Rethinking Music Education

By Jeff Asselin

Music education is entering a period of profound epistemological change. The ways students access information, develop skills, and cooperate with musical communities have shifted dramatically, shaped by digital learning environments, multimodal resources, and the increasing need for autonomy and collaboration. Traditional pedagogical models—reliant on direct instruction, repetitive drills, and hierarchical teacher–student dynamics—may no longer reflect the realities of how learners construct meaning or sustain motivation in contemporary musical contexts.

Recent educational research highlights a growing recognition that learners thrive when supported by scaffolding, authentic community engagement, and opportunities to co-construct knowledge rather than passively receive it. Approaches grounded in social constructivism (which views learning as a social process), situated learning, and Vygotsky's More Knowledgeable Others/Zone of Proximal Development promote environments in which musical understanding is developed through dialogue, collaboration, modeling, reflection, scaffolding, and shared problem-solving. These pedagogies also directly address common barriers, such as cognitive overload (when an individual's working memory exceeds capacity, learning slows down, leading to mental exhaustion and an inability to process information effectively), low digital literacy (the ability to use digital technologies), and the isolation often inherent in traditional practice routines or passive online platforms.

Traditional instrumental pedagogy conceptualizes knowledge as fixed, authoritative, and best transferred through demonstration followed by repetition. This approach treats learners as receivers rather than contributors and evaluates their progress based on their ability to approximate an expert model. However, constructivist and social-constructivist epistemologies challenge this assumption, arguing that knowledge emerges through interaction, negotiation, and reflection rather than simple exposure to expertise. Learning occurs as individuals actively form shared understandings with communities. Even in one-on-one instrumental lessons, which can be thought of as a community, students construct meaning by engaging in dialogue, interpreting feedback, articulating challenges, and experimenting with solutions. Musical knowledge is, therefore, inherently dynamic, shaped by one's context and experience.

Using Vygotsky's More Knowledgeable Other concept, instructors need to understand that the MKO [More Knowledgeable Other] role no longer resides solely in a physical instructor; it can reside in scaffolding, a digital model, or even the learner's future self. With the extensive use of online learning pedagogies and digital videos (e.g., YouTube), students are gaining profound knowledge through these online communities, highlighting many learning theories, such as social constructivism. Facilitators can use online videos and resources to assist in a student's musical development by using YouTube demonstrations or tutorials, creating online communities with other learners using networking platforms, such as Discord, or a Facebook group, and encouraging the co-construction of knowledge, whereby students can share insights, setbacks, online learning tools, and resources.

While epistemology explains how learners construct knowledge, cognitive psychology explains what they need to do so without becoming overwhelmed. Musical tasks place heavy demands on working memory, attention, and motor control. Without careful instructional design, learners may experience cognitive overload, frustration, or disengagement.

Scaffolding as Cognitive Support

Scaffolding is a mechanism that supports learners through increasingly complex tasks by offering structure, modeling, and fading assistance as competence develops.

In music education, this may include:

· Playalong, or modeling videos/tutorials

· Audio samples

· Reflection journals

· Immediate feedback

· Peer mentoring

· Community support (synchronous, asynchronous)

· Peer demonstrations in group learning settings

· Digital Support: slow-down apps, video tools, recording tools

Research indicates that scaffolding helps learners remain within the "zone of proximal development," allowing them to experience a manageable challenge rather than confusion or stagnation, which can often lead to cognitive overload.

A critical aspect of these shifts involves understanding how learners stay motivated. Extrinsic motivators—grades, competitive auditions, external validation—have long shaped music training. However, these strategies can limit creativity, suppress risk-taking, and reinforce a fixed, product-oriented approach. In contrast, intrinsic motivation, driven by curiosity, personal meaning, autonomy, and flow (optimal balance of challenge and skill), aligns more closely with the aims of modern music education. Instructional methods that allow learners to explore, reflect, and construct their own pathways foster deeper engagement and longer-term commitment to musical growth.

For example:

· Scaffolded learning sequences allow students to experience consistent success as they gradually increase in complexity, supporting intrinsic motivation by reinforcing feelings of competence.

· Collaborative duets, ensembles, and peer feedback circles promote social presence and shared cognition—key components in sustaining motivation and reducing anxiety.

· Situated learning opportunities—such as improvisation labs, rhythm-making workshops, or community-based performance tasks—position musical concepts within authentic contexts, helping learners develop agency and relevance in their learning.

· Digital multimodality (video modeling, interactive platforms) supports the development of digital literacy skills, enabling learners to navigate the contemporary online musical landscape with greater confidence.

Taken together, these pedagogical innovations shift the educator's role from an authority figure to a facilitator, model, and co-creator of knowledge. Students become active agents within a learning community, with greater autonomy rather than passive recipients of expertise. Such an approach not only aligns with constructivist theories but also prepares learners for the increasingly collaborative, technology-mediated, and self-directed realities of today's music world.

Jeff Asselin is a professor and program coordinator at Algonquin College, an author, a performance coach at Carleton University, and the founder of Jeff Asselin’s Drum Academy.

Linkedin - www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyasselindrummer