Social and emotional traits and characteristics of wellbeing and resilience gained from participation in instrumental music in an Australian secondary education context

This study sought to identify social and emotional traits and characteristics of wellbeing and resilience gained from participation in instrumental music in secondary schools in Victoria, Australia. This involved exploring student perceptions concerning learning experiences and relationships in instrumental music lessons and ensemble activity in Australian (Victorian) secondary school contexts. The extra-curricular Australian context of weekly instrumental lessons during school, and ensemble engagement beyond class time aims to provide engaging and developmental learning. This qualitative study used interviews with n = 32 final year secondary school students across six well-established music schools (n = 3 Government; 3 = Independent) to examine student perceptions of wellbeing and resilience derived from secondary school instrumental music experience. The study reports students' phenomenological lived experience accounts across four facets: the learning relationship, positive emotion, accomplishments and belonging, providing the basis to analysing perceptions of student wellbeing and resilience. Elements including teacher support, social connectedness, self-esteem and music department musicking ecologies highlight the complex and fragile nature of senior instrumental music students’ experiences in instrumental learning, engagement and school music communities, their self-esteem and social connection with peers. This study points to social and cultural elements affecting sustained music learning, engagement, and wellbeing.