Understandings of musical interpretationamong tertiary percussion students andteachers in Sweden : A hermeneutic-phenomenological inquiry

Sammanfattning: Musical interpretation is, despite being commonly discussed in practice, an under researchedarea. Additionally, most of the studies we have, concentrate on western classical piano players.The aim of this thesis is to contribute another perspective and investigate how tertiarypercussion students and teachers understand musical interpretation. The study is based on eightinterviews with three teachers and five students from different Swedish music colleges. Ianalysed the interviews using a hermeneutic-phenomenological approach and found five broadthemes: the first comprising the definitions of interpretation, second encompassing theprocesses it that interpretation consists of, the third listing the needed skillset, the fourthillustrating the perceived freedom of expression and the last, covering the teaching and learningof musical interpretation. The findings are in many ways line with previous research, but someinteresting differences arise. Participants see interpretation as a multifaceted process that ishighly contextual, personal, and ongoing. Interpretation includes co-creative aspects withcomposers, fellow musicians, and audience. They apply many different methods to facilitatethe process of interpretation. In order to develop interpretational skills, students require asupportive and secure environment. They believe professors should provide guidance throughdifferent approaches ranging from strict guidelines and opinions to discussion and fosteringautonomy and self-confidence