A PRISMA Review of Research on Music Practice

Abstract

We employed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) method to systematically review research on music practice from 1928 until June 2020 and identified a total of 3,102 records using our inclusion criteria, of which a total of 296 were eventually selected for the final analysis. We tabulated percentages and frequencies of (a) publications in ten-year periods, (b) type of publications, (c) sampling by geographical location, (d) methodologies used, (e) the top tenth percentile of the most highly cited research, and (f) topics covered. Our analyses reveal that particularly strong growth occurred in the literature between 2000 and 2020. In the literature we retrieved, the most commonly sampled research participants were those in the United States, followed by the United Kingdom and Australia. Quantitative research designs were most prevalent, accounting for two-thirds of all studies reviewed (66.2%), with questionnaires and recordings being the most common methods of data collection. Non-empirical papers (17.5%) as well as studies incorporating qualitative (13.5%) and mixed-methods designs (3.1%) were much less prevalent. Ericsson et al.’s (1993) seminal study of deliberate practice, Driskell et al.’s (1994) review of the research literature on mental practice, and Sloboda et al.’s (1996) study of young musicians were by far the most often cited. Overall, the most common topics addressed were deliberate practice, practice strategies, mental practice, the benefits of practice, metacognition, self-regulation, and self-efficacy, suggesting that music practice is a rich, multifaceted, and complex activity. In light of the findings, recommendations for practice and implications for future research are provided.