Burnout levels of undergraduate students in state conservatories in relation to individual instrument lessons

The aim of this study is to determine whether the burnout levels of undergraduate students studying music at state conservatories, in the main branches of string instruments, wind and percussion instruments, piano, guitar, and harp, differ significantly according to various variables. The survey model was employed in the research. The study group consisted of 144 students enrolled in the instrument departments of Western music conservatories during the 2023–2024 academic year, including undergraduate students in their first, second, third, and fourth years, as well as those in extended study periods beyond the fourth year. In the first part of the questionnaire used for data collection, questions regarding the demographic characteristics of the students were included, while in the second part, the "Individual Instrument Burnout Scale" developed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Demet Girgin in 2015 was applied. The Cronbach's alpha value of the scale was calculated as 0.98. Data were analyzed using the SPSS program. In data analysis, frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were used, while qualitative data were evaluated through descriptive analysis. According to the results, students' burnout levels regarding individual instrument lessons were found to be generally low. Burnout averages significantly differed according to the variables of university, year of study, daily practice duration, evaluation of communication with the instrument instructor, and evaluation of efficiency gained from practicing. Furthermore, the average burnout scores also differed depending on whether students expressed their dreams or chose not to respond; those who gave negative responses or left the question unanswered had higher burnout levels compared to students who shared their dreams. A negative correlation was found between daily practice duration, evaluation of communication with the instrument instructor, evaluation of efficiency in practice, and burnout levels in individual instrument lessons. It was determined that as burnout levels increased, practice time decreased. Students who evaluated their communication with their instrument instructor negatively had higher burnout levels compared to those who evaluated it positively. Similarly, students who evaluated the efficiency of their practice negatively had higher burnout levels compared to those with positive evaluations.