The data reveal that the participants are very well aware of the nature of practice and their learning styles and that they utilize varied practice strategies in their practice. However, some students need more information on listening skills and alternative practice strategies. Further, they need to know the value of self-evaluation, self-critiquing, sight-reading, improvisational skill, keeping lesson or practice logs, and piano- and practice-related reading and include them in each practice session. There were not significant differences between academic levels, except for the amount of reading and practice hours. DMA students recognized more books listed in the question than BM and MM students did, and DMA students' responses revealed that they practice less than BM and MM students do. Overall, students' responses reflect variations in educational backgrounds, personal traits and experience, teachers' influence, and the development of their mental attitudes regarding practice.

The following areas for further study are recommended. First of all, comparative studies could be undertaken, such as a comparison between students' views on practice from different studios, a comparison between teachers' instruction and students' actual practice behaviors, a comparison between practice behaviors of students who take pedagogy classes and students who do not, and a comparison between Asian students' practice behaviors and those of American students. Further, valuable information could be gathered through controlled research on practice room environment, observation of students' actual practice sessions, study of how students listen to themselves while practicing, investigation of the benefits of listening to model performances, examination of effective use of audiotaping, study of collegiate piano majors' approaches to the learning and interpretation of music, and controlled research on lesson/practice logs. Finally, designing a diagnostic questionnaire for new students based on the information gained from this study and related studies is recommended.

The purpose of this study is to examine piano majors' views on practice and identify the kinds of information students need to improve their practice. Five BM, six MM, and five DMA students at the University of Oklahoma participated in the survey during the Spring 2001 semester. The survey instrument is divided into seven sections: practice time, motivation, and goal-setting; nature of practice; conscious practice; practice organization and pacing; utilization of practice strategies; understanding of personal learning styles; and reading related to practice as well as students' general thoughts on practice. Forty-eight of the questions in the instrument are based upon indications and recommendations from related literature and the researcher's background. The instrument includes open-ended questions, scaled items, and checklists.