Adopting situationally relevant modes of music information at different stages of information-seeking processes: A longitudinal investigation among music students

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to elaborate the picture of situational relevance by examining how modes of music information are viewed as situationally relevant at different stages of information-seeking processes among music students. Design/methodology/approach: Empirical data of the present longitudinal study were collected in two phases by utilizing questionnaire and interview methods. Informants comprised of 14 university-level music students representing the fields of music performance, music education and music theory and composition. Modes of music information were approached through the information typology presented by Rousi, Savolainen and Vakkari. Findings: The findings indicate that not only the modes of music information were seen as situationally relevant for different reasons by the three participating music student groups when at the beginning of their tasks, but also that the perceived situational relevance of the information modes underwent changes as their tasks progressed to focus formulation and post-focus stages. Research limitations/implications: Due to the small number of participants, further research is needed to verify the results concerning the differences in information-seeking processes between diverse music student groups. Originality/value: The paper showcases that approaching music information through frameworks that classify information sources at diverse levels of abstraction enables an accurate description of information-seeking processes and illuminates context-sensitive development of situational relevance of music information of diverse modes.