According to the self-determination theory, the development of each individual and the formation of his/her personality is influenced and determined by a combination of factors. Autonomy, competence and a sense of relatedness are the three main psychological needs, which were observed to be directly related to the formation of this development (Franceschi & Ercegovac, 2022). These act as motivators, reinforcing the individual's commitment to whatever activity they choose to engage in. The formation of each individual's motivation is a result of the influence between someone's internal psychological needs and his/her external environment (Deci & Ryan, 2000). External motivation can often influence the individual and alter his/her internal needs both positively and negatively (Valenzuela, et al., 2018; Evans, 2016). The present research, in accordance with the theory of self-determination, seeks to investigate the development of students of the Department of Music Studies of the Ionian University, who, while they had chosen piano performance as their initial goal of their studies, were forced to switch to another direction. Therefore, the present qualitative research is a collective case study, focusing on the investigation of the role of self-determination in the community of music students, under the condition of necessity to change the direction of study. After completing semi-structured interviews, a thematic analysis was conducted and thematic categories were identified, from which it was observed that the change in students' self-determination is directly influenced by the change in their internal and external motivation, which often influence each other and are shaped accordingly (Evans, 2015). The importance of students' psychological needs in conjunction with the general requirements of their studies, piano major and personal goals appeared to directly influence their course of study. Furthermore, appropriate support from the teacher and the external environment, together with consistency in study, were found to be important in the development of music students' studies. Finally, it appeared that the change of direction of the respondent students from their initial choice had a positive impact on their course of study and their subsequent development in terms of reconfiguring their motivation, psychological needs and goals.

• Social musical settings
• Meaningful musical experiences
• Music psychology and identities
• Music and communities

Stella Karagkiaouri comes from Kavala. She is a graduate of the Department of Music Studies of the Ionian University, in the direction of Science of Music, Music Pedagogy and Psychology of Music and the Postgraduate Program of Music Pedagogy in the School and Community of the Ionian University and  continues studies of classical piano. Since 2019 she is a musician of the Philharmonic Society of Corfu on the horn, participating in concerts and other music actions and also teaching music theory. In addition, she is involved in education of music and movement for preschool and primary school children and in piano learning for preschoolers.