Final Reports - 2024. Breaking Free: Investigating a Decolonized, Student- Centered Alternative to the Royal Conservatory of Music Piano Syllabus

This research aimed to investigate pedagogical approaches to piano education outside of the Western European cultural context that is promoted by institutions like the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM). The purpose of the study was to consider teacher and parent attitudes towards the RCM examination system. This central purpose led to the following research questions:

1. What motivates parents to register their children in programs that teach the RCM syllabus and prepare them for examinations? Why have they chosen the piano as an instrument for their children?
2. What challenges are CMST piano teachers facing? What strategies have they tried to overcome those challenges?
3. Can a variety of decolonized pedagogicalapproaches improve teacher and student engagement with piano study?