Motivation in Instrumental Music Instruction Before and During the Remote Learning Phase Due to COVID-19 Crisis

This study, which is based on self-determination theory, compares the motivation and satisfaction of basic psychological needs of music students in instrumental lessons before and after the COVID-19-induced transition to online teaching and learning. We investigated whether, in addition to the satisfaction of students’ basic needs, teachers’ enthusiasm, experience with online teaching, and age can explain motivation in online lessons. Two independent groups of music students were surveyed: one group before (n = 856; Mage = 16.4, SD = 14.1) and the other group after the shift to enforced distance learning (n = 640; Mage = 16.7, SD = 13.8). The main findings are that intrinsic motivation in online learning was significantly lower, and controlled forms of motivation higher than before enforced distance learning. Furthermore, satisfaction of basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, which are essential for autonomous motivation, were lower in online learning. Regression analyses showed that 39% of the variance of intrinsic motivation for online learning could be explained by social relatedness, perceived teacher’s enthusiasm for teaching, and age.