Guiding music students during workshop-based on-the-job learning

This article explains the realisation and impact of tutoring on learning through a new kind of on-the-job learning method in workshops led by professional musicians. The research is a qualitative case study
involving 62 upper secondary Finnish vocational music students
who participated in 11 workshops. The research data consist of (a)
workshop plans and personal learning goals written by the students
before the workshops and (b) reflective essays about experiences
after the workshops. The data were analysed using theory-oriented
content analyses. In the workshop, the guidance-oriented interaction
promoting learning starts at the beginning of the workshop with
cooperative planning. The interaction between the students and
the professional musician influenced the nature of the guidance –
the professional musician was more like a colleague rather than a
teacher. The students expressed that they had been able to influence
the workshop goals in different phases and, thus, their professional
competence had increased significantly. In vocational institutes, it is
important to observe different ways of realising on-the-job learning
and to develop new models of action, like the workshop method, to
promote the development of students’ skills and competence.