Music for and by children

Editorial

2023-07-10T16:45:09+01:00

"We sing, we compose!"

2023-07-10T12:15:26+01:00

This paper is a brief report of an experience with the children's choir PCIU! (Projeto Coral Infantojuvenil da UFMS), in Campo Grande, Brazil, during the pandemic period - when the rehearsals were carried out online. Faced with the feelings of discouragement and uncertainty brought on by COVID-19, it was realized that the choral rehearsal could be a possibility of conversation between children, where they could talk about what they were feeling and living in this period of adaptation, and this could be expressed by music. In this article, we discuss the structure of choral rehearsal and the process of composition itself, with the support of authors that write about music education and children’s choir conducting.

Repertório coral infantil e juvenil: seleção, objetivos e práticas em Portugal

2023-07-10T12:20:36+01:00

Paths to music creation in piano lessons for children

2023-07-10T12:26:22+01:00

This text presents a report on a pedagogical experience in music education, specifically in
piano lessons for children. Firstly, I provide some information about the context in which
these lessons took place. Since the focus here is on creative practices, it goes on to the
commented exhibition of improvisations and compositions made by children. From these
examples, I report on the creative processes and the considerations of pedagogical practice
in dialogue with authors from music education and childhood studies areas. The main
objectives are to contribute to understanding the particularities of musical development in
childhood in piano lessons and to the appreciation of the children's creations as a
fundamental factor in their learning processes.

The influence of music learning on children's communication and socialisation

2023-07-10T16:06:46+01:00

Theoretical background or Context

Early Childhood Education in Chile, as in Portugal, is considered the first stage of Basic Education in the process of lifelong education. Both countries have some similarities regarding the curricular bases for this level of education, namely the contents related to artistic education, music, and musical expression. Unfortunately, in both countries, there are limitations in the competences of kindergarten teachers which prevent the adequate development of these artistic areas among children.

To overcome the artistic-musical limitations of kindergarten teachers, an Intervention Project was developed in Chile, between 2011 and 2013, in 3 Kindergartens of the network of the Junta Nacional de Jardines Infantiles de Chile, which included a Music Training Programme. The aim of this training programme was to improve the music skills of 18 educators, including learning the violin instrument, using the methodology of Doctor Shinishi Suzuki. After the completion of this Music Training Programme, the Educators replicated the knowledge obtained with the children with whom they work (Experimental Group) to learn the violin instrument.

Aims

The present study aims to evaluate the results obtained in this Intervention Project.

Methodology

An experimental methodology was used: the results of the blind application of the standardised IEPA test Instrumento de Avaliación para el Aprendizaje, at the beginning and at the end of the intervention, in the areas of communication and socialisation, were compared with the children belonging to both the Experimental Group (125 children) and the Control Group (2001 children), the latter consisting of all the children from the kindergartens of the JUNJI Network who did not participate in the intervention. Furthermore, two questionnaire surveys were prepared and validated, addressed to the kindergarten teachers and to the parents of the children involved, whose answers were subjected to the content analysis technique.

Results/Findings

The results showed significant differences in terms of the development of Communication and Socialisation, using the evaluation carried out with the IEPA instrument, between the children in the Experimental Group and those in the Control Group, with the Experimental Group scoring significantly higher than the Control Group.

Furthermore, from the analysis of the answers obtained in the questionnaires, it was concluded that the Kindergarten Educators consider that they have developed good collaborative work, improved the coexistence, and shared of knowledge, learnt new methodologies, through significant learning, including the learning of the violin, and the incorporation of music in their activities with the children. They felt valued as people and that others believed in them as professionals. They were able to learn and replicate the knowledge acquired and felt they produced an improvement in the children's developmental areas, which was also recognised by the parents.

Conclusions/Final considerations

This study is a real contribution to validate this type of projects showing that if we enhance the skills of Early Childhood Educators in Music, they can replicate their knowledge with the children they work with. This study is a real contribution to future planning in teacher training. Future projects of this type may be replicated in the future, in other contexts, namely in Portugal.

Still like air, I rise: creating meaningful spaces in music made by children

2023-07-10T16:08:10+01:00

In recent years, there have been restructurings and changes in the Cypriot music curricula underpinning child centred pedagogies and introducing, at the same time, attainment indicators. While composing, audience-listening and performing activities are at the heart of the curricula, there is lack of consistent engagement with composing activities, the latter generally becoming scarce throughout the pandemic period.

The research, an on-going project that started in 2019, aims at examining the musical behaviour of a group of 16 to 18-year-old upper secondary school students as exemplified in their solo and/or collaborative compositions. More particularly, this paper investigates issues related with knowledge construction, musical meaning and musical identity through the identification, examination and analysis of students’ notions with regards to their compositional process and music products under extra-ordinary circumstances, namely, those resulting from the emergence and development of Covid-19.

The theoretical framework that supports the research is fourfold and can be outlined as follows: Psychological and social theories of meaning; motivational theories; theories of classification and framing, and; theories of ‘flow’.

Methodology

The investigation employs a multi-method design involving participant observation, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The methodology lies primarily in the qualitative paradigm and data collected and analysed consist of audio and visual recordings, the research participants’ musical products, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, personal reports, composition diaries/journals and reflection notes.

The main findings of the research provide evidence of a) music, being a metaphor of human experience, acting as agent of emotional empowerment, safety and stability; b) a formulation of juxtaposed notions of musical meaning influenced by present and past experiences of the research participants; c) music being the vehicle of creating communication spaces at different levels; d) a development of complex schemata that may be the outcome of repetition of connections and emotional load; e) reinforcement on music engagement related to self-reinforcement, and, f) increased motivation and concentration .

It appears that grasping the appropriate distinctions in music composing activities under different and ‘delicate’ circumstances assists us in reconsidering and reformulating the role of music composition in music curricula. Subsequently, there is a need for further student monitoring. Further, the findings point to curricula designs where there are time and space supporting music activities that are meaningful for students and that create challenging zones that are characterised by stimulating self and group reflections. Finally, some suggestions for further research insinuations will be highlighted.

Children listening with their entire moving bodies

2023-07-10T16:17:03+01:00

Theoretical background or Context

Listening is a fundamental way in which children relate to music in their daily lives. Palheiros (2006) classified different settings for music listening among children and adolescents, highlighting that, although none of them involve a passive mental attitude, there are different situations where there is no physical attitude—listening not engaging the entire body. On the other hand, ‘active music listening’ is a concept that has been used by many authors, such as Wuytack & Palheiros (1995) and Bastião (2004), and is defined as a way of listening that includes the whole body, in mental and physical engagement with music—therefore, in a conscious musical appreciation, considering the role of an affective and inventive involvement of the listeners in different and diverse ways of sensing and reacting to the music they listen to (Madalozzo & Madalozzo, 2019). In this paper, which is the result of an ongoing post-doctoral study in Education, we assume that music listening takes an important role on childhood cultures (Madalozzo & Madalozzo, 2021), as we acknowledge that it is a central element for signifying and comprehending the world for children. By producing and listening to music with their entire moving bodies, children not only act musically, but interact with the environment around them and, through music, better understand the world. Music listening is a part of the childhood cultures, which children do in a ‘creaCtive way’, both active and creative (Madalozzo, 2021).

Aims

This research intends to expand the ways in which music is considered when we refer to childhood cultures, highlighting the specific role of music listening on children’s daily lives. It aims to examine the concepts of childhood cultures (Sarmento, 2004) and ‘child body’ (Camargo & Garanhani, in press), leading to the assumption that by moving and listening to music, children are invariably signifying and understanding the surrounding world in a ‘creAtive’way.

Methodology

This is a bibliographic investigation: a research on children, where the concepts of childhood cultures, ‘child body’, and ‘creActive music listening’ are defined. The last one, that in the process of delineation, will point out to teaching strategies on ‘creActive music listening’ for children designed for Art and Music teachers in a subsequent stage of the investigation.

Conclusions/Final considerations

By merging key concepts on Music Education and on Childhood Studies and encircling the definition of ‘creActive music listening’, it is possible to formulate a more consistent way to understand music listening on childhood, resonating with a broader view of childhood cultures.

Melodic and vocal performance of school-aged children from disadvantaged backgrounds

2023-07-10T16:18:48+01:00

Experiencing music before decoding:

2023-07-10T16:24:46+01:00

Theoretical background or Context

"It is necessary to read the world before reading words". For the Brazilian pedagogue Paulo Freire (1989), "reading the world" happens when we understand and apprehend things, signs, relations, in short, our "first readings" of our context. Making an analogy with the acquisition of musical reading, we can infer that the reading of the sound world by the child may occur through a musical experience with the body, the voice, the different sound sources, through imitation, exploration, improvisation, associations with elements of the child universe and also through the graphic representation of musical elements. The approach of the musical notation can be done in an analogous way to what is proposed by the Psychogenesis of the written language (FERRERO and TEBEROSKY, 1985), In studies about the learning of musical writing (BAMBERGER, 1990; SALLES, 1996; FURLAN, 2007; RHODEN, 2010), the authors demonstrate that the genesis of the musical notation of the child occurs in a similar way to the written language: through hypotheses, as demonstrated by Ferrero and Teberosky (1985).

Aims

In tune with Paulo Freire's thoughts (1989) this paper intends to discuss the processes involved in the acquisition of music reading by the child in the context of initiation to the piano. For that we will approach the repertoire of our own books xxxx, which propose an a priori learning "by imitation" followed by the association to the musical notation. These books are outcomes of a university extension project aimed at the initial and continuous training of piano teachers that has been developed since 2015 at the Federal University of xxxx, Brazil.

Methodology

The approach by imitation, proposed in the first book, is shown as a previous experience of " reading the sound world through the piano" and which, together with sound exploration and improvisation, enables the acquisition of auditory, kinesthetic and topographical schemes necessary for the musical reading stage. The introduction to musical reading for children, proposed by the second book, brings elements which favors the association of the experience provided by imitation, exploration and improvisation. The theme of animals, closer to the child's universe, may give rise to metaphors which will help in the development of basic piano technique and musical understanding. The non-conventional notation used is closer to the child's thought because it is more concrete and is configured as "hypotheses" that can probably be used by children in the process of acquisition of musical notation.

Results

The reception of the books has been very positive, both by the academic community, as well as by the external community, which reinforces our conviction in the importance of the rote methodology for piano teaching.

Final considerations

Offering children a global musical experience in which they can "read the sound world" through imitation, exploration, improvisation, association and graphic representation is what we bring with the proposals of the books xxxx.

Unlocking Curiosity

2023-07-10T16:26:39+01:00

Theoretical background or Context

Curiosity is an innate mechanism for children. It is the desire for knowledge, the first manifestation of what is intangible and moves the human being. Curiosity plays a fundamental role and is an important skill for a child to learn. Inspiring and developing curiosity allows children to be available and able to continually grow, learn and question what is around us. Although this construct has gained much attention in the last decade and the seemingly widespread agreement of its importance in the educational content, many strategies/practices and excessively rigid top-down structures existing in the educational and societal context, lead to a diminishing curiosity as children grow.

Aims

This research aims to (i) understand how early childhood educators manage curiosity in class, (ii) explore experiences of curiosity in the early childhood music classrooms and (iii) analyze the places and relationships of these experiences in music-making in childhood.

Methodology

This study was conducted using a qualitative, descriptive and interpretative approach. To investigate the research questions, we conducted semi-structured interviews with six early childhood educators to understand how they manage curiosity in classroom. The data were analyzed using thematic coding techniques. Framed by a participatory pedagogy, the second part of the study (ethnographic research strategy) was carried out in a multi-ethnic preschool in northern Portugal over a period of three months. Eighteen self-selected children participated in weekly sessions of experimentation and musical creation, 10 girls and 8 boys. Data collection techniques include (i) pedagogical documentation (the essence of action) of the children in the class context, and (ii) examination of participants' music-making products. The analysis procedures involve a hermeneutic phenomenological approach and implicate a continuous interplay between the action and the musical products of the children.

Results/Findings

Data analysis and triangulation show that: (i) the educators devote little time to fostering and stimulating children’s curiosity in class; (ii) brings out that the experiences of curiosity in class involve different behavioural characteristics and state aspects; (iii) what captivates and awakens curiosity and pleasure in discovery vary from child to child; (iv) creating music classrooms that opens the door to celebrate curiosity we nurture children's inner quest for musical knowledge, their delight in discovering new sounds and their emerging understanding of the world and music context around them.

Conclusions/Final considerations

As a complex and multidimensional construct, curiosity is widely beneficial and makes life worth living. Looking ahead is (i) important to define, measure and enlarge curiosity in early childhood and primary education, (ii) promote longitudinal studies to understand how childhood curiosity leads to holistic well-being and sustains its musical development throughout our lives, and (iii) create or take every opportunity to encourage curiosity in child to practice curiosity habits. Promoting curiosity in music classroom implies a predisposition and reconfiguration of the roles and functions of the various actors in the educational context.

Oficina de Composição

2023-07-11T15:46:22+01:00

It is known and well documented that children do compose, are motivated by and take much pleasure in doing so, which is also true for students in the beginning stages of their music education, regardless of their age or music proficiency. Some authors have speculated that music creation can be an effective means of music learning, referred in this paper as productive music education (PME), even more than the approaches known as reproductive music education (RME), which comprehends teaching practices based on the reproduction of precomposed materials. From the research on PME, we learn that it: 1) engages students deeply with musical concepts; 2) promotes more engagement and motivation than RME; 3) constitutes a great opportunity for formative evaluation and scaffolding; 4) helps in the acquisition of tools for text comprehension and creation; 5) has positive impact on the individual and social development of students. For those reasons, PME is a teaching tool worth of being considered.

This paper describes a study that took place with five children aged from seven to nine studying in the Music School (Escola de Música) of Sociedade Filarmónica União Mourense “Os Amarelos” (Moura, Portugal) for about one year. Bearing in mind the fact that philharmonic music schools are a big part of music teaching in Portugal and that their teaching is heavily based on reproduction and orientated towards performance, the aim of this study was to understand the possible applicability of PME as soon as the first stages of the Portuguese music learning context by observing how students used to a reproductive approach of music would respond to PME.

The study was conducted during July 2021. In the first phase, many conversations and interviews with the teachers took place, as a means of understanding the teaching approaches of the school and selecting the participants. The second phase happened in three moments: 1) before the experiment, the participants underwent an initial interview; 2) during the experiment, the selected students participated in sessions composed of creative tasks and put together a concert with the created pieces for their families; at the same time, notes were taken about the ways they related to PME; 3) after the experiment, the students participated in the final interviews. After this, the collected data was analysed.

The findings of this study were not contradictory to what literature describes, but rather complementary. We learned that students used to RME can rapidly adapt to PME, even if some resistance at first is normal. The study suggests that the level of resistance can be bigger in students that have been involved in RME for a longer period, what demands for more investigation on the subject. The students also related positively to the concept of form, which was debated and applied during the sessions.

In conclusion, PME results in learning and can be claimed from early in the Portuguese music teaching context, even if that context has performance as its goal.

Creating music in childhood

2023-07-11T15:59:24+01:00

Theoretical background or Context

This paper stems from studies developed over the last decade and constitutes our post-doctoral research since 2021. It investigates ideas and practices of pedagogical innovation in music education during the 20th century. In this context, some aspects are notably addressed, such as music creation in childhood, on which we focus here. Along with the music education area and its connections to other fields such as psychology and philosophy (Beineke, 2009; Cunha, 2021; Brito, 2007), we dialogue with childhood studies (Sarmento, 2007; Corsaro, 2011) and the history of education (Cremin, 1961; Jacquet-Francillon, 2004).

Aims

We intend to discuss childhood images (Sarmento, 2007) and examine how they developed in music education during the 20^th century. More specifically, the ideas and practices addressed are related to music creation in childhood. This examination also includes considerations on aesthetics and pedagogy. In doing so, we can likewise recognize the childhood images that guide and justify the adults’ approach to children in contemporary music education, since some of these conceptions remain today, even if tacitly.

Methodology

In order to investigate the ideas and practices of music creation with children in innovative pedagogical spaces, we work with documental sources, such as pedagogical magazines, schools’ booklets, photos, general press texts, sheet music, and sound records. The stages of searching and analysing documents more frequently take place in a digital environment since the beginning of the research and were essential to the work due to pandemic restrictions. Therefore, we considered the current discussions on digital history methodology (Lucchesi, 2014; Brasil; Nascimento, 2020). Even if we did part of the work in digital ambient, visiting archives and the process of analysing physical documents were likewise fundamental (Farge, 2017).

Results/Findings

The results presented are the analyses of ideas and practices as observed in the works of (i) Satis Coleman, at her Creative Music Studio and the Lincoln School of Teachers College, Columbia University (NYC, USA), in the 1920s and 1930s; (ii) Donald Pond, in his experiments at Pillsbury Foundation School (Santa Barbara, California, USA) between 1938 and 1945; and (iii) a group of music teachers in the context of the French Modern School Movement (also know as Freinet’s Pedagogy) in 1970s, that called their work Musique Libre. In these works, we can identify connections between music education and the evolutionary theories, both in musicology and in psychology; Rousseauian inspiration; among others.

Conclusions/Final considerations

The conceptions of childhood and music and their relations to creative practices observed in such examples are a sort of a portrait of experiments in music education in the 20^th century. They guided and justified the actions of adults toward children and were the foundations of music education programs and methods. However, these ideas were not surpassed. Examining such conceptions allows us to understand and reflect on what constitutes our groundwork today. This kind of awareness is fundamental to teachers who intend to improve children’s participation and their musical development through creative practices in a critical way.

Music “for” and “with” Children: Art Confluence and Early Childhood Education

2023-07-11T16:04:30+01:00

Music, wellbeing and engagement in early childhood

2023-07-11T16:06:28+01:00

Recent research in Music Education and Music Psychology has established important connections between music and children’s wellbeing (Hallam, 2015, 2016; Hallam, Creech & Varvarigou, 2017; Smith, 2021). Consequently, several researchers have highlighted the need to implement more inclusive and democratic practices in formal and non-formal educational contexts, involving all children in participatory and meaningful musical experiences (Benedict et al. 2015; Hess, 2017; Wright, 2015).

Following this demand, some scholars have criticized hegemonic Eurocentric approaches to music education, suggesting instead a departure from sound and sounding phenomena as larger categories that might incorporate children’s diverse trajectories and life experiences, and invite all children to participate in truly engaged ways (Recharte, 2019; Thumlert & Nolan, 2019; Thumlert, Harley & Nolan, 2020).

This paper reports preliminary findings of a pilot study that is being developed in a Portuguese non-profit association located in the central area of Portugal. This association aims to develop inclusive and democratic projects with children from 0 to 6 years old - that are not integrated in other social facilities such as nursery schools or Kindergartens - and their respective families. One of the main goals of this association is to raise the awareness of children's rights among community members and beyond, namely the right children have to free play since their birth. The pilot study covers 12 music education sessions named “Sound Hunters”, dedicated to the development of an approach to music education with an intense playful component, departing from sound as artistic matter and involving competences related to deep listening, sound exploration and experimentation. All the activities were planned and implemented in an action-research project, using a series of new devices and tools specially created and adapted to children, that could be easily explored and manipulated by them autonomously. The participants included 15 children with ages ranging from 18 months to 5 years old, the association team and the authors as facilitators.

This study applied the Leuven Scales (Laevers, 2005) to assess the children’s’ levels of involvement and wellbeing, using data from participant observation, field notes, and video and audio recordings. Results from this assessment were then triangulated with data from informal conversations and interviews with children and the association team.

It was found that, during the periods of observation, children evidenced high and very high levels of wellbeing and involvement, especially manifested in their receptivity to the activities proposed during the sessions, self-confidence and self-assurance, and on their levels of attention, interest, and creativity. These findings were then corroborated by what children mentioned during the interviews and informal conversations about their personal experiences during the sessions.

In this paper we argue that these findings emerge as a consequence of the opportunities offered to children to make connections with sound phenomena deeply related with their daily lives and interact collaboratively with sounds through participatory processes genuinely opened to creativity and experimentation.

Finally, we discuss how this perspective might promote more meaningful and inclusive educational practices, discussing the implications and challenges posed to music education in early childhood.

Problem-based Learning

2023-07-11T17:05:17+01:00

The challenges posed by contemporary society have amplified the issue of learning by placing it at the center of educational and political discourses. The development of autonomy, critical and creative thinking, research and cooperation skills, curiosity, learning to learn, all connected with debates born in the cognitive and sociocognitive psychology of Piaget, Bruner, Vigotsky and Bandura and in the ideas of the active school promoted by Dewey, not only configures guiding principles of curricular and ministerial discourses (e.g. aprendizagens essenciais), but also requires alternative and complementary models to the expositive, imitative and direct instruction. Problem-based Learning (PBL) is one of the possible paths. Although its study brings together scientific literature, the application to music education is far from being consolidated, particularly regarding the reflection, design and empirical treatment of action plans in line both with curricular purposes and ideals. Here, we propose possibilities to learn music by creating and composing, a path which, following the thoughts of authors such as Burnard, Hickey, Paynter, Priest, Webster and Wiggins, seems to meet the challenges of that model. In parallel with definitions and characteristics, the text presents the PBL as an organizer of the educational action, having in mind the analyses in the context of music. The specific objectives are the contribution to clarify the subject, including the relevance and justification of the proposal around the conception of a music learning model based on problems arising from didactic drawings elaborated from processes of composing; upgrade and substantiate, theoretically and empirically, the PBL educational model, highlighting the relationship and relevance between their assumptions and the research design carried out by the authors and integrated in the Portuguese secondary school. The text presents a bibliographical review on PBL, defining key concepts and highlighting publications of scientific, theoretical and empirical nature, general and musical, as well as portuguese ministerial documents. The information collected was organized into categories of analysis which constituted the architecture of the text. Sustaining the composition as a path of intervention which identifies itself with the model described, born from formulations developed in the classroom, was consolidated by the study of authors such as those above-mentioned. Descriptions on PBL definition and characteristics stand out, as well as learning process contemplating collaborative work and the teacher as a facilitator, and, less assertively, effects on knowledge acquisition. Empirical evidence falls upon long-term memory and social interaction gains, as well constraints focusing on the initial adaptation of teachers and students, time management, individual and group evaluation, definition of problems, their relationship with previous concepts, suggesting the need of further investigation. Regarding music education by composing, related ideas about thinking in sound, audiation, divergent and creative thinking, focus on the student, collaborative work, subjects inherent to challenge based learning, also are highlighted.

How do children construct their understanding of creative music workshops? A discursive investigation into children’s talk through and after creative music workshops.

2023-07-11T17:08:49+01:00

Title: How do children construct their understanding of creative music workshops? A discursive investigation into children’s talk through and after creative music workshops.

Theoretical background or Context

Creative activity is associated with better mental health and wellbeing for those with additional support needs (ASN) as it can provide a positive coping strategy (Wilson &MacDonald 2019; All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, and Health and Wellbeing, 2018). However, rates of cultural participation are lower among children and young people with ASN than without (Scottish Government, 2019). Participation in music that has been personally devised or decided on is a powerful channel of creative expression that can radically change how disadvantaged individuals see themselves (Wilson & MacDonald, 2019) Key features of effective music interventions for those with ASN should have choice, interactivity, accessibility and creativity (Wilson & MacDonald, 2019)

This presentation reports on a pilot project between a researcher/practitioner and a Community Music organisation. The purpose of this collaboration was to develop and research cross-disciplinary workshops using collage, drama and music.

Aims

Research aims were to gather children’s views of workshops and investigate 1. Their experiences and what effects, if any, the workshops provided and 2. Processes of decision making through the workshops.

Methodology

Six 1-hour workshops were held over April and May 2022, with 6 children, (with and without ASN), aged between 10 and 13 years of age. Workshops included warm ups drawn from drama practices and circle songs; the main focus was to create an extended piece of music guided by children’s ideas. Collage was used to create a framework for the piece which included Gaelic song, instrumental sections and dramatic interludes.

Informed consent was obtained from parents for their child’s participation in workshops and research and children’s verbal assent was gathered before workshops focus groups and interviews. Workshops were audio recorded as well as interviews and a focus group after the workshop programme. Recordings were transcribed and analysed using Discourse Analysis (Potter, 2004). This approach was chosen to appreciate how conversation between children and practitioners mediated the process of experimentation and decision making in the workshops.

Results/Findings

Analysis from talk during workshops identified two consistent patterns of description when discussing the creative direction of the piece. These were categorised as 1. authenticity a repertoire which foregrounded children’s choice and opinions about which musical, dramatic and art expression to use and the children’s identity as Gaelic speakers and 2. Building a group focused on creating a larger group identity, the task to accommodate multiple ideas, musical choices, and finding out ‘what do we want to do’ and the importance of ‘becoming a band’.

Analysis from focus group and interviews demonstrated that children framed effects from workshop participation as good for yourself, demonstrated in consistent talk about feeling relaxed, happy, motivated to be creative and excited. They positioned workshops as wholesome alternative activity to being ‘on screens’.

Conclusions/Final considerations

Findings support earlier research about the importance of choice, interactivity, accessibility and creativity. Importantly this extends existing research into community music workshop processes by appreciating the perspectives of children. Repertoires of authenticity, building a group and good for yourself emphasise the importance of social processes and wellbeing for the children in this study.

“The things of the land are weird and different”, said The Girl from the Sea. Bringing childhood closer to “contemporary music” through a musical signification strategy.

2023-07-11T17:09:48+01:00

The present communication analyses A menina do mar (2019), theatre music composed by Edward Luiz Ayres d'Abreu (1989-) after the homonym children's tale (1958) by Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen. The tale explores, through the encounter between a boy from the land and a girl from the sea, the fascination and attraction that the unknown exerts on humanity. The score, written for a quintet of actors and nine musicians, was presented in several auditoriums, in a total of more than forty performances.

The relationship between text and music will be analysed with regard to its dramatic qualities, while revealing the undertaken strategy of musical signification and reflecting on how the musical resources may or may not offer, in this context, an opportunity to approach the childhood to the sound universe of “contemporary music” and its characteristic "dissonances", "noises", and “extended techniques”, so rarely experienced by large audiences.

Focusing on the aforementioned score, the analysis will also take into account, as comparative elements, other musical versions composed after the same story: that of Fernando Lopes-Graça (1961) and that of Sassetti and Raposo (2019). This study takes advantage of the researches made by Gomes (2000) and Santana & Santana (2021), respectively on the original story and on the three known musical adaptations. The analytical approach is here served by the study of musical significance as categorized by Grimalt (2020) and, in particular, by the topic theory as developed by Monelle (2000), inscribing the strategies used in a long genealogy of similar examples that can be heard throughout the history of Western classical music.

The analysis resulted in the categorization of different solutions of musical meaning that address, among many others, the ideas of “sea”, “storm”, “travel”, “fire”, or dichotomies such as joy-sadness, light-shadow, movement-statism. Some of the resources, which include clusters, glissandi, multiphonics, various noises, technically inherited by the 20th century avant-gardes and widely used by several contemporary languages, appear as programmatic solutions, hence contributing to reinforce historically consolidated associations.

“The things of the land are weird and different”, said The Girl from the Sea. Taking into account the daily musical practices, this ironic inversion is reinforced because the music associated with the sea, in the analyzed score, ends up sounding more “weird” and “different” than the music associated with the land. “Contemporary music” is almost exclusively reserved for the aquatic world; at the same time, there is an invitation for the listener to dive into this “weird” and “different” world. But a final question emerges: if, in this ludic gesture, in this pedagogical effort, “contemporary music” sounds so deeply programmatic, are not we contributing, as creators, to the stigma and prejudice of listening… of what Boulez would perhaps still prefer to call “absolute music”? Or, from another point of view, and based on Ferreira de Castro's (2013) reflection, are we not simply highlighting the “fallacy of objectivity” that certain “contemporary music” inherited from Hanslick's romantic discourse (Bonds 2014)?

Creative music production by children:

2023-07-11T17:10:44+01:00

This presentation analyzes music teachers’ reflections on creative music production by elementary school children while they engaged in distance learning activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the present study was to investigate how music teachers listen and attribute meanings to children’s music compositions (AUTHORS, 2021), on the basis of creative teaching and learning as a theoretical framework. This qualitative research consisted of an instrumental case study with four music teachers who taught 1st to 8th grade students in the year 2020 in public schools in two municipalities in Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. The four teachers received training to plan creative-musical projects for the context of distance learning activities. Each project was designed as a podcast, based on a central theme and composed of an integrated set of didactic sequences. The latter offered different opportunities for music practice and contained activities to be developed by children, involving different forms of interaction: playing, composing, singing, improvising, listening, etc. With themes that address the diversity of Brazil and the world, the projects were sent to children, either in print or online. The students developed the activities and sent their answers to their teachers in audio, video or text format. Without real-time meetings, the teachers monitored their students’ learning by checking their answers to the activities, seeking to analyze and infer how they understood and followed the instructions. During the present research, the teachers listened to the children’s music productions in real-time meetings of the training course and in interviews. In these moments, they individually and collectively watched and made comments on the children’s productions. The results pointed to teachers’ reflections on: originality and innovation in music productions; issues related to children’s music performance; how the children’s ideas connected to their musical experiences; and the way they engaged in the activities. The teachers detected different levels of creativity in the productions and highlighted several musical elements and technical aspects. In their analyses, above all, they sought meanings that went beyond the products, paying attention to the context in which the music activities were done. The suspension of in-person classes has restricted the communication between students and the school community. Still, the teachers attempted to understand the children's ideas regarding their musical experiences, seeking to get to know their interests and observing how they became involved in the creative music activities that they did at home. Finally, the teachers’ reflections on the students’ music practices could support the development of more meaningful plans, which encourage teachers to listen to and appreciate children’s music ideas in school music education.

A Young Person’s Guide to Orchestration

2023-07-11T17:41:15+01:00

Theoretical background or Context

School and community ensembles are important musical learning environments for young musicians. A large portion of the music they play has been arranged to match it with their developing musical levels. Although an elaborate literature concerning orchestration for professional orchestras exists (e.g., Adler, 2016; Berlioz, 1843; Rimsky-Korsakov, 1913; Sevsay, 2013), few publications address arranging and orchestration for young or amateur players. Often, these books limit themselves to instrumentation instructions only (e.g., Adler, 2016; Eijssen, 2008; Janssen, 2004), although some have addressed orchestration and arranging more explicitly (Erickson, 1985; Oboussier, 1977). Besides these professional oriented publications, we could not identify any scholarly literature concerning orchestration for beginning players.

Aims

Therefore, the aim of our study was to map the orchestration practices of experienced arrangers for youth and beginner amateur orchestras. It addressed the particular principles of orchestration which are taken into account when writing for beginning to intermediate instrumental performers.

Methodology

Experienced conductor-arrangers (n = 10) were interviewed about their orchestration practice for youth and amateur ensembles like string, symphony, wind and fanfare orchestras. The interviewer used a semi-structured approach, based on a topic list (Mortelmans, 2018) and a sheet music analysis of one of the arranger’s works. The interviews were analysed using the grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967).

Results/Findings

Multi-shaped instrumentation and orchestration quality criteria emerged, which some respondents set off against traditional orchestration notions. Overall, quality of orchestration was seen as reaching maximal musical effect while embracing the constraints and affordances of the amateur ensemble. Key choice, rhythm (notation), attention to tessitura and register, and careful use of dynamics and articulation were regarded as crucial parameters. Many remarks considered the physical aspect of instrument playing. Three ‘levels’ of arranging were mentioned: score preparation, part adaptation and rehearsal adjustments. A concept sometimes called ‘social orchestration’ emerged, meaning all musicians should have enough to play and the melodic roles should be distributed over all instruments. Pedagogical intentions generally arose from musical choices instead of vice versa.

Conclusions/Final considerations

This study makes the practitioner knowledge of conductors and arrangers for youth and beginner ensembles explicit. Our conclusions can help orchestration teachers to explicitly address amateur orchestras in their lessons, and to inform their approach to orchestration with a wider range of voices from the sector.

Children's composition:

2023-07-11T17:43:43+01:00

Theoretical background or Context

Creative learning is a concept under construction, in which children are recognized as potentially creative, confident investigators, sense builders and decision makers (Craft et al., 2008). The focus is on the child's learning process and the creative potential to be developed in a specific field of knowledge, such as music. Teachers act as moderators of time and space, being open to listening to the children's perspective and working in co-participation: observing them carefully, valuing and understanding their questions, giving them space, providing an environment of trust, encouraging discoveries and allowing them to learn on their own.

Aims

This work presents the results of a master's investigation carried out with the objective of investigating the process of planning and teaching action in music education in Early Childhood Education, discussing the paths built by teachers in order to plan and develop actions in the classroom using as guiding principles the creative learning framework.

Methodology

The data in this work derive from the experiences of music teachers during a training course on creative learning and the development of plans based on this framework. In particular, the data resulting from the second stage of this investigation will be presented, which includes monitoring the pedagogical action of two music teachers in three Kindergarten classes with children between 2 and 5 years old, in Brazil.

Results/Findings

Taking the concept of creative learning as a reference for planning and teaching action, teachers sought to vary the modes of participation, using different strategies to give children a voice as a way to give them the opportunity to actively participate in their own learning and reveal their perspectives on how they learn. Proposals for provocations for learning were made, records through children's drawings, composition activities in groups and collaborative work of creations and arrangements, evaluation and resumption of compositions by the children, graphic records, and conversation circles.

Conclusions/Final considerations

Through the analysis of the events that took place in the classroom, the teachers evaluated the paths adopted, discussed the children's agency (their ways of learning, thinking, solving problems, working in groups, expressing themselves, composing, evaluating, and reflecting) and (re)constructed their perspectives on children, imagination, learning and creativity. The dimensions of music making such as listening, playing, and singing are no longer reproductive elements and are now considered as bridges for children's connections, imagination and ideas. Composition was the most relevant aspect of the new relationships that were established with music making, representing for them the activity that best allowed children to be included in the process of building musical knowledge. Teachers point out that children showed greater involvement in music classes and exceeded their expectations showing that they can work in groups, perform creative activities, and evaluate their productions. This evidence indicates that young children can interact with reflective and creative music making.

Composing ‘Australian animals for 1st year pianists’:

2023-07-11T17:44:55+01:00

Theoretical background or Context

As a change from arrangements of folk tunes and reductions of well-known classical works, we (two Australian composers) wrote a book of 22 pieces for 1^st year pianists, each piece representing an Australian animal – mammals, birds, reptiles, insects. The combination of words and music has long been recognised as an effective way to engage students when they begin learning to play the piano (Thompson, 1937), and for Cook (1998) music itself does not so much have meaning as potential for meaning, with this potential being a function of the context within which the music is received. Therefore, music and words combined with original drawings creates a multisensory experience for students and teachers.

Aims

The aim of this paper is to discuss the thinking and creating behind the pieces, especially how we sought to engage students by developing their imagination and creating curiosity about how the animals live and behave through a multisensory approach.

Methodology

Adopting a practice-led research process in which the research was ‘initiated by an artistic hunch, intuition, or question, or an artistic or technical concern generated by the researcher’s own practice…’ (p. 6, Rubidge, 2005), we drew on our experience as teachers, composers and writers.

Results/Findings

The context for these animal pieces is multi-faceted. The pieces are short and song-like to interest first year piano students and the pieces can be sung and/or recited, the rhythm clapped to capture the spirit of the music as a prelude to learning the notation, and to make the Australian animals come alive we wrote words and music (Thompson, 1937). Looking at the way animals behave is interesting for children and we sought to create pieces which capture these activities by making the music itself convey meaning (Cook, 1998) through compositional parameters including rhythm, articulation, dynamics, register, harmony and mode. We aimed to enable younger students to focus better, to enjoy the learning process and to perform the pieces with enthusiasm by encouraging them to imagine being that animal. Each piece is accompanied by a drawing of the animal with the aim of assisting teachers to create more stories about the animals.

Conclusions/Final considerations

By creating a rich multisensory context for each piece, we hope that learning this way will bring an emotional response to the animals, encourage musical appreciation, and create imaginative and engaged performances which can be appreciated by an audience.

Instrumentarium XX1: Experimental Instruments for the Development of Musical Creativity

2023-07-11T17:46:41+01:00

Contemporary approaches to music education must keep pace with changes in society and pose a major challenge for educators. Current needs require schools to move towards open and holistic positions, incorporating approaches far removed from classical visions, in which tonal music, conventional notation and traditional instruments are predominant.

The main frameworks of reference are: 1) Embodied Cognition Theory or Embodied Cognition (the focus is on manipulation from the bodily experience); 2) Sound Based Music (the starting point is sound as raw material to be manipulated and transformed, thus expanding the sound palette towards territories open to new dimensions, beyond the tonal); 3) Universal Design (applied to music, it guarantees the design of inclusive materials without access limitations); and 4) The Baschet instrument (in relation to the systems of activation and generation of sound: oscillator types, activation processes, forms of radiation and amplification, and articulation and range modulation systems).

Prior to the design and construction of the instrumentarium, a double process was carried out: a) a survey was carried out with active Spanish teachers of pre-school, primary and secondary education to find out about the musical practices they develop in their classrooms; and b) a discussion group was held with experts to define the general musical characteristics of Instrumentarium XX1. A group formed by researchers from different fields related to music (Educators, Musicians, Sound Artists and Designers) with extensive academic and professional experience in music education and with experience in lutherie.

Artists visit the school: an educational action through contemporary musical creation in a Singular Educational Action School.

2023-07-11T17:47:46+01:00

The schools of Singular Educational Action host (in Spanish CAES) a diversity of children from different backgrounds who usually belong to poor families and neighborhoods classified as particularly disadvantaged groups. In this particular context, we present an educational experience that aims to bring contemporary sound creation to the classroom through the participation of artists in residence.

Here and now

2023-07-11T17:48:37+01:00

Context

Companhia de Música Teatral’s (CMT) performing pieces are communication experiences that often involve a high degree of interaction between performers and audiences. Such is the case of a set of small musical-theatre pieces called PaPI (Portable Play to Play). These are multidisciplinary performances where artists explore the common ground between art and playfulness, in a continuum that involves music, dance, theatre and visual arts. They aim to enable younger ones, families and educators to find different poetic meanings in an atmosphere of shared time and space. One of such pieces is PaPI - Opus 8, which was premiered in 2019 and was supposed to tour throughout 2020. Due to the pandemic, many of the performances were canceled. New paths had to be discovered, and the Zoom video-conference platform was chosen as an alternative. A new version of the piece was developed, called PaPI – Opus8.z.

Aims

This paper will focus on necessary adaptations of the piece imposed by the limits of the platform, as well as exploring what CMT chose to maintain, and what they chose to change. It will also reflect on the different audience behaviors when watching a performance live or through Zoom.

Methodology

A commonality between the different CMT productions is the focus on blurring of the boundaries between artist and audiences, to transform a performance (one-way) in an experience (omnidirectional). To enhance feelings of co-presence and communication. PaPI – Opus 8 was designed by keeping these aims in mind. The main challenge to adapt it to Zoom was the need to maintain the sensation of a shared time and space between the performer and the audience. Many moments of interaction and dialogue were spread throughout the piece. These moments aimed to show the audience that even though they weren’t in the same “here”, they were in the same “now”.

Findings

What was apparently lost by the distancing (the notion of a shared space) was retaken little by little with each interaction between the performer and the children. This sense of connectedness is inherent in live performances but needs to be “artificially” reinforced when using a platform such as Zoom. Nonetheless, the limitations of the platform also allowed CMT to lean on using webcams as different points of view into the fantastical world the piece’s character inhabits. These methods enabled the performance to elicit surprise, an essential element of artistic performance.

Final considerations

The adaptation of Opus 8 to a Zoom performance was in part impelled by the resolve to fight the restrictions on the quality of shared presence imposed by the confinement. The focus was on maintaining and feeding the communicative impulse that accompanies us from when we are babies until adulthood (Dissanayake, 2002; Malloch & Trevarthen, 2010). This impulse is present in all children, and should be fostered whenever possible, by creating shared artistic experiences that enable moments of surprise and, subsequently, growth. No Zoom performance can substitute sharing the same physical space, but it can be a valuable tool for when that shared space is not possible to obtain.

Rhythmic Hooks

2023-07-11T17:49:57+01:00

Theoretical background or Context

Student engagement is frequently compartmentalised into emotional, behavioural, and cognitive modes, whilst musical engagement is understood to have five forms: appreciative, explorative, directive, evaluative, and embodied (Brown, 2016). Brown (2016) describes how musical activities can activate each of these modes of engagement. However, little is known about how the musical attributes that exist within such musical activities can influence experiences of engagement.

Aims

The aim of this research was to gain an understanding of how duration-based musical attributes can contribute to forms of engagement amongst 7-11-year-olds. This age group was chosen due to a documented lack of consistency in primary school music education in the UK, which is thought to stem from low levels of both training and confidence (Daubney, Spruce, and Annetts, 2019). The new knowledge provided through this study offers educators the opportunity to understand how musical features can immerse and inspire pupils.

Methodology

A constructivist grounded theory methodology was adopted for this research, involving in-depth, qualitative interviews with twenty participating teachers who have at least two years of experience teaching music to classes of 7-11-year-olds in the UK. These teachers were selected using purposive sampling. Transcripts were analysed using initial, focused, and theoretical coding, during which emerging themes were strengthened through engagement with existing literature.

Results/Findings

Interview data demonstrated that there were six duration-based musical attributes which teachers related to Brown’s (2016) musical modes of engagement. These were:

The use of ‘natural’ tempo,
Sudden tempo changes,
Gradual tempo changes,
Syncopation,
Cyclic rhythms, and
Rhythmic simplicity.

All six of these attributes were found to be related to both embodied and appreciative engagement. The use of natural tempo and simple rhythms also linked to explorative engagement, due to their facilitation of improvisation, whilst cyclic rhythms and sudden tempo changes were related to evaluative engagement, as teachers identified how they could encourage reflection. Directive engagement was associated with the use of natural tempi, gradual tempo changes, and simple rhythms. This was partially due to the confidence that these attributes can inspire in children.

Conclusions/Final considerations

This paper is a part of a larger project, which explore attributes of pitch and timbre alongside duration and considers how cultural aspects can contribute to experiences of engagement.

In this paper, duration-based attributes that were identified by participants as engaging have been analysed and categorised. This offers clarity and understanding to both specialist and non-specialist primary school music educators with regard to rhythmic and tempo-based features and their relationship(s) with pupil engagement.

References (optional)

Brown, A. R. (2015). Engaging in a sound musicianship. The Child as Musician: A Handbook of Musical Development, 208-220.

Daubney, A., Spruce, G., & Annetts, D. (2019). Music education: State of the nation: Report by the all-party parliamentary group for music education, the incorporated society of musicians and the University of Sussex All Party Parliamentary Group for Music Education, University of Sussex.

The Trumpet

2023-07-11T17:50:59+01:00

The latest legislation of Italian Conservatories finally set up and activated ad hoc courses aimed at the didactics for the youngest students (ages 5 and up) named “Basic Courses”. The main aim of these training courses is to introduce students to music and get them to study it from the earliest age and to provide them with the fundamental bases of the instrument. It has been seen that the exposure of children to the study of music produces benefits in lots of fields such as the socio-familiar one (stimulating social interaction, cooperation, etc.) and the educational-training one (stimulating the memory, creativity, auditory perception, ability to listen, expressive capacity, movement coordination, sense of rhythm, etc.) Unfortunately, it happens, in the vast majority of cases that requests for attendance at these courses are directed toward the study of “best known and tested instruments for this age group”, such as piano, percussions, violin, flute, etc. Lots of the most feared instruments, such as the trumpet do not see suitable participation. The reasons related to this issue may be of various kinds: 1) difficulty for younger students to approach to the study of the instrument; 2) lack of visibility and spread of the instrument; 3) limited instrumental repertoire; 4) shortage of methods and suitable books for the teaching of the instrument; 5) lack of knowledge of suitable tools for the support of children’s didactics, to avoid physical problems caused by the excessive weight/size of the instrument and from the early studying of it; 6) shortage of properly prepared teachers, educational and methodological practices for the youngest ones. The main target of this project consists of stimulating and encouraging teachers to re-evaluate the teacher’s role by experimenting with “new” inclusive teaching methods focused on playing and on cooperative learning. The methodological approach to each activity must be playful and must promote 1) dynamics of musical thought; 2) creative process, elaboration, and improvisation; 3) integration and inclusion; 4) metacognition and critical sense; 5) the construction of an imaginary path that may combine every day, the unusual, the traditional and the innovation; 6) the development of a proper basic approach for the trumpet practice [breathing, sound emission, posture, balance, etc.] this path will stimulate students curiosity and bring them to study the trumpet from an early age, channelling them to proper training courses.

What can writing activity and musical practice tell us about each other?

2023-07-11T17:52:55+01:00

Children’s Play? Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde and the Adventure of Composing Excellent (Classical) Music for Children

2023-07-11T17:59:13+01:00

Children’s Play? Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde and the Adventure of Composing Excellent (Classical) Music for Children

Theoretical Context

The paper we will present expands on parts of a master thesis on the music pedagogy of Benjamin Britten. Point of departure of this thesis was Britten’s remarkable sensitivity, as an established classical musician, to the educational urgency of a number of ambiguities shaping the public role of (classical) music in contemporary society. While remaining critical of its shortcomings, the ultimate endeavour has been to develop a post-critical perspective on his work, and thus to reclaim Britten’s most valuable insights into the said ambiguities—including those implicit in some of his musical projects for/with children (e.g., the opera Noye’s Fludde).

Aims

The paper’s overarching aim is to show how a post-critical pedagogy might help established and/or purportedly hegemonic musical traditions to reassess their own past in terms that affirm undeveloped, ‘minor’ potentialities, rather than criticize major deficiencies. More specifically, we propose to do so for the case of Britten’s children’s opera Noye’s Fludde, in whose genesis we discern a pedagogy that tries to couple a ‘classical’ conception of musical excellence to a contemporary ideal of democratic accessibility and plurality.

Methodology

Our research has been mainly conceptual-discursive in nature. On the one hand it is based on the study of scientific literature: both on the current state of affairs in music-educational theory (particularly with regard to classical music), on post-critical pedagogy, and on Benjamin Britten, his music(-education)al ideas and compositions for children. On the other hand, for the case of Noye’s Fludde, we have also studied non-textual materials, such as scores, (video) recordings, and documentaries.

Findings

The paper’s main finding has been that some of Benjamin Britten’s views on the significance and possibilities of composing for/with children are very much worthwhile to be reclaimed (in a post-critical vein) for contemporary practices of (classical) music education. Especially Britten’s keen sense of certain ambiguities endemic, not to say fundamental, to any concrete practice of public music education, seem highly valuable—and perhaps more than ever—in trying to answer particular challenges which the field is facing today.

Final considerations

Although we agree that the opposite might sometimes seem true, it is absolutely not our purpose to hold a normative plea for the use of Western classical music (let alone Britten’s) in music education. What we do plead for, is a more nuanced and careful appreciation of this tradition (along with others), in view of its irreducible potentiality to inspire us with surprisingly contemporary and practical pedagogical answers.

References

Hodgson, N., Vlieghe, J., & Zamojski, P. (2017). Manifesto for a Post-Critical Pedagogy. Goleta (Cal.): Punctum.

Jorgensen, E. (2020). To Love or Not to Love (Western Classical Music): That is the Question (for Music Educators). Philosophy of Music Education Review, 28(2), 128-144. DOI: 10.2979/philmusieducrevi.28.2.02.

Kildea, P. (Ed.) (2003). Britten on Music. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Nannestad, J. H. (2014). Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde : an Analysis and Re-Positioning for Contemporary Use (doctoral dissertation). Boston University. https://hdl.handle.net/2144/11157.

Inclusion THROUGH music vs Inclusion IN music

2023-07-10T15:59:39+01:00

OVERVIEW

The session aims to sensitise participants to the recognition of the potential of Digital in the development of inclusive dynamics and work processes, in the context of Music Teaching/Learning. It aims to present different works and technologies already developed, or under development, to promote inclusive music teaching, both in the context of Regular Education and Specialised Artistic Education. Furthermore, it aims to identify possible problems that can be encountered in the processes of inclusion in the area of music, promoting a collaborative and participatory work.

- Music Teaching and Music Therapy, similarities and differences;

- Universal Design as pedagogical differentiation for learning;

- Strategies for enhancing the active participation of all children;

- Promotion of opportunities for success;

- Case studies;

- Curricular adaptations in EAE of Music for the benefit of Inclusion;

- Use of Support Products / Technologies and Software for the Teaching of Music;

- Potentiation of the development of Good Practices among all trainees.

Short curriculum of the presenter

Davys Moreno is a Violinist, Trainer in Music Education, master’s in education (Chile) and Music Therapist (Brazil). He is currently a PhD student in Education at the University of Aveiro and FCT scholarship holder (Portugal). He has interned at the Department of Music Informatics at the University of Milan (Italy) and has promoted the development of children's orchestras to democratise music education. His current research area is the inclusion of children with motor disabilities due to Cerebral Palsy in Music Art Education Programmes.

Links

Davys Moreno https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3805-6929
Davys Moreno https://davysmoreno.academia.edu/

This workshop will be held with the support of their advisors:; and.

António Moreira, DEP, UA, Portugal: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0040-2811
Oksana Tymoshchuk, DeCA, UA, Portugal: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8054-8014
Carlos Marques, Artistic School Conservatory of Music Calouste Gulbenkian, Aveiro, Portugal. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1026-7457

Brazilian music education: proposals for planning and playing during music classes

2023-07-10T16:15:28+01:00

Overview

This workshop focuses on our practices and explores two main themes: the way we have been conducting these practices in Brazil, and the repertoire we put children in contact with during the classes. Music and movement practitioners will engage in a variety of music activities for kids, just like we do in Brazil, and will get to know some traditional Brazilian songs. Also, we will explore music produced for babies and children from recent music albums in the country.

In 2013, invited by Dr. Beatriz Ilari, Vivian and Tiago Madalozzo have published a chapter for Dr. Ilari’s book “Music and early childhood”, edited in Brazil, about the way music activities for children were planned as part of a collaborative model they had developed with peers on a former practice of music education they had taken part. Since 2013, this research has been applied also at Alecrim Dourado, a music school of Curitiba, where the work with babies has been improving new practices each semester.

The considerations in the book will be the first resource to support the practices for the workshop, especially regarding the way activities during the class are organized in different sections, and how teachers engage parents and caregivers in music exploration with their babies. The workshop will focus on how children can explore and be sensitive and creative to the musical environment of the class on listening, composing and performing music, and how this pyramid can also organize musical practices with parents at home, after the class. Finally, the Active music teaching methods, especially Orff, Willems, Dalcroze, Schafer and brazilian recent proposals will be revisited, showing how each music class for babies is constructed under a principle of coherence and unity of musical themes, but at the same time under a variety of approaches and repertoires.

In between music activities, we will explain how we plan music classes for children, how we choose repertoire for the classes, and how we engage children, parents and caregivers to participate and promote, also at home, a musically rich environment for their kids. We will show ways music education research in Brazil has been discussing the planning of music activities, and how we have been conducting our practices in the last years.

Participants will be engaged by getting to know repertoire used in music education courses for children in Brazil, from traditional songs to recent albums designed for children. They will finally reflect about the way we organize the planning of the music practices with children, while taking part in the music activities.

Attendees will get to know the way Brazilian music educators have been employing concepts from theories like the active music teaching methods to engage children and parents in music activities. They will explore repertoire from Brazilian traditional songs and modern albums designed for children. They will also get information about our system of organizing the sections and aims of each class and semester planning.

Sound hunters

2023-07-11T15:55:59+01:00

This workshop is based on the pilot project “Sound Hunters: Towards a Pedagogy based on Listening and Sound Exploration in Early Childhood”, that the authors are implementing in a non-formal educational context in Portugal.

The workshop aims to sensitize participants to sound phenomena and discuss the meanings that are usually attributed to music and “music making”, by inviting participants to do a Soundwalk in the Conference Venue (inside and outside).

This workshop emerges from “a double call” that has recently been made to educators and researchers in the field of music education. A call that asks, on the one side, for a new perspective on the concept of “music” - that might include the entire soundscape that surrounds us (Landy, 2007; Solomos, 2020) - and, on the other side, for more inclusive and democratic practices in music education, that might create learning opportunities for all children (Benedict et al. 2015; Hess, 2017; Wright, 2015).

Departing from a roadmap previously prepared, and divided in 4 small groups, participants will be asked to pay close attention to the sounds surrounding them and to “capture” these sounds, using a set of audio recorders specifically designed to be used by children and adults that are not familiarized with music technologies. These tools will be explored previously by all participants with the guidance of the authors, during an introductory moment of the workshop. In the end, participants will share and listen together to the recordings made by the group. After this listening moment, the facilitators will introduce an activity in which participants will have the opportunity to engage in a musical improvisation, using not only the sounds previously recorded, but also diverse sounding objects related to the contexts in which the workshop is being developed. The workshop will end with a brief discussion about the activities and the ways in which they might have affected participants’ ideas about their sonic worlds and about music.

At the end of the workshop it is expected that the participants might be able to: (i) Identify sound as part of each person's sensory experience; (ii) Identify, describe and compare different sounds and soundscapes; (iii) Explore, in a creative way, different sound sources and tools related to the perception and appropriation of sound; (iv) Explore the idea of Sound Ecology, relating sounds with the diverse environments in which they usually participate.

This process, that seeks to emancipate participants from aprioristic conceptions of what is considered musically valid, is based on two essential premises: The idea that all people are capable of engage with sound and music, regardless of age, gender, physical or social condition; and the idea that music pedagogy should converge towards a practice that includes the entire sound spectrum that surrounds us, in the search to create meaning for the diverse sound worlds that we inhabit and to which we give life.

Target audience: Children (2-5 years old), their families, educators, musicians, researchers and general public.

Vocal Preparation Strategies for High-Performance Children´s Singers

2023-07-10T12:24:41+01:00

The present work has as research the strategies of vocal preparation used by singing teachers aimed at the high-performance children and youth public. Considering that the infant-juvenile singer is in full physiological and cognitive development, it was noticed that studies and approaches aligned with high performance are little evidenced in the academic environment, and existing research addresses other segments such as children's choir singing, and musicalization, among others. This research aims to understand the high-performance infant-juvenile singer, considering the different demands that can reach a vocal technique teacher, and map out the strategies used in the preparation of his artistic presentations. Thus, the methodology used is multi-case research with semi-structured interviews. To relate them to the literature found for the foundation of this project, an exploratory study was conducted on data collection performed with the invited teachers. Finally, it is expected to share the discussions and theoretical-practical considerations found, adding to the performance of this audience's future vocal educators.

New Methodologies for Teaching Trumpet and Music Theory to Children in Basic Courses

2023-09-07T11:15:49+01:00

The recent regulation of the Italian Conservatories have finally established and activated “ad hoc” courses aimed at the didactics for the youngest students (ages 5 and up) named “Basic Courses”. The main aim of these training courses is to introduce students to music and get them to study it from the earliest age and to provide them with the fundamental bases of the instrument. It has been seen that the exposure of children to the study of music produces benefits in lots of fields such as the socio-familiar one (stimulating social interaction, cooperation, etc.) and the educational-training one (stimulating the memory, creativity, auditory perception, ability to listen, expressive capacity, movement coordination, sense of rhythm, etc.) Unfortunately, it happens, in the vast majority of cases that requests for attendance at these courses are directed toward the study of “best known and tested instruments for this age group”, such as piano, percussions, violin, flute, etc. Lots of the most feared instruments, such as the trumpet do not see suitable participation. The reasons related to this issue may be of various kinds: 1) difficulty for younger students to approach to the study of the instrument; 2) lack of visibility and spread of the instrument; 3) limited instrumental repertoire; 4) shortage of methods and suitable books for the teaching of the instrument; 5) lack of knowledge of suitable tools for the support of children’s didactics, to avoid physical problems caused by the excessive weight/size of the instrument and from the early studying of it; 6) shortage of properly prepared teachers, educational and methodological practices for the youngest ones. The main target of this project consists of stimulating and encouraging teachers to re-evaluate the teacher’s role by experimenting with “new” inclusive teaching methods focused on playing and on cooperative learning. The methodological approach to each activity must be playful and must promote 1) dynamics of musical thought; 2) creative process, elaboration, and improvisation; 3) integration and inclusion; 4) metacognition and critical sense; 5) the construction of an imaginary path that may combine every day, the unusual, the traditional and the innovation; 6) the development of a proper basic approach for the trumpet practice [breathing, sound emission, posture, balance, etc.] this path will stimulate students curiosity and bring them to study the trumpet from an early age, channelling them to proper training courses.

Piano.Gems:

2023-07-11T15:44:45+01:00

This lecture-recital presents the commented repertoire of the books Piano.Gems 1 and 2 by professors Carla Reis and Liliana Botelho. These books are outcomes of a university extension project aimed at the initial and continuous training of piano teachers that has been developed since 2015 at the Federal University of São João del-Rei, Brazil. Book 1 presents 18 "pattern pieces" composed for beginning students (children or adults). The proposal is a book of rote-teaching repertoire accompanied by videos and pedagogical instructions. In our composition process, we intended to create a musical kaleidoscope, both by the variety of technical-musical skills addressed, and by the diversity of character and sound atmosphere of each piece. The pieces (solos and duos) are organized in increasing levels of difficulty, from the first experiences on the keyboard to the initial intermediate level of piano practice. We also highlight the use of Brazilian musical genres like baião, xote, marchinha de forró, and samba, which are not usually contemplated in this type of didactic publication. The second book presents pieces that represent twelve animals from land, water, and air. It is composed for children from 4 to 6 years old, a sort of musical stories to be played on the piano. The main underlying idea is that the child has to learn the piece "by imitation" and then link it with unconventional scores. The project's experience on digital platforms (YouTube, Facebook and Instagram) has shown that this approach to teaching repertoire - which is based on the concept of music as aural art - is still little known and, at times, stigmatized in the Brazilian context. Due to the fact that this approach forgoes music reading, it is considered by some piano teachers as condescending and, therefore, harmful to the musical development of students. However, we believe that such criticisms are unfounded, since the approach to rote teaching allows us to focus on other important aspects of learning the instrument, such as basic technical-musical skills, musical understanding and performance fluency.

peyotl

2023-07-11T15:57:43+01:00

For almost as long as the piano has existed, composers have been interested in producing sounds for which the instrument was not conceived. Contrary to this compositional interest in ‘extended techniques’, and the resulting tradition and repertoire, the education of the skills necessary to transmit this interest to audiences has been lacking severely. Considering the multitude of extended techniques, and the size of the relevant professional repertoire, the training of these skills should not be postponed until the student is already at the conservatoire.

In collaboration with composer Hans Cafmeyer, the “peyotl” project was set up at the Orpheus Institute, and comprised the development of new music through artistic research, in order to provide teachers at the pre-conservatoire level with the means to approach extended techniques within the traditional piano playing curriculum. While catering to children’s aesthetic horizons, their technical abilities, pedagogical needs, and personal biotope, as well as to the technological constraints of the instrument, the methodology includes collaborative composition and classroom- and peer-testing (involving children and teachers). In 2017, a first volume of pieces has been issued. Now, a second volume is ready, with 11 new pieces for a more advanced level.

This lecture-recital will give an overview of the issues, and the ways they have been determined as well as resolved, in the second volume, with live performance of key pieces.

Children engaged in musical creation

2023-07-11T16:03:31+01:00

Conservatório de Música de Sintra has been founded as a nonprofit association and music school since 1974, working with different ages from 6 month to 99 years old. Established as an official music school since 1982, more recently, in 2019, we have extended the educational offer with kindergarten and in 2021 to primary school. One of our school 's main goals is to engage children in democratic practices in the educational process. This is natural in regular education because it was designed within this approach, but it has different challenges in music education, regarding the teaching legacy and tradition, where we are introducing some changes in the curriculum.

On one hand, our work in the elementary music program, with children aged from 6- to 9-year-old, has always involved students in the creation process. Improvising with their voices, body percussion and Orff instruments, they have a central role in some of the compositions to be performed.

With pandemic situation, and the need to avoid singing groups and choirs, and realizing the performative happiness and self-confidence shown by children through the years in processes involving creation and improvisation, the Conservatório de Música de Sintra pedagogical team decided to introduce a specific subject called “Music Creation and Improvisation” in 2020.

This subject helped to work on important skills, contributing to a deeper understanding of music language, allowing children to express musical ideas through singing and playing the same way they talk and write in their native language, in a playful environment.

The successful results of this subject reinforced the school view and boosted the introduction of new practical music classes in the official curriculum, such as body percussion and improvisation in 2021.

Currently we are conducting a reflexive discussion about these new subjects involving the education community: a survey among students, teacher’s points of view, and parents' opinions, concerning the impact of these classes in the students' global development.

On the other hand, the musical approach in kindergarten and primary school is child center based, naturally reinforcing creation processes in strict articulation with multiple curriculum subjects.

Our presentation proposal is a commented concert involving teachers and students of the subjects referred above, and practical examples with video support and live music performance.

We would like to share practical music projects concerning kindergarten and primary school, Musical Education classes and new improvisation and body percussion classes in official courses, including children with ages from 3- to 15-year-old.

The Ukrainian folk Song Entertainments for child:

2023-07-11T17:51:49+01:00

My purpose: to demonstrate Ukrainian folk games and games for children up to 3 years with analyzing their possibilities for musical and mental development.

My motivation: I want to popularize Ukrainian folk music child culture and show that it is interesting, relevant and necessary for children today.

Our museum have a project which based on using the Ukrainian folk songs and games for baby and their adults. We gathered folk play rythmes for baby from old woman in the Ukrainian villages and use them on the workshops. Some of our workshops you can see on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TvBz_iQFag

Traditional Ukrainian song entertainments can be grouped by age: for babies; for children who have begun to sit or walk; for children aged 3-5 years. So, first the adults sing a song to the child and touch her|his legs, hends and had , so he or she memorizes the sequence of movements, melody, words, and then performs it.

Children who are entertained, during the period of their most powerful mental, psychological and physical development, receive extremely important creative training. After all, the song entertainments are enriched with verbal, musical and dramatic creativity, so they form a powerful creative potential, including musical abilities. Therefore, in the process of children's upbringing, the song entertainments should be given as much attention as possible.

Music, childhood, education

2023-07-11T16:01:19+01:00

Connections between music, childhood, and education are multiple. The program of this thematic panel consists of seven presentations that embrace diversity. Starting from a commitment to music education in and for childhood, we present Brazilian works developed in spaces with different audiences and specific approaches and objectives. The places of performance and reflection that we consider are: the University, in its teacher training courses and in extension projects, such as choral and instrumental groups in which collaboration occurs with other institutions and with the community in general; the elementary school, both as a locus of early childhood education and as an internship space for educators in training; and private instrument classes for children. As a group, we emphasize the following aspects: the conception that children must be heard and encouraged to participate in the spaces of music education, and that educators have the responsibility to contribute to children's musical development with adequate materials, effectively and democratically; the importance of quality in teacher training as a decisive factor for the improvement of elementary education; the centrality of creative practices to promote the construction of student autonomy and mastery of music and its relationship with other artistic languages.