Abstract: Anderson, Alan; Northcote, Maria Technological advances in digital video and videoconference technology around the early 2000s led a number of researchers to investigate the practicalities of using videoconferencing technology for instrumental music teaching in online and blended learning contexts. Technical and instructional strategies were developed and recommendations made concerning the use of desktop video and videoconferencing technology for instrumental music teaching. As a first step in examining the take up and refinement of such strategies and the extent to which research and practice in this field has advanced, this article presents a review of music education literature in conjunction with educational technology literature, with a particular focus on school and tertiary education settings in Australia. Past and present themes are compared in addressing the question: How are desktop video and video conference-mediated instrumental music teaching strategies being integrated in school and tertiary education settings in Australia'
Technological and pedagogical developments are identified along with remaining challenges. Recommendations are made for further research and development of new models for using videoconferencing and video technologies in conjunction with other learning technologies. These recommendations have implications for on-campus and online education in the context of schools and tertiary colleges.
Abstract: Barlow, Sarah Education in Australia is driven by measurement of progress. Music education, however, requires students to engage in creative and experiential tasks. This article will address the inevitable conflicts between these two by suggesting that measurements of student work in fine detail can be made within a practical and engaging classroom without resorting to traditional summative testing as the only means of data collection. The pedagogical approach addressed in this article will benefit from further systematic research; however, the initial anecdotal evidence shows that a wide range of data can be collected from a mixture of assessment types that are also engaging, therefore addressing both sides of the conflict. The added benefit is that these data collection tools are simple and quick to operate, even for those who are not formally trained in education. This means that all involved can focus on the important task of music-making, without spending class time recording and analysing data. The data collection tools may have positive impacts at an individual level to track student and teacher progress; at a curriculum level to develop best instruction; at a teaching cohort level to measure consistency; and at a policy level to fulfill the requirements of transparency and accountability.
Abstract: Stanhope, Jessica Background: University woodwind students commonly experience playing-related injuries, however little is known about musicians' beliefs and attitudes regarding playing-related injuries.
Objective: To investigate the beliefs and attitudes of university woodwind students regarding playing-related injuries, and the prevention strategies they use.
Methods: An online survey was sent to the woodwind students at a university. Descriptive statistics were used to report the data.
Results: All participants wanted to learn more about injury prevention, with practical teaching formats preferred. Participants most frequently recognised playing-related factors, such as having poor posture/ hand position, or playing with discomfort, as risk factors for playing-related injuries, with playing-related prevention strategies, such as warming up and having regular practice breaks, being most commonly utilised. Students generally recognised their susceptibility to playing-related injuries; however the potential impact of these was under-recognised. Many agreed with the proposed benefits of changing practice structure and posture/ hand position, as well as exercises, with some barriers identified.
Conclusion: This pilot study revealed that these students are likely to respond favourably to an injury prevention program which incorporates exercises, advice regarding posture/ hand position and practice structure, particularly if presented in practical formats.
Abstract: McCormack, Brittany A; Klopper, Christopher; Kitson, Lisbeth; Westerveld, Marleen Australia is a culturally and linguistically diverse country, with a large proportion of the population originating from non-English speaking countries. One of the significant challenges for non-English speakers living in Australia is the ability to verbally communicate in English. Twenty to 25% of children in Australian schools have English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D) (Commonwealth of Australia, 2016; Hammond, 2014). These students can struggle in the classroom as they both learn the English language, whilst being taught in the English language which they may have little to no working function knowledge (Kibler, Valdes, and Walqui, 2014). Further, intelligibility of communication can be affected as a result of poor pronunciation in the target language. This research investigated the potential of an eight-week music intervention, which drew upon principles of audiation from Gordon's Music Learning Theory, for developing pronunciation in students with EAL/D. Results indicated that five of the six student participants with EAL/D demonstrated improvements in their pronunciation when speaking in English as a result of the intervention. This research indicates positive correlations between the use of a specific music intervention drawing on principles of audiation and the development of pronunciation for students with EAL/D. Recommendations for future research in this area have been presented.
Abstract: Stevens, Robin S The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a tool for teaching and learning both in Australia and overseas is now very much taken for granted across all areas of learning and at all levels of education. But how did this addition to the range of pedagogical means and methods employed in music education come about'
This article is written from a dual perspective - as a music education historian and as an early adopter and promoter of technology-based approaches to music education in Australia. The first part of the article is largely autobiographical as I recount my experiences as a tertiary academic with reference to developments in technology infrastructure (hardware and software) and associated pedagogies.
In the second part, I refer to recent scholarly opinion on technology in music education and then reflect on future directions and possibilities. Although curricula produced by education authorities advocate the embedding of technology in all learning areas, the inclusion of ICT in curriculum guidelines has been described as 'an afterthought'. It is argued that adoption of technology-based approaches to music learning is reliant on two factors - adequate opportunities for ICT in teacher education, and individual teacher motivation and commitment.
Abstract: Robinson, Jennifer What are the characteristics of an inspiring music teacher' What do students value as important in the interaction and enjoyment of their music classes' This paper explores these questions through the lens of two experienced music educators who give insight into what they believe are the inspiring qualities of music teacher practice. The research comes from a larger study by the author (Robinson, 2015) and seeks to understand what is valued in music teacher practice. This paper reveals five characteristics of inspiring music teaching: knowledge with passion, the importance of connection through music, relational capacity, facilitating reflection and empowerment.
The results of this research reveal to music educators what can be transformational for students through their practice and shed light on what must be highlighted in music teacher education to develop teachers who will inspire.
Abstract: Forrest, David The paper, presented as the Jacinth Oliver Memorial Address at the ASME national conference in 2017 explores a range of issues in music, education and music education. Past addresses are explored in the framework of a series of preludes.
Abstract: Crooke, Alexander Hew Dale; Almeida, Cristina Moreno This article reports on the student benefits of a school-based Hip Hop and beat making program. While a significant amount of literature has reported the benefits of Hip Hop programs in North American schools, comparatively little is known about the benefits of such programs in the Australian context. Using an ethnographic approach, this study explored a two-day intensive Hip Hop music program delivered to nine secondary students in a Melbourne school. The study took an intentionally open and emergent approach in order to avoid preconceptions of potential benefits, and allow any unexpected benefits to emerge. Analysis also explored the elements of the program that appeared key to fostering identified benefits. While time limitations where seen to limit the potential of the program, results identified a number of student benefits, including school engagement, social connection, and personal development. Factors that were seen as key to these benefits included the presentation of facilitators, the ability for the program to link to students' musical preferences, the equipment and space, as well as the focus on Hip Hop culture itself. While more research is necessary to further explore these findings, they provide important evidence for the potential role that Hip Hop and beat making programs can play in Australian schools.
Abstract: Acker, Aleksandra; Jobson, Sarah; Nyland, Berenice This paper discusses the value of using video recordings to support reflective practice. We investigated how video can be used to revisit events to evaluate the teaching and learning experience. Video data were used in a child-initiated music project emerging from planned group activities by a music teacher. The quality of the children's engagement in the music group was viewed through an observation format that focused on levels of involvement. The context for the research consisted of formal structured music sessions. The video allowed us to identify responses from the children to the group activities and to interpret signs of shared in-depth learning. We unpack the video data by using the involvement rating scale from the early childhood observation scales, Reflect, Respect, Relate. Through this exercise we were able to observe and analyse examples of the children's musical understandings. We conclude that utilising video to retrospectively evaluate involvement has the potential to enhance understanding of the quality of learning.
Abstract: Blackburn, Alana Online education is becoming prevalent across the higher education sector and requires new approaches to teaching and learning. As music is seen as a 'hands on' discipline, there has been a very gradual move toward the use of online technologies in music teaching in tertiary education, especially in the area of performance studies. By surveying existing scholarly research, this article investigates the technology available to consider the possibility of teaching performance studies within a fully online environment. Today, music students are also required to develop meta-skills such as social networking, entrepreneurism, self-management, self-regulation, and self-reflection. Through a constructivist teaching and learning paradigm, this article explores how online technology in instrumental or performance studies can support and develop these essential proficiencies as well as continuing to develop technical skills. This study serves as a foundation for further systematic research, and a practical application for online music education.
Abstract: Griffiths, Mark Recent literature has challenged commonly held views of musical expression as a de facto measure of talent, or something that develops naturally and cannot be taught, suggesting instead that the importance of innate skill is often exaggerated and hinders a student's development. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of research detailing strategies that aid in developing the expressive skills of child and adolescent musicians, particularly pianists. With the aim of revealing such strategies, I conducted case studies with six of my pre-tertiary piano students as part of a reflective practice project, recording and analyzing their weekly lessons. Findings suggest that the implementation of an expressive gestural vocabulary might foster expressive skills, leading to more confident and fulfilling music making earlier in a student's development. The data also indicate that such an approach may not be appropriate at every stage of a student's learning trajectory, requiring modification when coaching with mindset, autonomy, practice methods, goal setting, and "learning how to learn" is more pressing. The research demonstrates the need to think beyond a one-size-fits-all approach in oneto- one studio teaching, a context where pedagogical lineage is often defended, leading to inflexibility and the exclusive adoption of the teach-as-taught approach within a master-apprentice framework.
Abstract: Norman, Timothy David This article compares and evaluates the music components of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the NSW Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus. To guide the analysis, this article employs Bernstein's (1971) concepts of classification and frame, and the two levels of 'best practice' in primary music education proposed by Jeanneret and Stevens-Ballenger (2013). Adoption of the PYP by schools has increased significantly throughout the past decade to the extent that it is now the most widely implemented of the four IB programs currently available in Australia (Kidson, Odhiambo, and Wilson, 2018). However, despite its growth in popularity, little research within Australia has focused on the PYP and even fewer, if any, studies have explored its implications for music education practice both nationally and internationally.
Abstract: Watson, Amanda The Victorian Institute of Teaching (the Institute) was established 1 January 2003, following the consultation and planning work of the Ministerial Advisory Council for the Victorian Institute of Teaching (MACVIT) in 2001-2002. Across Australia, each State and Territory established similar semi-government authorities invested with teacher registration and other responsibilities. The re-establishment of these groups followed a hiatus of about one decade when teacher registration boards had been previously closed. This paper focuses on the 'permission to teach' (PTT) aspect of the Institute's role, with a specific reference to the impact on instrumental music teachers working in Victorian schools.
Abstract: Garvis, Susanne; Barton, Georgina; Hartwig, Kay Music has been a subject offered in schools for some time across the globe. Students will often study music, alongside other arts subjects or as a stand-alone music course, during the primary school years and at selected times during secondary school. Despite music being an important subject within schooling, other subjects such as English, maths and science are often privileged over the arts. Most countries have their own music curriculum that describes the intended learning within music, however few studies have explored the similarities and differences of music curriculum across countries. In this study, we analyse the music curriculum of Australia and Sweden. We first present a brief history of music education in both countries and then analyse the music curriculum to reveal comparative aspects. Using content analysis, we were able to identify main themes in the curriculum content including making and responding to music, Indigenous musics, and health and safety. Comparative studies about curriculum are important for improved curriculum development as well as understanding the different knowledge and skills students are expected to learn in music from a global perspective.
Abstract: Russell, Helen As jazz study has become an established branch of the tertiary music landscape, disquiet has arisen in some quarters about the "mechanical" way in which improvisation is taught. This study examined the ways in which singing in an a cappella harmony group affected the improvisational abilities of tertiary level jazz students. Over three semesters, students participated in a method developed by the author known as "A cappella Ear Training" (AET). AET was used to test the author's assumption that learning to sing in harmony with other voices and without recourse to the mechanics of any instrument would improve the ability of the students to internalize the theoretical information with which they were being presented in all areas of the course. The research used a qualitative approach, and drew on data generated through participant-observation and interview techniques. Students were observed throughout the course, with the author making field notes on the practice of the class session. Further interviews with some participants were conducted to ascertain the students' perception of the AET approach. Analysis of the data confirmed that AET enabled the development of a theoretically informed practice whereby the participating students came to recognize concepts in practice and performance.
Abstract: White, Rachel This study sought to answer the following question: how is listening being taught in senior secondary music courses in schools across New South Wales (NSW), Australia' In New South Wales, the senior secondary music syllabuses set the expected outcomes for senior secondary students, and list the topics for study from which teachers must select. This affords teachers a degree of freedom regarding the selection of resources and source material. A grounded theory-based multiphase study, which included syllabus and exam paper analysis, was designed to investigate listening pedagogy in senior secondary music teaching. Fourteen teachers were interviewed regarding their approaches, techniques and the resources they used in their classroom, and how they understood and evaluated their students' listening skills. The interviews revealed that these music educators utilised a range of strategies and techniques when teaching analytical listening in the senior secondary music courses. Analysis of the interview data, in conjunction with detailed examination of the music listening literature and the NSW senior secondary Music syllabuses, led to the creation of the 'Systematic- Intuitive Continuum'. This continuum was devised as a means of representing each teacher's description of their pedagogy in relation to the two key influences on the teaching of music listening - the Higher School Certificate Aural written examination, and understandings of how best to develop student musicianship.
Abstract: Burke, Harry The narrowing of the school curriculum in the USA, the UK and Australia to support subjects of perceived economic importance has seen a renewed interest in the educational philosophy of John Dewey (1859-1952), (Elliott, 2012; Englund; 2016, Woodford, 2012). An ever-increasing number of secondary school students, especially in the USA, are now unable to pursue their aspirations in disciplines that are not considered essential learning, for example music and art education (Burke, 2015; Hansen and James, 2016). Progressive educators contend that if a more civilized and democratic society is to develop, the principles of democratic education delineated by Dewey in the first half of the twentieth century need to be reestablished in schools (Hansen and James, 2016). Current educational rationales give students very little opportunity to contribute to civic and community activities (Englund, Queennerstedt and Wahlstrom, 2009). Dissatisfaction with school music education in the USA, the UK and Australia to develop inclusive music policies in the recent past has seen a renewed interest by music educators and teachers in the work of Dewey (Elliott 2012; Dillon, 2005; Green, 2002; Woodford, 2014).
Abstract: Crawford, Renee Musical Futures is an informal approach to music education that was introduced into Australia as part of a pilot project in 2010. It is described as a "100% practical approach" (Musical Futures Australia, 2016a) that, "can be easily be tailored work in conjunction with any existing or future Australian music curricula" (Musical Futures, 2016b). Given the recent introduction of the Victorian Curriculum, it is timely to consider if this completely informal approach and the curriculum align through a comparative analysis. The role of a curriculum framework is to provide clearly defined learning outcomes that can be assessed to measure achievement learning levels or standards across a learning continuum. In 2017 the Victorian Curriculum F-10 replaced the AusVELS framework, the new curriculum "incorporates the Australian Curriculum and reflects Victorian standards and priorities" (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), 2016a). Using a constructivist framework that draws on Elliott's praxial philosophy of music education and development of musicianship (1995, 2005) a comparative curriculum analysis will determine to what extent an informal learning approach can meet curriculum requirements. The resource and policy documents 'Musical Futures: An Approach to Teaching and Learning' (D'Amore, 2009) and the 'Victorian Curriculum - Music Years' 7-10 (VCAA, 2016b) are used for analysis, and are the basis for outlining the associated curriculum and pedagogical considerations necessary for educators and curriculum authorities.
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