The meanings of professional development: Perspectives of Malaysian piano teachers

Abstract

In Malaysia, the work of music studio teachers outside of schools and in private settings is unregulated and teachers have limited access to professional development opportunities. Globally, research on the professional development of music teachers has mostly focused on classroom music teachers, where professional development is often mandated and official support provided. However, little is known about how music studio teachers view professionalism and how they access professional development in this context, nor what this development means for them. For this interpretative phenomenological analysis, we interviewed 12 piano teachers who work in Malaysia to understand the meanings of professionalism and professional development for them. Individual themes that arose from within-case analysis were conceptually combined to form eight superordinate themes. The first four superordinate themes relate to understandings of professionalism. Participants described a professional pride which involves not only a love and enjoyment of music and of teaching, but also manifests flexibility and responsiveness; it entails both teacher and student performing and understanding music, and demonstrates relationality, communication skills, and a positive character. The remaining four superordinate themes relate to understandings of professional development, including the ideas that professional development requires proactivity, that professional development opportunities are affected by environmental and material factors, that professional connections affect development, and finally that training, experience, and mentorship support professional development. In this article, we posit that the lack of formal structures in Malaysia means that professionalism is self-determined by the teacher, while professional development relies on the individual commitment and motivation of teachers. Teachers need greater access to support systems or learning opportunities, and the move to online teacher support sessions due to the COVID disruptions offers some opportunities for supporting professional development more effectively.

Introduction

Private studio teaching is typically an unregulated profession, and although there have been calls to better prepare music graduates for their portfolio careers (Bennett & Rowley, 2019), there are music teachers in many parts of the world who teach without specific qualifications or formal training (Gaunt et al., 2021; Hallam, 2017). Furthermore, the work of music studio teachers in private settings and behind closed doors has been characterized as a secret garden (Burwell et al., 2019) which may also result in professional isolation among many teachers (Boyle, 2020; Burwell et al., 2019; Westerlund & Gaunt, 2021). The non-formalized and isolated nature of music studio teaching has led to the “haphazard nature of practice in this professional field” (Boyle, 2020, p. 5) and there is a pressing need to address the challenges that this practice presents (Gaunt et al., 2021).

Music studio teachers may find it more difficult than other teachers to access professional development opportunities (Creech & Gaunt, 2012; Myers, 2017), especially when they are not supported within policy frameworks (Bautista et al., 2021), as is the case in Malaysia. But music studio teachers, like members of any profession, require support to develop their professional skills, knowledge, and understanding. Depending on their circumstances, music teachers may feel discouraged from pursuing professional development opportunities for several personal and logistical reasons, which may include simply not understanding the relevance and importance of such development. Even teachers at the peak of their careers may not realize what they do not know (Durrant & Laurence, 2010). Furthermore, there are conflicting ideas about what constitutes a professional knowledge base (Burnard, 2016), which has broader implications for how ongoing professional development is organized, adopted, and understood among these communities of practitioners, especially since understandings of professionalism influence development efforts (Keay & Lloyd, 2011).

Music studio teaching in Malaysia

In Malaysia, many students engage in instrumental music study outside of school through private studio music teachers (Abdullah, 2021; Ang et al., 2019; Cheah, 2012), despite a compulsory music curriculum at primary level and international schools that offer music tuition (Abdullah, 2021). A Facebook group for studio teachers called Music Teachers in Malaysia has over 12,000 members, and points to the extent of such music studio teaching practices. Private tutoring services in Malaysia are deemed to be a “household necessity,” with 20% of Malaysians recording some expenditure on these services (Kenayathulla, 2016, p. 49), yet there is no regulation of private tutoring in music (Okajima, 2023). In the absence of national guidelines for private music teaching in Malaysia, we observed that the syllabi provided by UK-based music examination boards such as the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM), Trinity College London (TCL), and the London College of Music (LCM) often form the basis on which music teachers build their professional practice.

The reach of these examination boards is extensive; the only reliable figures we could find show that the ABRSM at one point conducted over 60,000 music exams in a year in Malaysia (Wright, 2013). Our observation is that teachers often consider these examinations to be the sole curriculum for instrumental music instruction, against the intention of the examining boards (Taylor, 2005). The only qualification of many active teachers is a Grade 8 or performing diploma in their instrument, and few possess teaching diplomas or other pedagogical qualifications. A Grade 8 qualification at minimum certifies that students are able to play the required examination pieces and technical exercises as well as being able to show some proficiency in aural tests and sight-reading. Their abilities in other areas of musicianship—such as improvising, composition, performing additional repertoire, general musical knowledge, and overall exposure to music, not to speak of pedagogical understanding and competencies—are not tested (Ang, 2019). Although there has been an increase in opportunities to pursue advanced qualifications in music in Malaysia at institutions such as Universiti Sains Malaysia (Pedagogy and Performance degree from 1998), ¹ University College Sedaya International Institute of Music (degree program since 2004, with Principles of Music introduced as a core course a few years ago), ² and Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (Bachelor of Education [Music] from 2010 (Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, 2023)), those who are able to pursue music education at these higher levels remain a minority within the broader group. Where the majority of music studio teachers lack pre-service training, the relevance and purpose of professional development needs further exploration.

For music studio teachers globally, there are limited opportunities for professional development (Creech & Gaunt, 2012; Myers, 2017) and studio music teaching has been described as informal professional practice (Boyle, 2020; Gaunt et al., 2021). While there is a need to protect students by ensuring healthy and constructive music teaching, the ways in which such informal practices can be better professionalized, and by whom, remains unclear. Music education research has mostly focused on the professional development and identities of classroom music teachers working in schooling environments (Ballantyne, 2007; Ballantyne et al., 2012; Chua & Welch, 2021; Pellegrino, 2019), where teachers are socialized into the profession through teacher education programs and professional development is mandated by their schools, with official support provided. The ways in which music studio teachers outside of such structures receive and make sense of professionalism and professional development is less understood, especially in contexts such as Malaysia. This is pertinent to this study since the differing work of classroom teachers and studio music teachers suggests that there will be differing conceptions of professionalism between these groups, as well as differing conceptions of how to develop this professionalism.

Professionalism and professional development

In the context of music education, Holgerson and Holst (2016) identify professionalism as the teacher’s ability to integrate different kinds of knowledge and apply them in practice. However, this presupposes that music teachers have adequate pre-service and ongoing training to conceptualize these knowledges—fully understanding their work in the context of its educative aims. For music studio teachers, developing and articulating such aims remain difficult when they are not enculturated into the teaching profession and when professionalism is not unanimously understood even in more structured music education (Westerlund & Gaunt, 2021). The continued proliferation of formal instructional practices has long suffered from a lack of re-contextualization and has been recognized as a closed-loop system (Teachout, 2012). Pedagogically, it is problematic if music studio teachers rely solely on how they were taught, especially when inherited, formal approaches to music education preserve a technicist, master-apprentice model of teaching music as a craft (Boyle, 2020). Therefore, the professional development of music studio teachers is vital, given that the transformative benefits of music education remain conditional on teaching approaches (Bowman, 2012; Kertz-Welzel, 2022). Professional development is thus a collective responsibility of all practitioners to ensure the quality of music education (Burnard, 2016).

Professional development is “about teachers learning, learning how to learn, and transforming their knowledge into practice for the benefit of their students’ growth” (Avalos, 2011, p. 10). While formal and ongoing training can form important components of a music studio teacher’s professional development, their sense of belonging to a profession and connection to other teachers is equally important. Given the professional isolation that music studio teachers often face, some may “lack access to the communities of practice that might help them to develop their engagement” (Burwell et al., 2019, p. 16). In Malaysia, this lack of access is further compounded by the fact the profession remains unregulated and is not considered a high-status occupation (see also Boyle, 2020; Burnard, 2016). To overcome a sense of alienation, there is an important need for “networked music learning communities and collaborative cultures” (Burnard, 2016, p. 12). Through such collaborative professionalism (Hargreaves & O’Connor, 2018), music teachers benefit from a greater sense of belonging, as well as shared knowledge and expertise. Hence, professional development can also be understood as a collective process of working within a self-sustaining learning community (Owen, 2005). Through stronger communities of practice, it is possible for music teachers to gain more confidence and familiarity with adaptive expertise over routine expertise (Timperley et al., 2017), thus enhancing the collective efficacy of the profession.

Research question

While the research cited above argues that both organized and informal teacher networks are necessary for the ongoing professional development of music teachers and musicians, such networks are not prominent in Malaysia, and so it is not clear in what ways music studio teachers are being supported in their development. We therefore launched a mixed method research project to begin understanding this situation. In this article, we focus on the qualitative findings of this project aiming to understand the meanings that studio music teachers ascribe to their own professionalism and professional development. As such, this article addresses the following research question:

• Research Question 1 (RQ1). What understandings emerge from the meanings piano teachers in Malaysia ascribe to professionalism and professional development in their career?

Procedures

Approach

This qualitative study makes use of an interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA) (Smith et al., 2009). IPA has its origins in psychological research and is used to investigate the meanings that people ascribe to events or experiences, in this case their own professional development. The phenomenological, hermeneutic, and idiographic approach has been successfully adapted to studies in music education (e.g., Crawford, 2019; Williamon et al., 2021).

Participants

We identified a group of 12 participants through purposive selection. In IPA, researchers aim to gather a homogeneous group who have similar experiences of similar phenomena (Smith et al., 2009). In this study, participants were experienced piano teachers who work in Malaysia (see Table 1 for a summary of their teaching experience and instrument specialization). Older statistics suggest that most music examination candidates in Malaysia play the piano (see Tye, 2004), as is reflected in the participant demographics. Some of the participants were selected from those participating in the broader research project by indicating their willingness to participate in an interview through the completion of a questionnaire. Other participants were drawn from the acquaintances of two of the researchers who both have access to considerable networks of music teachers in Malaysia. The sample was not balanced in terms of gender because the majority of music teachers in Malaysia are female. As two of the researchers are well-known members of the music education community, participants were approached by a trained assistant to request their participation to minimize possible feelings of coercion. Following ethical approval (North-West University, South Africa, NWU–01120–21–A7), the assistant contacted participants, explained the process of the interview and the purpose of the study, and provided an informed consent form for participants to sign prior to taking part in the interviews. Participants were assigned pseudonyms by the researchers, and material that makes participants identifiable is not quoted in this article.

Table 1.

Teaching Experience and Instrument of Participants.

Pseudonym	Teaching experience	Instrument
Amanda	30+ years	Piano
Cheryl	30 years	Piano / Kindermusik
Dianne	17 years	Piano
Evelyn	20+ years	Piano
Heather	45 years	Piano, organ
Joanne	13 years	Piano, cello
Mary	30+ years	Piano
Olivia	35 years	Piano
Pearl	32 years	Piano
Ronnie	30+ years	Jazz piano
Sue	30 years	Piano
Tom	15 years	Jazz piano

Data collection

Semi-structured interviews were conducted in English with the 12 participants (see interview schedule in Appendix 1) during 2022. The interviews were conducted either online or in person by one of the researchers, depending on availability and travel limitations. Interviews were audio recorded and an online artificial intelligence transcriber converted them to text. Each interviewer checked and corrected their transcriptions for accuracy. The shortest interview lasted 24 min, the longest 63 min, with the average length being 44 min. The researcher who conducted the interview checked and corrected the transcribed text.

Data analysis

Data were coded collaboratively by all the researchers using Atlas.ti, making use of the six steps of analysis proposed by Smith et al. (2009): reading and re-reading; initial noting; developing emergent themes; searching for connections across themes; moving to the next case; looking for patterns across cases. All three of us first coded the same four interviews independently and discussed our coding process to establish an agreed-upon procedure. After this, at least two researchers independently coded each interview, and we met to discuss the coding and to thematize each interview. From each interview, we collaboratively agreed on between five and nine themes, which we identified by grouping codes that were similar. Appendix 2 provides a table with the themes for each participant. Once all the interviews had been analyzed and thematized, we examined the patterns across cases, linking themes we identified for each participant together into superordinate themes based on similarity. Appendix 3 provides a table where the links between subordinate and superordinate themes are displayed, together with relevant quotations.

Findings

We identified eight closely interrelated themes from the data, the first four (A1–4) relating to individual conceptions of professionalism, and last four (B1-4) relating to experiences of professional development. Of course, the meanings that teachers ascribe to professional development are closely linked to their understanding of professionalism (Keay & Lloyd, 2011).

A1: Professional pride involves love and enjoyment of music and teaching

Professional pride motivated the music teachers, with Evelyn having found that teaching was “a joy” (2:1) ³ and Joanne being inspired by “how much effort [her students] are putting into their work” (6:2). Heather found helping slow learners rewarding, adding that “when they start blooming you find that [. . .] parents are so appreciative” (5:15). According to Mary, a personal love of music was necessary, as “a music teacher [should express] the love of music” (7:1). Dianne was proud to be a music teacher, as “music was really something special that not everyone could teach” (3:9).

However, factors such as instability and a lack of recognition impacted on professional pride. Evelyn pointed out that being a music teacher lacks esteem and stability, stating that it “is not actually even a proper job unless you’re attached to a school whereby everything is official” (2:106). Dianne lamented the profession’s lack of recognition, with her own parents considering that the “music teacher is very poor” (3:85). Heather emphasized the need for validation and proper compensation, saying that teachers had “better [not] do music” (5:28) unless they are passionate about it.

Professional pride also involved taking music teaching seriously. Amanda described music teachers as “usually very serious” because they guide students from “Grade 0 to Grade 8” (4:9). She also emphasized the importance of communication with students and parents, saying that it makes music teaching “a very serious job” (4:9). Such commitment also required an openness to professional learning and being further inspired as a teacher. Dianne described attending a professional development training as an “eye-opener” and “amazing experience” (3:24). Joanne stressed that being inspired is also part of professionalism, highlighting the value of attending webinars or talks, because they “actually helped a lot” (6:30). Heather stressed the importance of continuous development for music teachers, stating that “if you yourself don’t go and explore and you don’t go and play, nothing much will change” (5:110).

A2: Professionalism requires flexibility and responsiveness

Responding to societal and environmental changes often motivated personal change and development, according to the participants. Olivia, an experienced teacher, noted that she is “teaching very differently. It’s definitely different, because the kids are different now” (8:22). Pearl adapted her approach to accommodate limited practice time: “I have to reorganize all my protocols in teaching” (9:12). She also found that student’s behavior and attitude were changing, because education in Malaysia was changing: “for different students we need different types of teaching methods” (9:21).

Recognizing and responding to the need for change required an adaptable mind-set, as well as appropriate pedagogical tools. Amanda acknowledged that “every day we meet different students with different problems” (4:17), “so, you have to change your way of teaching” (4:24). Joanne studied educational psychology some years after starting to teach and this helped her to “try to think of factors that can affect why they’re behaving this way. And then you try to resolve that factor itself or manage that factor” (6:94). Young and inexperienced teachers sometimes get “very worked up because the kid just cannot get it” (10:21), and according to Sue, it is necessary to find “other ways to teach a child” (10:21). For this reason, Tom emphasized the importance of experience over time and with various students: “[the] more students the teacher teaches, he or she would start to see different kinds of students and know how to deal with them” (12:21).

Being adaptable required professional learning and resourcefulness because there are “many ways to approach teaching” (10:63). Olivia improved her knowledge about teaching beginners by reading “a lot of books and all these kinds of things” (8:29). An enthusiastic teacher requires being “quick with a lot of methods and ways to teach them” (10:28), according to Sue. For Pearl, this included owning “more interesting repertoire books” (9:12), while Cheryl noted that “actually it’s more preparations” (1:6) and being able to “prepare a lot of pre-teaching material” (4:11). Furthermore, professionalism involved being organized and consulting different resources including going online to seek inspiration. Olivia noted that “YouTube has a lot [. . .] So now as a teacher I told myself, I have to use my phone” (8:32). However, Joanne pointed out that the nature of online videos is that they may not develop a long-term pedagogical vision; “it’s always like the shock vision. I try to solve this and then I go to the next step. Then, I sort of have that feeling like I will just go wherever this step brings me” (6:20).

A3: Professionalism involves both teacher and student performing and understanding music

Performing music was understood as an important part of teacher professionalism. According to Ronnie, “there should be this performance component in our life, because if you notice that a lot of music teachers or those freelancing piano teachers, they teach, but they do not really play a lot” (11:5). He also emphasized the importance of allocating time for performance, because “that will help the teacher to grow” (11:5). Mary added that performance creates community: “if you have been performing besides just teaching, I think you will never be alone, because there’s so much more to explore and there’s so much to share with the students” (11:8).

Developing the ear through music making was another vital skill for teachers, as Amanda discovered: “the church choir helps me a lot in part-singing” (4:81). Ronnie highlighted the significance of “[learning] jazz improvisation whether you are going to be good at it or not” (11:33). Moreover, he underscored the relevance of linking technical and theoretical work to practical outcomes and explained that playing scales could be connected to “functional harmony [. . .] so that they will be more equipped to do improvisation in future” (11:2).

Professionalism required teachers to have a comprehensive understanding of musical fundamentals, according to Tom, who noted that “learning the history and the environment of that particular era is very crucial, because we would know why people wrote that kind of music” (12:28). However, Mary highlighted that this does not need to be genre bound, and “if they don’t like classical pieces [. . .] just shift them to pop music” (7:27). Amanda expressed concern about some teachers lacking proficiency in the activities they assign to their students, observing that they “can’t sight-read so when they give their students sight-reading, the student just simply sight-reads without following the notes at all” (4:26). Continuous professional development was essential for music teachers. Amanda suggested that “listening to recordings and attending concerts” (4:14) were part of ongoing learning. Teachers also emphasized the importance of attending “professional training” (12:16), workshops driven by practice (11:27), and seminars that “support repertoire and technique” (7:35) to develop a stronger foundation in musical fundamentals.

A4: Professionalism involves relationality, communication skills, and a positive character

Participants emphasized the importance of understanding people and building positive relationships with students and parents. Olivia expressed the view that

Professionalism in teaching involves understanding people, and [researching] how to deal with parents—what is happening? And then the more I go on, then I feel that there’s a need also to understand some kids—why do you behave in such a way? (8:28)

Cheryl stressed the need to build a good rapport with students, saying, “it was important for good teaching and because it was professional to be aware of student relationships” (1:93). Mary emphasized the need to show such awareness and be more pupil-centered; in her opinion, “professionalism [involves] being ‘responsive to students’ needs’ by knowing how to pace the exams and [match] the examination to the student’s profile” (7:24).

Cheryl also deemed good communication with students and parents to be essential (1:25). Overcoming language barriers with students and teaching in English was emphasized by Sue, who said, “if you come to me, I cannot teach you in Chinese, so whatever it is, I will teach you in English. So, you try to understand” (10:1). Open communication with parents about their children’s progress and issues with practice was also seen as important; as Pearl said, “I will tell them [. . .] the problem with their children if they don’t practice” (9:30).

The importance of teachers having personable qualities such as humility, selflessness, and honesty was also stressed by participants. Heather emphasized the importance of humility: “keep on learning. Don’t stop learning, and never think you are always very good . . . humble yourself” (5:39). Pearl considered honesty to be professional: “I just told them very frankly that I had just finished my Grade 8. I did not have teaching experience, but if they wanted to try, I would try my best for them” (9:43).

B1: Professional development opportunities are affected by environmental and material factors

Participants adapted their teaching in response to changes in the professional field. For example, changes in available teaching materials and examination syllabi (3:21), or changing student tastes (3:114), led to adaptations in Dianne’s teaching, because “if you’re just using the old book, they would die in their lesson” (3:21). In the past, Joanne had been dependent on materials she could gather from her teachers (6:47), but Evelyn noted that these days many more options are available online (2:26).

The COVID pandemic lockdowns necessitated many sudden changes in practice and in pedagogical thinking. Teachers who were not able to use the various online platforms in pedagogically relevant ways lost some students. For those teachers who could adapt, online platforms became an easy way to contact not only students but also colleagues (6:10) to discuss matters relating to teaching. For Mary, the online environment also allowed for students to share their work with “friends and parents, that parents share with their friends” (7:6). While aspects of the move online were thus beneficial and provided opportunities for professional development and expansion, Heather thought that it was not possible for all aspects of a teacher’s work to move online (5:13).

One of Mary’s students obtained a borderline pass in a previous examination session; this prompted self-reflection and a search for help: “you will start looking then [. . .] to listen to other teachers’ teaching. You have a seminar like that. You have a workshop” (7:41). However, such courses and seminars are limited in number in Malaysia (2:73), especially in rural areas (10:12), and not all training supported the work of teaching. Qualifications such as a licentiate diploma tended to have limited value, according to Ronnie, because development should happen through mentoring (11:15) not just passing an examination. Dianne completed a music degree prior to teaching, but wondered, “oh dear, what have I done for my degree?” (3:18) when she started teaching and needed to seek out extra courses (3:29, 3:57).

Busy schedules because of school demands (6:4, 12:8) or income demands (3:101, 5:12) limited contact between teachers, which was considered an important source of professional support. Sue noted that “if your schedule is, let’s say, packed [. . .] then you see your colleagues walk past. You can’t even have time to have a few words, you just say hi” (10:3). Ronnie noted that such busyness and lack of contact was largely driven by financial imperatives, as teachers worked long hours to be able to pay the bills. But this also resulted in teachers seeing others through a “business rivalry” lens (11:11), rather than through the need for collegiality. While professional development is necessary for teachers’ personal growth, and also for developing good teaching so that students can benefit, part of it also relates to managing a business effectively, to attract and retain students.

B2: Professional development requires proactivity

For teachers who lacked institutional support, it was necessary to be proactive in seeking professional development. Discussing her own lack of initial teacher preparation and with no option to go to university, Sue felt “quite bad” (10:57) just teaching in the way she was taught, wishing more support was available at the beginning so that she “did not feel so lost and helpless” (10:54). Despite coming from a more remote town, Sue was conscious of her professional obligation to improve: “I just did all these upgrading courses, attending all the seminars, workshops and all that, because I chose this pathway and I told myself that I want to know more” (10:13). For Ronnie, the necessity to improve was spurred by frustration; he recognized that change happened when he went out of his “comfort zone or became uncomfortable” (11:28). Sue noticed,

a lot of teachers are just very complacent with what they’re doing. [. . .] You really need to go out and search, actually. You have to make time and you probably have to change your teaching schedule to just to fit it in. A lot of teachers [are] not so willing to do that (10:27).

Geographical location was a barrier for many. Pearl lamented that “activity would not be much here for my area. Maybe a big town would have more activities. So, we are quite lonely here in a small town” (9:4). Olivia concluded, “so, as a teacher, self-discipline, patience, planning [. . .] these are very essential things” (8:3). For these participants, being professional required being proactive in a variety of ways, in large part because there was no other support system that would ensure continued development. The teachers themselves needed to take responsibility for their own development.

B3: Professional connections affect development

Participants described professional connections with colleagues as well as institutions and organizations that offered them opportunities for professional development. Participants interacted with their colleagues in a number of ways that supported professional development, and looked for reciprocal relationships to support their teaching. Cheryl shared student concerts with colleagues that allowed them to pass on “comments to each other” (1:11). Evelyn entered students in competitions or public performances that allowed her to “meet many teachers of different ages, even different races” (2:31). Mary shared her recorded student performances with other teachers for comment to hear “different opinions, and different comments from other teachers,” because “your opinions may be too limited or too small” (7:9). Cheryl observed others’ teaching and also invited them to observe her own teaching, especially new teachers who would “come and observe my class” and with whom she would build a mentoring relationship (1:9). Sue took time to discuss relational issues, especially “difficult parents” or “problems we have with students” (10:25).

The interactions that teachers had with other teachers assisted with acquiring new ideas and approaches, but they were equally necessary to help the teacher identify any gaps in their own understanding and to help benchmark their own development. Evelyn noted that “eventually as you grow through the years, you start to realize, and you mix around with other colleagues and friends, that you need to have a certain sort of knowledge” (2:60). Cheryl felt that institutions such as music schools allowed for a wider range of interactions than teaching from home (1:7); this was especially true for young and beginner teachers who did not yet have an established network. Ronnie remembered that when he was working for a music school, “they started to expose the teachers [to] several aspects of the pedagogy,” which helped with “how to deal with the students psychologically” (11:18). However, he also felt that these efforts were and remain sporadic, and that there was no “unified initiative to get the teachers [trained]” (11:36). Teachers who were “remote teachers,” who worked at institutions but did not have full-time placings, did not necessarily benefit from being in an institution, according to Dianne, “because in a remote way we don’t have much conversation with the boss, with our parents, or students. Students you teach one-to-one, they just come in very shy and learn everything that you say and just go” (3:6). She thought that if institutions did not create the space and opportunity for social interaction and collaboration, it was less likely that it would happen spontaneously (3:7). Collegiality and working together were important sources of professional development, and in the absence of other opportunities, teachers sought out collaborations to deal with issues they faced. Being part of an institution supported this, but only if the institution intentionally created support opportunities.

B4: Training, experience, and mentorship support professional development

Some music teachers in Malaysia began their careers with next to no training. Dianne described the “terrible experience” of giving her first lesson:

I was 18 years old and I think I just got my Grade 8 piano. Yeah, and after three months my teacher just stunned me [and put me] inside one room to practice with the students without telling me what to do. Yeah, so I just sat there and I didn’t even know what the student was doing, and I just flipped through their books and taught just one page by one page, but the student was so small, only six years old. Of course she wouldn’t understand what I was talking [about].” (3:79)

Joanne spoke of a process of “trial and error” and of the student as the “lab rat” while the teacher was figuring out how to teach (6:14). She reflected on what it might have been like if she had had some training prior to starting her career: “if in this process I would have gone for a training first, then I wouldn’t have been trying so much on that first student” (6:15). She recognized that one of the reasons for undergoing training was to realize that “you’re not there yet” (6:30); training reveals how much more a teacher can still grow.

Interpersonal relationships in teaching were highlighted as an important area that needed development. Evelyn gained “experience in handling parents as well as children of different types of character, including teenagers, who will sometimes bring in a lot of their troubles” (2:28). For Mary, managing parental expectations was necessary because of the high incidence of parents who are “very competitive” (7:17) or “want to push” (7:16) the child into higher examinations or better marks (4:76). In this context Evelyn needed to face her fears (2:18), while Amanda realized she was “not only teaching their kids but teaching the parents as well” (4:76). Mary learned how to support “reluctant” students (7:31), and Olivia learned to cope with students who did not always understand (8:31). Amanda learned how to manage disappointment in the students (4:76), while Dianne grew to understand what material would suit which kind of student (3:19). Joanne learned over time to take into account cultural and stylistic preferences and differences, as well as to refine her pedagogical aims (6:27).

Teachers were mentored in a variety of contexts, including outside their main specialism. Olivia spoke of being mentored by administrators (8:40) to understand processes, while Evelyn learned from friends at church to understand psychological concepts (3:19). Previous teachers who had inspired musical learning (3:26) and choir conductors who taught musical concepts (3:27) were all sources of personal and professional growth for participants. Learning by trial and error to deal with pedagogical and relational issues seemed to be a common thread in the interviews. Participants also leaned on learning in other domains and areas to help them in their music teaching.

Discussion

Professionalism

Teachers emphasized their love and passion for the subject, as such positivity enabled them to overcome the many challenging situations they face. The lack of formal support in aspects of their teaching made teachers more dependent on their own motivational resources, as well as on whatever networks they managed to build through friendship and professional contacts. In this they are similar to mature educators in other contexts, who also rely on interactions with other teachers and a self-motivated learning trajectory (Conway, 2008). The variable nature of the networks teachers were accessing was highlighted in our findings, with most teachers having very small local networks.

Participants deemed flexibility and responsiveness to be important professional qualities. In Malaysia music teachers must establish themselves as reputable and successful to attract and retain students; such entrepreneurial skills can be vital for shaping a portfolio career in music (Bartleet et al., 2019). As a result, music teachers need the ability to adapt their teaching to meet the diverse needs of their students. Remaining adaptable was thus motivated by an interest in the individual development of their students, but also by the maintenance of a public image of a teacher who is financially dependent on the achievements of their students in examinations and competitions. However, the precarious working conditions that stem from this financial dependence negatively affected their capacity for accessing professional development opportunities.

Some participants stressed that making and understanding music was an important source of development in the light of the competitive culture of examinations and competitions which can limit repertoire and skill development. Some of our participants noticed that the consequence of teachers’ lack of musical proficiency was rote learning or poor understanding among their students. By continuing to make music themselves, teachers “keep the tank full” and their ability to play proficiently and demonstrate musical skill help inspire and motivate themselves and their students, thereby building and sustaining musical identities. Bernard (2005) asserts in her study of music educators’ complex and multilayered professional identities that musician-teachers have “shifting positions” (p. 10) regarding the relationship between performance and teaching, and points to the ways in which performance held professional and personal significance for the teachers in her study.

The lack of a centrally defined professional development regime meant that the teachers in this study had to define their own roles and responsibilities; hence, aspects of professionalism that are accepted in other parts of the world may not have been taken explicitly into consideration. For example, participants did not raise the importance of child protection measures, safety checks, background checks, and avoiding abusive teaching practices (see Widdison & Boyle, 2022). Instead, participants spoke of maintaining positive relationships with students and parents as being crucial for professionalism in education. Effective communication, active listening, and displaying personable qualities such as humility, selflessness, and honesty were emphasized as helping to establish trust and promoting collaboration between teachers, students, and parents.

Professional development

Given the self-guided approach to professionalism described above, the professional development journey of each teacher was unique and did not follow a linear path. While organized seminars and workshops offered opportunities for professional development, participants described these as ad hoc events, resulting in a lack of continuity and cohesion around professional development. This may lead to limited or incomplete pedagogical understanding, especially given the lack of formal teacher training and a resultant absence of a full, relevant knowledge base (Burnard, 2016). Ultimately, it was up to individual teachers to actively engage in the necessary work to bridge these gaps, and the frustration encountered in their teaching practices often provided the motivation for such work. Professional development in this context demanded a growth mind-set (Tan et al., 2021) and flexibility in adjusting to external factors.

For many teachers, accessing professional development was often challenging because of their geographical location, the time allocation required, and problems with affordability. Without being salaried, taking time off to attend fee-charging events meant a double loss of income, and with such events mostly concentrated in larger urban hubs, the time and money required became a considerable barrier for rural teachers. Nevertheless, although teachers spoke favorably of professional development that was offered to members by institutions, the courses and events that they chose to attend were often directly related to their own conceptions of professionalism and their respective need to develop skills and qualities deemed important to them. They noted that decisions could be driven by competitiveness (as Ronnie claimed), for example, attending seminars focused on music examinations because of the importance attributed to student success. Without clear guidelines or obligations, other agendas, including market forces, set the minimum standards. In such a situation the need to meet consumer demands for successful examination results becomes a motivator for professional development, an issue several teachers discussed. The influence of consumer demand on parent–teacher relationships in Malaysian music teaching is an issue that has been raised previously (Ang et al., 2019).

Finally, the meaning attached to professional development was often framed around individual needs to excel and progress (Conway, 2008), but did not necessarily link to broader patterns of growth in the industry. Professional growth was not instinctively viewed as a collective project, even if collaboration contributed toward individual growth, given the isolated working practices of these music studio teachers. Some participants lamented the lack of shared vision and collective efficacy, which were seen to weaken the profession. The need for an expanded professionalism, that transcends the needs and responsibility of the individual teacher (Westerlund & Gaunt, 2021), was affirmed by the participants. Therefore, the importance of professional learning communities and building collective efficacy at a group level remained important components for development in the professional lives of music studio teachers.

Conclusion

As long as there is demand for private music lessons in Malaysia, music studio teachers will be able to teach without adequate qualifications. While several participants lamented the lack of regulation in the profession, the same lack of regulation also creates opportunities for teachers who would otherwise not have work, and it could therefore be argued that they have a vested interest in maintaining an unregulated environment. In this context, international examination boards and higher education institutions have become the de facto providers of professional support. This inherited responsibility requires these institutions to carefully consider their professional development offerings and ensure that a broad range of topics are introduced within the field. Several participants expressed a desire for a music teachers’ association that would provide professional support. However, participants also noted that within the competitive environment of private music teaching in Malaysia, the formation of such associations is often viewed as biased in favor of certain interest groups, therefore limiting participation in such communities of practice. Developing and sustaining a shared vision of collaborative and collegial professionalism across existing networks and communities could be a way to build the groundwork for a representative association. Further research would need to consider the extent, distribution, and accessibility of these networks and the support they provide, as well as their value for the teachers who participate in them.