An on-line digital video library of piano teaching: A case study with five teachers

Abstract

Professional development is an integral part of one's career, providing opportunities for growth, reflection, and improving practices. In the field of piano pedagogy, most teachers work independently, often providing instruction from their home, therefore finding appropriate professional development opportunities may be limited by proximity (both in terms of time and physical distance) as well as financial constraints. To meet this need, an on-line digital video library of piano teaching (DVL) was developed and a multiple-case-study methodology was employed to examine the experiences of five piano teachers as they interacted with this tool for four weeks. Findings from this study indicated that viewing the DVL was a beneficial professional development activity, which facilitated teacher learning that could be immediately carried over into their teaching situation resulting in increased student success. Keywords. professional development, piano pedagogy, digital video library, asynchronous distance education