Self-efficacy and music performance

Abstract

This study is the second in a series of investigations attempting to clarify relationships between variables that impact on a young musician's ability to perform music (as assessed on a graded music examination). Consistent with studies on school academic subjects, our previous investigation demonstrated the importance of self-efficacy in predicting young musicians’ performance examination results. In the current study, structural equation modelling allowed us to compare two different types of graded music performance examinations. Although differences emerged between the two sets of data, self-efficacy was again found to be the most important predictor of achievement in the examinations. Implications arising from this finding are discussed in the final section of the article.