Piano Teachers' Guidance Strategies: An Exploratory Investigation into Promoting Student Self-Direction

Abstract

With the change of educational philosophy, piano learning is not only a process of cultivating artistic skills, but also requires students to have good self-direction. This study explored the role of piano teachers in developing students‘ self-direction skills with the aim of identifying key factors that influence students’ independent learning. A qualitative research method was used to collect data on teachers‘ efforts to enhance students’ self-directed competence through personalised feedback, emotional support and professional development training. The study selected 16 piano teachers aged 25 to 45 years old from a local piano training center with at least 2 years of teaching experience as research subjects. Findings showed that teachers‘ emotional support and professional training significantly improved students’ self-directed learning and musical expression. Based on the findings, this paper suggests new teaching strategies to improve the quality of instruction and enhance the student learning experience.