New Ventures in Music
Steel Drums and Pans
I was initially quite surprised during our initial listening because I did not expect re-purposed oil drums to have such a high pitch and clear timbre. This surprise is what initially drew me in to take a closer look at this instrument and see what has been done to produce this sound. I am also a big fan of improvised instruments and making music in the moment, so this instrument speaks to me in that regard. I went into the listenings with enthusiasm of discovering the capabilities the instrument has, and the potential innovations and improvements that have been made since then. I found the music very easy to listen to and once immersed I found it very relaxing. The instrument creates tones that are very suited towards cheery tropical and island music which I found appropriate for both upbeat luau dancing and beach side island relaxation. It is very easy to get into the groove of the music and listen to it all day, but the instrument seems to be lacking in a range of emotions due the potential restrictions of the pitch range.
When observing musicians playing this instrument, I wondered why one side of the pan sounded different from the other. My assumption was if the pan was evenly indented or rounded, shouldn't the sound only change based on the distance from the centre of the pan? I began to do some readings to see if I could find how the drum is made to produce the changes of sound from one side to the other. I was wrong in assuming that the pan is evenly indented to the centre. The drum is finely molded and tuned to cover a range of pitches within one drum by putting grooves into the sheet of metal and a larger chromatic range can be made by using more than one drum (Gaye, 2008).
Gaye. (2008). Ten Steps to Make Steel Pans (Steel Drums). Steel Pans (Steel Drums) Information, Tips and Advice. Retrieved from https://www.steelpan-steeldrums-information.com/make-steel-pans.html
Listenings
Inuit Vocal Game
As a vocalist I am interested in various vocal techniques, however; I'm not really sure if I liked throat singing in terms of sound and as music. The sounds made in throat singing sound potentially damaging to the throat and vocal chords and that made me feel uneasy when I began to explore this tradition. According to Shelemay (2017), the Inuit today only consider this game a game, and not music. Personally, I believe there is definitely a level of musicality in this game and I would classify it as music. The exchange of voices had a sense of rhythm and pitch even if it was mostly improvised, it is set up in a way that there is some organisation to it. By the end of it, I found it enjoyable to listen to and find the game interesting as a whole, but I am not interested in learning how to play the game without first looking further on the potential damage it may do to one's vocal chords.
Shelemay, K. K. (2017). Sound: The materials of music. In K.K. Shelemay (Au.). Soundscapes: Exploring Music in a Changing World. Ch.1. Pp. 26-76. New York: W. W. Norton & Company Inc. ISBN- -10: 0393918289 ISBN-13: 978-0393918281
Listening
Learning in Different Contexts and Methods
There are many ways to learn and many different methods one could use to reach the same conclusion and earn the same skills, however; how you learn will effect how you might perceive how to use the skill and how you may approach learning new skills in the future. Everybody learns differently, and I personally believe its important to take the initiative to discover and experience different ways of learning and discover which experiences work best for you in your own personal growth of learning. Veblen (2018) compiles a chart using the expanding the work of Folkestad (2006, pp. 141-142) using the research from Coffman, 2009; Cope, 2005; Green, 2006; Jaffurs, 2006; Kors, 2005; Livingstone, 1999; Mans 2009; Smilde 2009; Szego, 2002; Veblen, 2007; Veblen, 2008; Waldron & Veblen, 2009. Using Coffman (2002)'s practices of formal, informal and nonformal methods of learning and Folkestad (2006)'s categories of differences between the practices: the physical situation and context, learning style, ownership of learning, intentions of the learning and modes of transmitting the information. This chart clearly outlines the methods that a musician might take to learn just about any topic in within their music career, and the method that was experienced will shape the perspective the musician has with the topic, positively or negatively, based on their own personal preference of learning and the mode of transmission the musician had with the topic. For example, a student who learned a piece of music by ear in a completely informal method of learning without the proper music notation may be inconsistent when playing the piece but will likely find a lot of fulfillment with the work and effort that they have put in. This student has likely selected the piece simply because they love the piece and has taken it upon themselves to put in the effort to learn what they set out to do. By contrast, a student who has learned to play a piece within a formal setting by a teacher with rigid set plan and time constraints will likely be more consistent with the piece and have a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of music from studying the notation of music with the guidance of a teacher. The student may run into some problems if they were not given adequate time to learn specific parts that needed more attention within the rigid scheduled learning and may grow to dislike the piece by the end of the learning process. In terms of learning a specific piece of music, I believe that one on one nonformal teaching and learning is the best method for a musician to learn a piece so that the student has the ability to guide their own learning and give more attention to the parts more difficult for them but still have the guidance and fundamental learning of music from a teacher that they can take with them and apply in the future.
All three methods of learning have their cases where they are the most beneficial method of learning for a student, but because everyone learns differently it can greatly differ from person to person. So I think it is important for students, particularly adult students, to explore and discover which methods work best for them in order to get the most our of their learning. As teachers, it is good to promote exploring different methods of learning, however; it is very difficult to incite informal learning because in essence informal learning is a student taking the initiative to learn by themselves or collaboratively with a group of their own volition. The most a teacher can do is give a student inspiration and the idea to pursue what they would like to learn on their own time and hope that the inspiration and passion for their projects will persist throughout their project. Teachers can also give students a better understanding of fundamentals, and time management skills that the student can apply to their informal self or collaborative teaching.
Coffman, D. D. (2002). Adult Education. In R Colwell & C Richardson (eds.), The new handbook on music teaching and learning (pp 199-209). New York: Oxford University Press.
Coffman, D. D. (2009). Learning from our elders: Survey of New Horizons International Music Association band and orchestra directors. International Journal of Community Music, 2(2&3), 227-240.
Cope, P. (2005). Adult learning in traditional music. British Journal of Music Education, 22(2), 125-140.
Folkestad G. (2006). Formal and informal learning situations or practices vs. formal and informal ways of learning. British Journal of Music Education, 23(2), 135-145.
Green, L. (2006). Popular music in and for itself, and for "other" music: Current research in the classroom. International Journal of Music Education, 24(2), 103-120.
Jaffurs, S. (2006). The intersection of informal and formal music learning practices. International Journal of Community Music. https://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/MediaManager/Archive/IJCM/Volume%20D/04%20 Jaffurs.pdf
Kors, N. (2005). Case studies of non-formal education: Research report. Grningen:Lectorate. Retrieved from Lifelong Learning in Music website, www.lifelinglearninginmusic.com
Livingstone, D. (1999). Exploring the icebergs of adult learning: Findings of the first Canadian survey of informal learning practices. Canadian Journal of Studies in Adult Education, 13, 49-72.
Mans, M. (2009). Informal learning and values. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education, 8, 79-93. https://act.maydaygroup.org/articles/Mans_2pdf
Smilde, R. (2009). Musicians as lifelong learners: Discovery through biography, Delft: Eburon Delft.
Szego, K. (2002). Music transmission and learning. In R Colwell & C. Richardson (eds.), The new handbook of research on music teaching and learning (pp. 707-729). New York: Oxford University Press.
Veblen, K. K. (2007). Community music and ways of learning. In D. Coffman & L. Higgins (eds.) Proceedings of the 2006 International 1998 ISME Commission on Community Music Activiy, Sinapore, Malaysia (pp. 20-35).
Veblen, K. K. (2008). The many ways of community music. International Journal of Community Music, 1(1) 5-21.
Veblen, K. K. (2018). Adult music learning in formal, nonformal and informal contexts. In G. McPherson & G. Welsh (Eds.). Special Needs, Community Music, and Adult Learning: An Oxford Handbook of Music Education, Vol 4. Pp. 243-256. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN-10: 019067444X/ ISBN-13: 978- 0190674441
Waldron, J., & Veblen, K. K. (2009). Lifelong Learning in Celtic Community: An exploration of informal music learning and adult amateur musicians. Council for Research in Music Education,108, 59-74.
Studio Teaching
Studio teaching has many potential issues and dangers for students and aspiring musicians; however, considering the alternatives and the nature of music teaching, studio teaching is a necessity for musicians to overcome their own personal issues and roadblocks, reach their full potential and master their instruments. Studio teaching uses the old and traditional method of teaching between a master and apprentice. In this method of teaching and learning, the master can work with their apprentice very closely and help the apprentice overcome very specific problems with the use of their own knowledge and experience. Musicians require this amount of detail to their learning in order to hone their craft and reach their desired level of mastery, and this level of detailed teaching simply cannot be done in classroom teaching. Studio teaching allows for a teacher to be attentive to the technique and sound of a singular pupil, and allows for the specific instructions to overcome any struggles that arises in the musicians learning. One of the issues with studio teaching, is that the integrity of the teaching is not observed or challenged by other groups, and that the teacher's word is taken as truth, keeping the student passive. I refute the implication that we are simply passive learners in our studio practices. This isolation and privacy that Burwell et al (2017) is concerned about in studio teaching can be countered by amount of involvement a student takes. I believe the accountability for one's learning belongs to the student. A student may choose to be passive in their learning and simply take all the information from their teachers as truth without further understanding, but the student can also choose to try to reach a deeper understanding or purpose of the practice that is provided by their teacher or even challenge that practice by cross referencing the technique with another teacher or knowledgeable student. Learning is not only listening and following instructions from a teacher, learning is also engaging with and challenging all the new information given to you in order to confirm whether or not the integrity of the information is true. The same issue of isolation and power exists between doctors and their patients. It is true that the doctor can feed any kind of information to their patient without an outside observer to interfere or check their information, but engagement from the patient to understand the information given to them or challenge the information when necessary can stop the potential harm that could be done by malicious individuals or simple misinformation. The same could be said between students and their teachers, not only in the studio setting, but in a classroom setting as well.
Burwell, K., Carey, G., & Bennett, D. (2017). Isolation in studio music teaching: The secret garden. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education,1474022217736581.
Music and Language
Informal learning of music is a good way to cultivate the early stages of musicianship for young and curious musicians. I think the inclusion popular music and informal learning that we have in schools today is very positive and will bring in a new perspective of teaching and learning that we have not been taking advantage of in music. By nature, music is creative and informal learning takes advantage of the that fact by allowing students to simply create as they please. It makes learning very experimental and very personal in a positive way where musicians do not need to worry about following instructions or reading a score. I find the connection between music and language that Powell & Berstein (2017) describe very apt and that this lack of form or rules allows for musicians to learn music the same way a child learns to communicate with language. Personally, I believe that this is a very good way for new musicians to get exposure and experience in music as a stepping stone, before moving into learning notation and understanding how to use the building blocks of music. Just like how children learn to read and write, and what grammar is and how to use it long after they have learned to communicate, learning the building blocks, the notation of music is important for the growth of a musician. Studying linguistics and grammar will give you a deeper understanding of your own language and is a huge benefit when learning a new language. Understanding the building blocks of something allows you to manipulate the information you know to match your desired results. Music notation can be used the same way. Knowing how to read and write music will giver you a better understanding of music and will allow you to transfer that information to other styles of music.
Informal learning is moving music education in the right direction in my opinion; however, I think there are many people who may be struggling in this transition period. In my experience, this method of learning felt very foreign compared to the very structured learning to read and play music from a score that I was taught to do. Without any experience with the instruments I found it very difficult to improvise something that I thought was at the level I thought it should be because of my personal pride as a musician. Without notation or instruction, some may feel lost and unsure of what to do and become unable to create in the environment that is cultivated. Personally, I like to have a base understanding of what I am doing before I move on to improvising or creating by using the knowledge that I received before hand. Similar people may really struggle in this new format of learning.
Powell, B. & Berstein, S. (2017). Popular Music and Modern Band Principles. Routledge Research Companion to Popular Music Education (2017).
Modern Band Workshop
Dr. Powell's modern band education workshop provided all the solutions to my issues with informal learning and modern band education. The workshop gave us the first hand experience of what a potential class of students would receive from the Little Kids Rock program and it was delightful. Instead of being thrown into the deep end with unfamiliar instruments, no notation or tools, and a random group of people, we were first given a chance to have a foundation to our learning that gave us stability and understanding in what we were doing but still allowed us to get right into the heart and fun of music, performing song. We were given simple instruction with a simple visual notation to reference if we needed help or reminders and ended up with enough tools to begin playing right from the start without worrying about the more complicated things. Being put into pairs who can watch and assist each other made for a very collaborative learning experience and also allowed for both hands on practice and learning, and breaks of less stressful passive learning from watching and listening. The gradual progression of scaffold learning gave the tools, inspiration and even a little practice for us to have a deeper understanding in a fun environment. Because of the tools and foundation we were given, the final task of working together to compose a song was much less difficult and became more fun. It allowed students who were not too confident in their technique to go back and use the simpler tools we started with and allowed the means to figure out a progression with the group so that the team feels more together in the same key rather than playing by ear. The way notation and terminology was slowly being introduced made for a more intrinsic motivational drive to learn, where students would want to learn more notation and complicated technique in order to reach their goals of personal improvement with their instrument. I now understand the success of the Little Kids Rock program and the inclusive introduction to popular music and modern band in music education. I believe that the execution was done very well and really allows and inspires young musicians to take learning into their own hands in informal learning.