Transitions in the Early Musical Careers of Able Young Musicians: Choosing Instruments and Teachers

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Abstract
Forty-two students at a specialist school for able musicians and 20 of their parents were interviewed about the circumstances that led to these young people's commencing instrumental study, changing teachers, and taking up new instruments prior to the point where they were recognized as ready for specialist music education. The results showed that parents' sustained support and intervention were vital to developing excellence, and that the student's first teacher's personal characteristics had a marked effect on future levels of development. Students showed a high level of mobility between both instruments and teachers. The principal driving force for these transitions lay with the parent or the child rather than the teacher, who rarely suggested a transition. The implications of these results for understanding the process of high- level development are discussed.