Traditional Music Learning : Traditional Music Learning
Celia Duffy & Fran Morton
National Centre for Research in the Performing Arts
__________________________________ Principal Investigator
Graham Welch
Co-Investigators
Celia Duffy
John Potter
Tony Whyton Collaborating Institutions
Institute of Education, University of London
Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama
University of York
Leeds College of Music
Aims & objectives of this presentation : Aims & objectives of this presentation
Learning traditional music within the formal context of the conservatoire
The BA (Scottish Music), teaching and learning and more informal learning methods
The artistic place of traditional music in a value-laden musical environment
Investigating Musical Performance : Investigating Musical Performance ESRC TLRP funded 2 year project (2006-2008)
4 research sites: RSAMD, University of York, Leeds College of Music & Institute of Education (London)
Western Classical, Scottish Traditional, Jazz and Popular Music
Mixture of qualitative and quantitative data such as questionnaire and statistical analyses, case studies using interviews and observation
Research for this presentation : Research for this presentation 1. Case study (January – June 2007) with 3 BA Scottish Music students:
3 in-depth interviews, 1 additional interview with each student
Observation of students’ musical performance (exams, recitals, gigs)
Video recording of lessons
2. Consultation with staff on the BA course
Spaces & Contexts of Learning [1] : Spaces & Contexts of Learning [1]
I've got two different types of group work. I've got group work in the Academy which is the Scottish Music class. Those rehearsals would be in the rehearsal rooms, RR11, or something like that, and coming up to the concert we'd have final sound checks and rehearsals in the Guinness Room. (S2)
I've played in the Guinness Room...and I think it's big enough...even when you mike it up it's still not really hurting your ears or too loud or anything, seems loud enough (S2)
Spaces & Contexts of Learning [1] : Spaces & Contexts of Learning [1] I like it [Rehearsal Room 11], because it's different. I prefer that to having a class in a lecture theatre … the reasons being if you have it in one of the rehearsal rooms it's a wee bit more sort of laid back,open, you know? In the Guinness Room it’s very formal. It's too much like, well…at least in the Rehearsal Room there's a wee bit more space to move about and a wee bit more laid back. I find it easier to learn in those classrooms than lecture theatres.(S2)
Spaces and Contexts of Learning [2] : Spaces and Contexts of Learning [2] Feeling out of place
R: What was it like when you came to the Academy and there were other students, from classical backgrounds, BMus students?
[S2 looks around at the BMus students in the café bar and laughs] To be honest with you I think its quite frustrating in some ways
R: How come?
S2: Because you tend to walk around the corridor and you hear the singers and they'll sing off their heads, but if I walk down the corridor with a practice chanter I'll get funny looks
R: Is that from BMus students?
S2: Teachers, students, the lot
R: Not Scottish music students?
S2: No, they’re all right.
Spaces and Contexts [3] : Spaces and Contexts [3] Territory
I like to think the whole building is my territory, I'm a
student here, you know?
Do you feel part of the Scottish music department when you're
there, like you were saying it's not really much of a place to
be?
No, it's not a place to be. I only see it like that because some
of the classes are held in those 4 rooms down there, but I'd
like to think that I can just go anywhere in the Academy, I've
every right to, I'm a student here, you know.
Teaching & Learning Scottish Music : Teaching & Learning Scottish Music The HE-ness of the curriculum
The course is actually fantastic for preparing you for so many different things. We do history, we do folklore, it’s not just abut music […] it’s about the culture and the people and the community too, because you learn about our history and folklore and tales that came along with the music […] we also do Business Studies so that we can do our accounts and […] organisational skills, performance studies preparing you for performance; sound resources so that if you wanted to do technical stuff you can do that, it’s so well-rounded you’ve got so many options […] And then the teaching electives prepare you to teach in a classroom if you want to do that. (S1)
Teaching & Learning Scottish Music (2) : Teaching & Learning Scottish Music (2)
I wouldn’t call this course a Scottish music course, I would call it a traditional music course (S2)
… you get to work with a whole variety of different people. Total cosmopolitan in this place, it’s fantastic. And because there’s […] Opera and the Drama, if you want to, a lot of people don’t, but if you get the opportunity to and you take the opportunity, you can work with classical musicians as well. A lot of Scottish musicians won’t agree with me here but I’d say, as you draw on influences from all different Scottish performers, you can also draw on influences from classical music, jazz, rock, pop and all different things, and I really enjoyed working with some of the classical musicians. I do a lot of stuff with an opera singer. (S1) : … you get to work with a whole variety of different people. Total cosmopolitan in this place, it’s fantastic. And because there’s […] Opera and the Drama, if you want to, a lot of people don’t, but if you get the opportunity to and you take the opportunity, you can work with classical musicians as well. A lot of Scottish musicians won’t agree with me here but I’d say, as you draw on influences from all different Scottish performers, you can also draw on influences from classical music, jazz, rock, pop and all different things, and I really enjoyed working with some of the classical musicians. I do a lot of stuff with an opera singer. (S1)
Teaching : Teaching … an ideal teacher for me – someone who’s going to stretch me. Because I’m at a university and I want something that’s really difficult actually…I can go and get easy pieces myself no problem – Scottish music does that a lot actually, there’s loads of collections and stuff like that, I can arrange a piece fine. I want something that’s really hard that I can get my teeth into and I want someone who is influenced by loads of different styles so that they can give me that, they can transfer onto me, rather than someone who’s only interested in one style. (S1)
…in his [teacher’s] lessons he doesn’t really teach me how to play as such, he teaches me how to listen and take on board everything, and he’s got the attitude of: just keep yourself musical, you know you don’t necessarily have to fall into the trap of playing everything by the book. […] especially when you look at collections and there’s like about 5 marches, and you realise that these marches came from songs that sound completely different, and you’ve got to really open your eyes and I think he helped me to do that a lot […] if you want to classify yourself as a musician, the way I look at it is: you’re a musician, you’re not a clone, you’re not a robot, you’re yourself, so just do whatever…you know? (S2) : …in his [teacher’s] lessons he doesn’t really teach me how to play as such, he teaches me how to listen and take on board everything, and he’s got the attitude of: just keep yourself musical, you know you don’t necessarily have to fall into the trap of playing everything by the book. […] especially when you look at collections and there’s like about 5 marches, and you realise that these marches came from songs that sound completely different, and you’ve got to really open your eyes and I think he helped me to do that a lot […] if you want to classify yourself as a musician, the way I look at it is: you’re a musician, you’re not a clone, you’re not a robot, you’re yourself, so just do whatever…you know? (S2)
Informal Learning : Informal Learning Formal learning takes place in education and training institutions, leading
to recognised diplomas and qualifications.
Non-formal learning takes place alongside the mainstream systems of
education and training and does not typically lead to formalised
certificates. lt can also be provided through organisations or services that
have been set up to complement formal systems (such as arts, music and
sports classes or private tutoring to prepare for examinations).
Informal learning is a natural accompaniment to everyday life. Unlike
formal and non-formal learning, informal learning is not necessarily
intentional learning, and so may well not be recognised even by individuals
themselves as contributing to their knowledge and skills.
European Commission/Youth Music UK terminology
Informal Learning : Informal Learning I think there’s loads of different ways to practice, because you can practice Scottish music by going along to a session and playing … it’s not like you’re sitting down for a practice session, and especially for me, playing 2 accompaniment instruments, that’s really important practice, because it’s developing different chord ideas, and it’s there you can start experimenting with different chord sequences, different riffs, you can throw them in there and it doesn’t matter what happens – if it goes wrong it doesn’t matter.
So that’s important practice for me, but also the sitting down and practising a piece is for your exams. (S1)
Spaces and Times of Informal Learning (Student 1) : Spaces and Times of Informal Learning (Student 1) At home – domestic spaces
back to the flat and have a tune, and you learn more as well.
Commercial and public spaces
there’s loads of different things, and some of them just pop out of nowhere like there will maybe be a concert […] those tend to be really impromptu just out the blue, someone will sing a song and I’ll say oh can I learn it! And I just learn it. Or at a gig afterwards… The social community
That’s so important I think. I just […] music is so much more what I’ve said is about the community, and learning about, […] of what I think is important is about learning off of other people’s stuff, so I go and search for it quite a lot of the time, [but] I find […] people know, it’s common knowledge.
Performing the informal in the formal
I don’t get to play in the sessions very often unfortunately because of the instruments that I play and so, informal … normally getting together for a tune – I love getting together for a tune. If we have an hour spare in the Academy, me and [fiddle player] will go and find a practice room and we’ll say, ‘oh I learnt this tune the other week’, and teach it to each other, and also in group work, because there’s no tutors there, most of the time it’s informal, we learn tunes off each other there as well, and different chord sequences and stuff like that. It’s very informal. And then, maybe after a party.
From the Dundalk (DKIT) course handbook : From the Dundalk (DKIT) course handbook An understanding of the artistic heritage, history and performing traditions of Ireland, and their dissemination
Political, social and artistic dimensions of music production and consumption
Be aware of their artistic place in the spectrum of value-laden criteria which comprise music genres
Understand the social and artistic significance of cultural boundaries within and between music styles and genres
You had this opportunity to go into a music department and suddenly you could learn the flute or the fiddle, or the pipes, and I signed up for the whole lot of them! [laughs] Every one! Oh this was great! So you had Matt Cranitch teaching you the fiddle and then there was Hammy Hamilton on the flute and Mary Mitchell on pipes. I was trying them all and then, you know, to be able to do fieldwork projects on traditional music. And there was an Irish traditional music society there at the time and there was weekly sessions (Paul McGettrick, DKIT on UCC) : You had this opportunity to go into a music department and suddenly you could learn the flute or the fiddle, or the pipes, and I signed up for the whole lot of them! [laughs] Every one! Oh this was great! So you had Matt Cranitch teaching you the fiddle and then there was Hammy Hamilton on the flute and Mary Mitchell on pipes. I was trying them all and then, you know, to be able to do fieldwork projects on traditional music. And there was an Irish traditional music society there at the time and there was weekly sessions (Paul McGettrick, DKIT on UCC)
Attitudes and Awareness : Attitudes and Awareness I think what they [students] are learning…probably an understanding and respect of the music. I think we're lucky in this department from the top down. There's an equal respect for genres of music, and in Ireland it's not something we've had. We've had very strong classical music to the exclusion of traditional music, and in some courses, traditional music with no knowledge of classical. And I think here we're working to the benefit of all
Gerry O’Connor, DKIT
Concluding Remarks : Concluding Remarks What can be learnt from the inclusion of traditional music in a conventional conservatoire setting?
Does it break down previous perceptions and attitudes about conservatoires?
What are the values and merits?
How does teaching Scottish music in a conservatoire benefit the tradition?
Are we getting it right?