Guadalupe López Íñiguez

In a groundbreaking global study, 81 leaders from specialised youth music programmes across 25 countries reveal a central tension in gifted music education: institutions are designed to produce musical excellence, yet they carry a profound responsibility to nurture the whole child. How can we balance the pursuit of prestige and future professionalism in music with the moral duty to support gifted children as full human beings? This blog post explores the study’s key insights and considers what they mean for instrumental pedagogy today, inviting us to rethink success in music education.

This blog post breaks down some of the widespread misconceptions and biases regarding gifted individuals that are firmly held by an excessive number of members within society. Gifted students are often forgotten in conversations that aim to be inclusive. Let’s make sure that inclusion truly means everyone—including the gifted.

What are the aspects that impact on talent development? Is it just a matter of having a strongly supportive environment (nurture)? Is it a question of innate abilities or inborn gifts (nature)? Is it having good chances in life (luck)? Or is t a combination of all this or part of it? This blog post introduces the seminal contribution of Françoys Gagné to the field of giftedness and talent through its Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT).

This blog post briefly summarises various positions against and in favour of giftedness in music and other domains, and critically discusses some of those positions in regards what influences gifted individuals’ talent development.