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Teachers' confidence in navigating the complexities of 'being a teacher' influence their behaviour, how they are perceived, how they make sense of their environment and circumstances and their successes. A web-based survey was developed and distributed to music teachers via an online community of practice. This paper reports on the respondents' self-reported confidence through the use of an Importance-Confidence Analysis. The responses of early career music teachers and experienced teachers are also compared to understand confidence over the career. Results show that both early career and later career teachers placed greater importance on pedagogical knowledge and skills relative to professional knowledge and skills and music knowledge and skills. Later career teachers reported greater confidence with respect to pedagogical knowledge and professional knowledge compared with teachers who were early in their career, whereas music knowledge and skills were viewed quite similarly by teachers across the career. The analysis highlights the need for ongoing support for experienced teachers alongside early career teachers. Recommendations are made for ongoing support of teachers throughout their careers.

This study investigated the perceptions of piano performance programs in higher education from current collegiate students and faculty members' perspectives in China and the United States. Participants were from representative university-level institutions in the U.S. (n = 41) and China (n = 130). They were sent a questionnaire concerning (a) the factors that motivate students to pursue a piano performance degree, (b) the most important educational practices in their programs, (c) the most challenging tasks the students encounter, (d) students' career goal, and (e) faculty members' suggestions for prospective students and opinions on improving the piano performance programs. A summary of students and faculty members' perceptions were outlined and the comparison between the two countries were explored. It is encouraging that not only students gave careful attention toward the applied lessons and performance opportunities in their studies, but also that a large percentage of the students believed they received excellent advice regarding practice strategies and artistry in their applied lessons in both countries. Most of the faculty participants in both countries expressed positive attitudes regarding the piano performance programs in their universities. By providing statistically significant data, this study provides a comprehensive vision for institutions to continue establishing piano programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]