BY JENNA DOMINGUEZ

Growth
Mindset in
the Music
Classroom
Personal Interest
 What is Growth Mindset?

Growth Mindset Fixed Mindset

- Intelligence and playing ability can be - Intelligence and playing ability is set in
improved stone
- Practice and patience - I have to be perfect on the first try
- Failure is a chance to grow -Failure defines who I am

Dweck 2006
GROWTH MINDSET IN THE MUSIC CLASSROOM
Growth Mindset Fixed Mindset
Teacher Teacher
Belives that they have no
Believes that all students
impact on a student's ability
have the ability to learn and
because they know who the
improve
"dumb" kids are
Dweck, 2006 p. 200
 PROCESS VS. TALENT
PRAISING
PROCESS

Growth Mindset
TALENT
Focuses on the
Fixed Mindset
effort a student WHAT NOW?
puts into their
Focuses on the What happens
work.
student's when students
outcome. make mistakes?
"You tried very
hard on this! I can
"You are very
tell you spent a lot Praising is just
talented"
of time NOT ENOUGH
practicing"

Dweck 2006
Process Reinforcement

Process and outcome together! EFFORT + CORRECT OUTCOME

"You worked very hard on this!"

EFFORT + INCORRECT OUTCOME

"Lets talk about what you tried, and

what we can try next"

Davis 2017 GROWTH MINDSET IN THE MUSIC CLASSROOM

How do we
implement this?
PROBLEM- SOLVERS

Guided questions as a group and with

individuals.
Giving them strategies and resources

EMBRACE THE STRUGGLE

Implementing growth mindset
Allows them to ask themselves strategies like this changes student's
questions and put the above into reaction to failure
practice.

Adams 2019, Daviis 2017 GROWTH MINDSET IN THE MUSIC CLASSROOM

FUTURE RESEARCH
STUDIES
- Process reinforcement language
- How this adds to studies on praising?
- Graduate studies

GROWTH MINDSET IN THE MUSIC CLASSROOM

Recap
GROWTH PROCESS VS PROCESS LETS DO THIS!
MINDSET TALENT PRAISE REINFORCEMNET
Guided questions to
Intelligence and ability Process praising With process and encourage problem
can be improved with highlights the outcome in mind, we solvers.
hard work and trying student's efforts can create a more Embrace the struggle
new strategies Talent praising effective language in to allow for personal
focuses on the our class growth
outcome only

GROWTH MINDSET IN THE MUSIC CLASSROOM

Sources
Adams, Kari. "Developing Growth Mindset in the Ensemble Rehearsal." Music Educators Journal 105.4 (2019):
21-7. ProQuest. 30 Nov. 2020 .
Davis, Virginia Wayman. "Error "Reflection": Embracing Growth Mindset in the General Music Classroom."
General Music Today 30.2 (2017): 11-7. ProQuest. 30 Nov. 2020 .
Dweck, Carol S. “Carol Dweck Revisits ‘Growth Mindset’.” Education Week (2015). 30 Nov. 2020. https://www-
edweek-org.er.lib.k-state.edu/ew/articles/2015/09/23/carol-dweck-revisits-the-growth-mindset.html
Dweck, Carol S. “The Truth About Ability and Accomplishment.” Mindset: A New Psychology of Success, Updated
ed., Ballantine Books, 2006
Glerum J., Loyens, Wijnia, & Rikers (2020) The effects of praise for effort versus praise for intelligence on
vocational education students, Educational Psychology, 40:10, 1270-1286, DOI:
10.1080/01443410.2019.1625306
Gross-Loh, Christine. “Don't Let Praise Become a Consolation Prize.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 16
Dec. 2016, www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/12/how-praise-became-a-consolation-prize/510845/.
Mazzacchi, Anthony. “Why Students Really Quit Their Musical Instrument (and How Parents Can Prevent It) ·.”
The Music Parents' Guide, 3 Apr. 2015, www.musicparentsguide.com/2015/02/17/students-really-quit-musical-
instrument-parents-can-prevent/.
O'Neill Susan A. "The Role of Practice in Children's Early Musical Performance Achievement," in Does Practice
Make Perfect: Current Theory and Research on Instrumental Music Practice, ed. H. Jørgensen and A. C. Lehmann
(Oslo, Norway: Norges musikkhøgskole, 1997), 53–70.

GROWTH MINDSET IN THE MUSIC CLASSROOM

THANK YOU!
JENNA DOMINGUEZ

JENNAFAITH@KSU.EDU

919-444-1820

GROWTH MINDSET IN THE MUSIC CLASSROOM