What is the purpose of performance in Primary School Music Education and how can this be reflected through repertoire?

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Blaze Harvey
5 years ago
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1 What is the purpose of performance in Primary School Music Education and how can this be reflected through repertoire? Reasons for Change Whilst away on my latest practicum, I was able to observe the staff and community politics behind running a Primary School concert. As I graduated with a Bachelor of Music Improvisation several years ago; I was naturally excited and keen to help out where I could. The more I witnessed in the week leading up to the school concert, the more I began to question the method and the content of the event. From the insights I had gained into the students in my Grade 1 class, having emergent readers having to learn long winded songs seemed in appropriate; especially considering the high amount of lyrics that had to be memorised was creating a lot of tension for the teachers that could have been avoided had the subject matter been chosen differently ( 5 Weeks Journal, 2012.) I began to realise that the problem was much greater than simply giving students less lyrics, but engrained within the culture of the school. As teachers, parents, community members; we were failing to make certain that the music made serves the deepest purpose for the student (Ball, 1990, pg 49.) The students were being professionally visual/audio recorded to be sold to as a DVD to the community, performed in a MASSIVE performance space, with sound and lighting engineers, were accompanied by a 5 piece corporate band and yet, the focus from the parents was on preparing elaborate costumes to ensure their child looked good. The despondency in this event lies in its emphasis upon entertainment, which results from a confusion of the purpose of music education with the roles it plays in the world of commerce. Rather than attempting to provide a musical experience different from the one offered on radio and TV, an attempt is made to imitate it (Ball, 1990, pg51.) 1 P a g e

2 Praxial music philosophers, Bowman (2005,) Elliot (1995,) and Regelski (2005, cited in Elpus 2007) argue that the value of music lies within its performance, so performing itself is not the issue at hand, but rather the content and the manner in which it is presented. The repertoire is vital, as it is choosing songs for the purpose of improving musicality, rather than feeding the showbiz mentality, which is less music education than psychodrama (Ball, 1990, pg51.) If there is a disregard for the need to focus on the foundation of creative musical awareness, we are latently teaching our students that anyone can sing and dance, resulting in little knowledge or respect from the students towards those who have spent decades perfecting their craft (Ball, 1990, Gordon, 1975, cited in Feierabend 1990.) The purpose of musical performance in Primary School education is a serious matter which needs to be addressed with the mindset that artistic training is the education of feeling the education of thought (Langer, 1953, cited in Ball, pg50.) It should be valued for its own ability to become the inner-expression and the reflection of self (Henley Woody, 1999) and not merely placed into the curriculum solely to improve maths and literacy results (Elpus 2007.) Through a change in repertoire within the music program of the school, the outcome of the school concert can evolve; one that extends beyond entertainment alone (Langer, 1951, cited in Ball pg 50) and emerges as a creative, student directed force (Young, 2008) where the emphasis is placed on creating performances where the students can feel connected with things he knows and loves (Trinick, 2009 pg42) because they were able to resonate with a deeply felt message within the content of the music. (Feierabend, 1990, pg18.) Action Plan Context This section is written in the context that I would be the music specialist in charge of the curriculum and the concert at the school in my practicum. The overall goal involves a cultural change for not only the school, but the entire community in regards to how, what and when the students will perform as part of their school curriculum. I predict that this change in mindset for this school would take a number of years, particularly for the parents of the students who are entranced with the glitz of the showchoir (Ball, 1990,) whose 2 P a g e

3 values of music only lie in that which imitates mainstream media. (Ball, 1990, Elpus, 2007, Peterson, 1961.) Aim As the school is reasonably affluent, they are fortunate enough to provide the music program with a comfortable budget to produce a performance each year. Within this budget however, is what I perceive as an unwritten contract where the music department is pressured to produce a show that is visually spectacular, and allows for a co-dependency on the homemakers of the students families to collaborate and produce equally spectacular costumes for the event. The aim of this action research is to improve the value of performing music for the students by gradually fading out the dependency their performances have on being cute and focussing on creating concerts based on supporting self-expression, gradually working on refinement in much the same way that early speaking skills naturally evolve (Feierabend, 1990) and improving performance quality [to] have a positive, self-reinforcing effect on the musician and enhance confidence in future performances (Kenny, 2006, cited in Hoffman & Hanrahan, 2012.) These performances would be fostering students to be the directors, arrangers and creative contributors to their work (Feierabend, 1990, Young, 2006, 2008.) The concert mentality can shift from one decadent performance a year, to a multitude of opportunities in and around the community where the students are participating in a meaningful way in a relaxed environment, where they can surrender to their imaginations through the content (Fleischman, 1959.) Key Personnel For a long time, we in music education have been concerned with refining the eloquence of our message, where in reality, we need to be more concerned about the carriers of our message (Barrett, cited in Elpus, 2007 pg 15.) Due to the ever-present threats to music s continued existence in the school curriculum (Elpus 2007, pg14,) the annual school concert is under a great pressure to adhere to the stakeholders vested interests (Hinkley, 1999 cited in Elpus 2007) so as not to fall victim to a budget cut, or even elimination (Elpus, 2007.) 3 P a g e

4 The key personnel, one would hope would be the students, however there are many stakeholders in this issue. The key personnel identified in this action plan are: The Principal who oversees the curriculum, and has to approve of anything outside of normal class practice The Staff (in particular the Arts Staff) responsible for the amazing props and backdrops for the concert that was made (in competition?) ( 5 Weeks Journal 2012.) I would be ensuring that there is still a huge scope for students and teachers to be contributing visually to performances, as the concept of collaborative learning highlights a child s interest in and knowledge of music (Samuelsson, Carlsson, Olsson, Pramling & Wallerstedt, 2009, pg121.) The Parents who are responsible for their child s musical education, and can contribute by exposing them to options outside of mainstream radio and reality TV shows. I am aware that these stakeholders could be the most arduous and take the longest to shift the mindset of but as the school is in the Eastern suburbs where academia is valued highly, I will use this angle to prepare the parents for change, and filter it in slowly through repertoire learnt in class. The Students I would like to put these at the top of the list, however unfortunately there are many factors that need to be taken into account before the students see any big changes. In the first cycle of the action plan, they will be learning new songs in class, increasing their solo work and improvisation techniques, as well as being given an opportunity to join a lunchtime Pop-Up Choir who will perform flashmob style around the school and school events to create awareness that even since the eighteenth century, the aesthetic was found to be just as important as logic and ethics as a base for learning. (Rousseau, Pestalozzi & Froubel, cited in Samelsson, Carlsson, Olsson, Pramling and Wallerstedt, 2009, pg 119.) Action The first course of action is to begin to educate and inspire the stakeholders to shift their thinking in regards to what kind of repertoire is useful for students to be learning in their 4 P a g e

5 music classes, and how their perception of a good performance opportunity differs from the students. It is unnecessary, even detrimental to only provide large scale performance opportunities, as the students perception of the ability to exercise control over their situation can be detrimental to their performance, as well as inducing anxiety (Bandura, 1991, cited in Gill, Murphy & Rickard, 2006) The first cycle in my action plan begins with the students beginning to take ownership of their musical endeavours; not through choosing the content, but contributing creatively to how the piece of music can be arranged, how could it be used as a model to allow the students to write their own songs, how can it be performed to the class, to the school or to the community. Music may be counted among the creative subjects, but conventional practice is often didactic, leaving little scope for children to contribute their own ideas (Young, 2008, pg 20.) Within the repertoire overhaul at the school, an emphasis will be placed on that which is often overlooked: the place of creativity within the processes improvisation in particular and the teacher s role in ensuring an environment that will foster creativity (Koutsouidou, 2005, pg 364.) In order to further the students who are enthused, a Pop-Up Choir will be run as a lunchtime extra-curricular activity. Given permission from the school and the parents; these students will become the ambassadors for music education within their school, performing often, whether it be at sports days, opening a staff meeting with a song, or leading the assembly through the National Anthem. The Orff-Schulwerk method of teaching has been a major contributor to music education since the 1920 s, (Orff, 1983, Liess, 1966, cited in Aitchison 2010.) Since its humble beginnings, many followers have influenced this methodology, including music scholars, teachers and supporters, and in 1961, had the capacity to create the Orff Institute in which educators and enthusiasts could learn the Orff approach to teaching music (Maubach, 2006 cited by Victorian Orff-Schulwerk Association, 2004.) As a composer, Orff discovered a passion for elemental music making; music which forms a unity with movement, dance and speech; music that one makes oneself as a participant, rather than a listener, music that is unsophisticated, has simple structures and uses small sequence forms (Aitchison, 2010, pg 67.) This is representative of many traditional forms of folklore music (Feierabend, 1990) and in many cultures there is an assumption that everyone can participate in music making (Harrison and Pound, 1996, pg233.) One such example is the Maori Oriori; composed for 5 P a g e

6 young children traditionally by their grandparents to teach life skills, values and morals. They are lyrically complex yet the tunes of the oriori are short and simple. It has been inferred that the musical nature of the songs was to help the child retain the message. (McLean & Orbell 1975, 3 rd ed. 2004, pg 18.) In choosing content for the students, I will be searching for repertoire that aligns with these pedagogical values. Content that scaffolds musical growth in a similar fashion to learning language at its early stages; through imitation, experimentation, memorisation and developing an intuition regarding expression (Harrison and Pound 1996.) Through this improvement in the musicality of the students, demonstrated through regular, short, relaxed performances; I intend to build rapport with the reserved community. Once this is achieved, the parents and staff will be able to encourage and be supportive of their students learning the complexities, knowledge and skills to allow for a life-long friendship with music (Ball, 1990, pg50.) 6 P a g e

7 Timeline This timeline spans across the length of one term, in which I predict the first cycle will take place. The cycle is focussing on increasing the students musicality through the repertoire change, and introducing the community to the idea of small, regular performance opportunities. Phase 1: Gaining support from school Term 1 Week by Week Timeline Wk1 Introduce new repertoire - students. Wk2 Bring in camera - students being to collect evidence for portfolio Wk3 Discuss concert protocol with Principal Wk4 Students perform to each other in their class - write reflections for portfolio Wk5 PopUp Choir begins rehearsing Wk6 Collecting photos of students performing improvising composing and listening Wk7 Book into Staff meeting Week 9 - discussion about music program Wk8 Compile anecdotal evidence and photos into portfolio (PopUp Choir + volunteers) Wk9 PopUp Choir performs at beginning of staff meeting Wk10 Evaluate portfolio/ performanc e of the students 7 P a g e

8 Evaluation In order for to make a change, I must be able to share, discuss, reflect and promote my intentions in an accepting atmosphere of trust and support (Ontario Teachers Federation, 1992.) To create the atmosphere of trust and support amongst the staff and community, I intend to create opportunities to view, share and promote [my] initiatives (Ontario Teachers Federation, 1992.) The evaluation will be through the form of analysing with key staff, a portfolio compiled by the students and myself. I believe a portfolio is the most appropriate medium, as through this we are able to present anecdotal evidence from students as well as photographic evidence of critical incidents, [and] aspects of class activity (Kemmis and McTaggart, 1982, pg42.) It is vital to involve the participants in the evaluation procedure, as well as remain open to suggestions to the manner in which the program is being evaluated, and that I too may be approached regarding unforeseen ramifications (Kemmis and McTaggart, 1982.) To truly embody and advocate the pedagogical standpoint which is being scaffolded in class, the same approach needs to be recognised in the evaluation too; that the students are participating in seeing, doing and expressing themselves within the curriculum (Grant, Hutchison, Hornsby & Brooke, 2008) and offer the students opportunities to contribute to their own learning, which can be lost once they are faced with the formal structures of schooling (Joubert 2001, pg 18, cited in Koutsoupidou, 2005, pg 365.) As I was informed during my stay, the parents give permission at the start of each year for the students photographs to be used within the private, offline school setting ie: on the walls of the classroom. Unless there was a demand for the work to be cited, the images and anecdotes need not leave the grounds of the school or travel further than the hands of the staff members. However in saying this I would still ask in the protocol meeting (Week 2, Timeline) if the Principal would prefer I get any extra permissions for the students photos to be used. The portfolio will then be used as evidence for the discussion with key staff members and the school council to begin what I intend to be Action Plan Phase 2 Trialling a small scale concert. 8 P a g e

9 Conclusion As Langer (cited in Ball, 1990, pg 50) states: artistic training is the education of feeling the education of thought. The depth of the changes call for a complete mindset change of the greater community and may take years to succeed, but until music is truly perceived as a core subject by policy makers at all levels, music education will continue to require effective, practical advocacy (Elpus, 2007, pg14.) References Aitchison, G. (2010). Fostering Creativity in Children-What Teachers Need to Understand about the Orff Approach and Its Application to Ensure This Outcome. Musicworks: Journal of the Australian Council of Orff Schulwerk,15(1), 67. Ball, C. H. (1990). Music education's missed opportunities. Design for Arts in Education, 91(6), Elpus, K. (2007). Improving music education advocacy. Arts Education Policy Review, 108(3), Feierabend, J. (1990). Music in early childhood. Design for Arts in Education,91(6), Fleischman, E. E. (1959). Choral reading can be fun. Communication Quarterly,7(3), Gill, A., Murphy, F., & Rickard, N. S. (2006). A preliminary examination of the roles of perceived control, cortisol and perceptions of anxiety in music performance. Australian Journal of Music Education, (1), 32. Brooke, S. L., Grant, A. N., Hornsby, D. G., & Hutchison, K. M. (2007). Creative pedagogies:"art-full" reading and writing. Harrison, C., & Pound, L. (1996). Talking music: empowering children as musical communicators. British Journal of Music Education, 13(3), Hoffman, S. L., & Hanrahan, S. J. (2012). Mental skills for musicians: Managing music performance anxiety and enhancing performance. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 1(1), 17. Kemmis, S & McTaggart, R 1982, The Action Research Planner, Deakin University Press, Victoria Koutsoupidou, T. (2005). Improvisation in the English primary music classroom: Teachers perceptions and practices. Music Education Research, 7(3), P a g e

10 McLean, M., & Orbell, M. R. (2004). Traditional songs of the Maori. Auckland University Press, Auckland. Ontario Teachers Federation, 1992, Creating a Culture of Change, Teachers in Charge Newsletter, Vol 1 No 2. Peterson, A. A. (1962). Educational Value of School Concerts. Music Educators Journal, 48(4), Samuelsson, I. P., Carlsson, M. A., Olsson, B., Pramling, N., & Wallerstedt, C. (2009). The art of teaching children the arts: Music, dance and poetry with children aged 2 8 years old. International Journal of early Years education,17(2), Trinick, R. (2009). Continuity in music education: A study of two approaches to music in the first year of school. Woody II, R. H. (1999). The musician's personality. Creativity Research Journal,12(4), Young, S. (2006). Seen but not heard: Young children, improvised singing and educational practice. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 7(3), Young, S. (2007). Early childhood music education in England: changes, choices, and challenges. Arts Education Policy Review, 109(2), P a g e

Years 10 band plan Australian Curriculum: Music

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