Velblen, K., Elisha Jo, H., & Messenger, S.J. (2016). Teaching the Supreme Art: Pre-Service Teacher Perceptions of Creative Opportunities in the Higher Education Music Class. Retrieved from https://owl.uwo.ca/portal/site/e3740f86-3f74-47bf-ae8c-dc0003a3ff54/ tool/efa1f8c5-1f9c-4e92-9558-d5ccdf7694c8?panel=Main
The article being discussed had many interesting points. For example, in a 2014 study it was found that when an elementary music teacher was going to introduce improvisation it would be through three main ways; 1) spontaneous rhythm patterns 2) melodic improvisation on pitched percussion 3) call and response singing. According to the author, “These teachers stated they were most interested in the quality of the improvisational process rather than with the product and indicated that sequencing was crucial in the instruction of improvisation”. I found this rather interesting because in a gig you’re not always going to figure out a cool solo, write it down, then perform it the same every time. Those great musical moments come from players who improvise on the spot. It’s good to see them focusing on that fundamental process because once it is second nature a whole new set of musical doors will open. I found it quite surprising that classical music majors disagreed with formal teaching of improvisation. The article said, “Previous studies have found that music majors questioned the value of creative work in formal schooling”. This is hard to believe because in my opinion improvisation is one of the main aspects that makes us musicians. If you are at a tavern and a spontaneous jam pops up you do not want to be that person who pulls out their sheet music. As a percussionist I find these scenarios the perfect opportunity to try out new ideas and have fun musically. Whether that’s on my cajòn, bodhran, or drum set (when we can fit it in!). This leads into a passage from page 9. It talked about a musician who practices their principle instrument rigorously but when they go home it is the guitar or ukulele that the love to play for fun. Why can’t this be the case with our principle instrument too? If we practice improvisation and completely new skills but with a ‘jumping in’ and a 'having fun with it’ kind of attitude we could develop a brand new excitement about it! (not that doing this on guitar or ukulele isn’t fantastic). Something I found frustrating was it never discussed long term goals. The main goal/point mentioned was to gain the child’s interest, hopefully they’ll stick with music classes because it is fun. But what about using this as a transferable skill? In grade 1 and 2 we learn about adding and subtracting, so why can’t we have this as our baseline for future musical studies. If I wanted to say anything to the author it would be on page 14 it says creativity in the classroom is directly related to intelligence. I feel like this is too broad of a statement. I would love to see it discuss more about which type of improvisation we should encourage in the classroom. There needs to be certain guidelines that will foster a young students mind, therefore leading to independent thinking, being able to self reflect, or be creative in other areas of their lives as well as many other academic strengths.
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