The fifth and final day of ISME proved to be very meaningful. I attended a morning session given by Evan Tobias of Arizona State University. I had spoken with Evan earlier in the week at our poster session where he was interested in the use of the Launchpad/Ableton Live and how they were being incorporated into my school classes. His workshop dealt with the framework of 'participatory culture' in music education and exploring ways of moving beyond a 'presentation paradigm' (teaching & rehearsing music to be presented or performed), to be expanded to become more participatory. He has done work with his graduate students using digital technology to explore a 'remix' culture that could allow for a blurred curricular structure where typical school music courses may not have to fit into "boxes" (large ensembles, theory, aural skills, etc.) and could instead become 'hybridized'. His presentation was outstanding and echoed many of the thoughts I have about the holistic role digital technologies can play empowering a culture of collaboration within and between schools. There were many more specifics about his presentation that really resonated with me. After his session, we had a wonderful conversation over coffee, sharing many of our educational and musical experiences. In fact, he told me about how much he used to enjoy going to the 'Knitting Factory' and 'Tonic', two music clubs in New York that showcased music that was always on the cutting edge. I frequented those clubs, took students there, and developed a great affinity for the music that flourished in that scene. I am thrilled to have connected with Evan and to become familiar with the kind of work and thinking he is doing. We shared some interest in collaborating in the future, and I am looking forward to continuing a dialogue with him. Great stuff!
Following his session was a panel presentation that examined the relevance of music education programs in higher education. On the panel were Graća Mota (Portugal), José-Luis Aróstegui (Spain), Sergio Figueiredo (Brazil), and Cathy Benedict & Patrick Schmidt (Florida International University, US). This was a very thought-provoking session, taking a critical look at the challenges facing collegiate music education programs. Graća discussed the problems in Portugal in getting a job in music education, and is concerned about the lack of desire there will be to get a degree in music ed if there are no available jobs. Cathy looked at the reasons students decide to go back to school to pursue additional study in music (to learn new approaches due to lack of satisfaction in current positions, musicians looking for something else, to get a grad degree to earn more money, or a desire for personal growth). She also presented a critical view of the way institutions align (or not) with NASM (National Association of Schools of Music), and how although many feel constrained to particular paradigms because of NASM, many may be leveraging those constraints by complaining rather than being proactive. She led to a key point, "Curricular change is meaningless if pedagogical discourse stays the same." She talked about how 'rules' are present in so many aspects of what we do--spoken and unspoken "policies" that undermine the humanity of what we do. She suggested that without first looking at a change in that discourse, curricular change will become irrelevant and that we should strive to establish a pedagogy of relevance that transcends curricular parameters. Very impressive work.
José discussed the consequences of the European Union on education in Spain and how the number of years of required education to receive undergrad and grad degrees in Spain now varies from region to region, making consistency between programs and the value of degrees extremely hard to measure. He presented concerns about the lack of specialists in music, over-standardizing, the 'recipe-like' nature of training pre-service teachers, and the lack a tradition and funding for research in music education in higher ed. Patrick Schmidt (a former colleague of mine at Westminster Choir College) presented about the continued need to examine the frameworks through which we examine policy and discourse. He raised concerns about the possibility of a syllabus "freezing" what we do in our courses and the need to move away from a mindset of unidirectionality--one way of working/thinking/acting. He expressed a need to examine the policies that 'systematize' our institutions and the importance of pre-service teachers--rather than just learning basic skills and methods--to learn a sense of personal agency, particularly in terms of critically examining policy. Sergio spoke about the educational challenges in Brazil. Although there is a compulsory arts requirement (since 2008), it is not specific with regard to what kind of art or how much--singing the national anthem once a week in class may constitute fulfilling the arts requirement. He explained that only 30% of music education graduates end up teaching in schools--few jobs, poor salaries, etc. And like some of the others on the panel, expressed concern over the music ed world not being proactive with regard to policy. It was an especially engaging panel, raising tough questions. The follow-up Q&A with the attendees was also outstanding.
I took the afternoon away from the conference in order to do some souvenir shopping for the family. The weather stayed quite cold, dipping into the 30s by nightfall. It feels odd saying that I am looking forward to being back in the warmth of New England!
I make my trip home on Saturday/Sunday--about 24 hours of travel time, layovers included. As wonderful as my trip has been, I am very much looking forward to being back with my family.
Needless to say, my experience in Brazil has been especially meaningful and thought-provoking. I look forward to having time to decompress, reflect, and 'unpack' all I have taken in. And I am especially looking forward to continuing a dialogue with many of the new friends I met here. There may be some new collaborations on the horizon!
Meus mais profundos agradecimentos a Pingree escola para ajudar a tornar esta experiência acontecer. Estou ansioso para compartilhar mais com todos vocês quando eu voltar. Adeus, Brasil!
Following his session was a panel presentation that examined the relevance of music education programs in higher education. On the panel were Graća Mota (Portugal), José-Luis Aróstegui (Spain), Sergio Figueiredo (Brazil), and Cathy Benedict & Patrick Schmidt (Florida International University, US). This was a very thought-provoking session, taking a critical look at the challenges facing collegiate music education programs. Graća discussed the problems in Portugal in getting a job in music education, and is concerned about the lack of desire there will be to get a degree in music ed if there are no available jobs. Cathy looked at the reasons students decide to go back to school to pursue additional study in music (to learn new approaches due to lack of satisfaction in current positions, musicians looking for something else, to get a grad degree to earn more money, or a desire for personal growth). She also presented a critical view of the way institutions align (or not) with NASM (National Association of Schools of Music), and how although many feel constrained to particular paradigms because of NASM, many may be leveraging those constraints by complaining rather than being proactive. She led to a key point, "Curricular change is meaningless if pedagogical discourse stays the same." She talked about how 'rules' are present in so many aspects of what we do--spoken and unspoken "policies" that undermine the humanity of what we do. She suggested that without first looking at a change in that discourse, curricular change will become irrelevant and that we should strive to establish a pedagogy of relevance that transcends curricular parameters. Very impressive work.
José discussed the consequences of the European Union on education in Spain and how the number of years of required education to receive undergrad and grad degrees in Spain now varies from region to region, making consistency between programs and the value of degrees extremely hard to measure. He presented concerns about the lack of specialists in music, over-standardizing, the 'recipe-like' nature of training pre-service teachers, and the lack a tradition and funding for research in music education in higher ed. Patrick Schmidt (a former colleague of mine at Westminster Choir College) presented about the continued need to examine the frameworks through which we examine policy and discourse. He raised concerns about the possibility of a syllabus "freezing" what we do in our courses and the need to move away from a mindset of unidirectionality--one way of working/thinking/acting. He expressed a need to examine the policies that 'systematize' our institutions and the importance of pre-service teachers--rather than just learning basic skills and methods--to learn a sense of personal agency, particularly in terms of critically examining policy. Sergio spoke about the educational challenges in Brazil. Although there is a compulsory arts requirement (since 2008), it is not specific with regard to what kind of art or how much--singing the national anthem once a week in class may constitute fulfilling the arts requirement. He explained that only 30% of music education graduates end up teaching in schools--few jobs, poor salaries, etc. And like some of the others on the panel, expressed concern over the music ed world not being proactive with regard to policy. It was an especially engaging panel, raising tough questions. The follow-up Q&A with the attendees was also outstanding.
I took the afternoon away from the conference in order to do some souvenir shopping for the family. The weather stayed quite cold, dipping into the 30s by nightfall. It feels odd saying that I am looking forward to being back in the warmth of New England!
I make my trip home on Saturday/Sunday--about 24 hours of travel time, layovers included. As wonderful as my trip has been, I am very much looking forward to being back with my family.
Needless to say, my experience in Brazil has been especially meaningful and thought-provoking. I look forward to having time to decompress, reflect, and 'unpack' all I have taken in. And I am especially looking forward to continuing a dialogue with many of the new friends I met here. There may be some new collaborations on the horizon!
Meus mais profundos agradecimentos a Pingree escola para ajudar a tornar esta experiência acontecer. Estou ansioso para compartilhar mais com todos vocês quando eu voltar. Adeus, Brasil!
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