Dimensions of Motivation and Involvement in non professional Choirs and Orchestras. An explorative Investigation

Abstract

The present study discusses motivational factors of non-professional music making on the basis of quantitative empirical data. An exploratory study revealed profiles of motivation and involvement in different forms of amateur music ensembles (choir, orchestra) and checked for possible influences (age, gender, affectivity). The aim is to unravel contentbased dimensions in order to develop a measurement instrument and to provide insights for further research questions concerning non-professional music making via preliminary results regarding the variables noted above. In total 381 members of amateur choirs and orchestras from the Rhein-Main-area and Stuttgart participated in an online-survey. A principal component analysis revealed four factors describing subjective meanings of own music making (scale passion and self expression), demands on own music making (scale perfectionism and demands), backgrounds from musical socialisation (scale family, friends and social contacts), and subjective competences and experiences in musical performance (scale performances and public). The scales perfectionism and demands and performances and public are seen as core motivators, correlating with the age of the respondents. The role of skill-related aspects (scale perfectionism and demands) appears to be of lower significance in higher age than the role of socially connoted relations (scale performances and public). This may be rooted in different status forms (pupils, students, professionals, retirees) with specific claims and stressors as well as personality related features. These findings as well as the observed specific constraints of the different types of ensemble are to be examined in following studies.  

Keywords: identity, lifespan, motivation, non-professional music making