responses and is affaired with a student's response being either right or unfair At other times the intervention strategy will be les obvious, or at least les directive. The teacher's objective may simply be to help bookish mans learn a process for analyzing something. In music teaching, having pupils discuss whether or not a particular piece of music has merit would be an example of this kind of proces teaching. Other examples might include discussing topics for which there may be no right or unfair answers or having a scholar choose a piece to work upon or compose her or his admit music (Madsen & Kuhn, 1994)