Faculty of Education - Theses
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 8 of 8
-
ItemFlute forum : a discussion of ideas related to teaching the flute( 1994)This book presents a variety of ideas related to the teaching of the flute. Sixteen flute teachers at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education were interviewed on a range of subjects. The seven chapters cover the following topics: - the history of the Australian flute world - approaches and philosophies to teaching - selecting a student - organisation of the teaching environment - teaching obsessions - the mechanics of flute teaching, including breathing, tone, vibrato, high notes, embouchure and technique - some student viewpoints - stage fright and stress in music - orchestral and tertiary repertoire, auditions, career options and advice - flute playing in the year 2000 Each chapter is interspersed with interviewees' comments, prefaced by an introduction and supplied with additional information by the author.
-
ItemAesthetics and general music education at primary levels( 1996)The aim of this research has been to develop educational resources which would contribute to any philosophical curriculum designed to stimulate children to reflect on their aesthetic experiences in music. The work is intended to be of value to primary school educators, particularly those working in philosophy with an interest in musical aesthetics, and those in general music education working to empower their students as music makers. I considered how providing children with direction, modelling, time and opportunity for philosophical reflection on their musical practices would enhance their musicality. I referred to material that Gary King and I developed in private preschool music classes, Artists-in-Schools projects under Arts Victoria, and in children's workshops for the Victorian Gifted and Talented Association. This material had proven useful in empowering children to express themselves creatively through music, dance, gesture and story, rather than circumscribing them as passive consumers of music. My philosophical background is shaped by the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein. For pedagogical purposes I appealed to the work of Carl Orff in music education and Matthew Lipman in philosophical education. Following Howard Gardner I drew on current ethnomusicological and psychological research, and the testimonies of composers describing the domain of musicality. The theoretical background of this thesis makes use of distinctions between 'person', 'domain' and 'field' as elaborated by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi. The project culminated in the development of some educational resources designed to stimulate children to reflect on aesthetic problems arising in the context of their musical experiences. Further work may focus on refining and publishing a handbook of exercises of this kind for use in Primary Classrooms.
-
ItemStudents' participation, motivation and commitment to extra-curricular music( 1994)Students involved in the major extra-curricular activities of sport, music, drama and debating, the staff co-ordinators of these activities and the Principal, Vice-principal or Director of Studies at three Independent girls' schools of similar socio-economic standing, size and proximity in Victoria, were surveyed in 1992 to identify practices and influences on participation, motivation and commitment. Weiner's (1974) Attribution Theory was the initial basis on which the study was derived and Professor Edward P. Asmus's studies on motivation in music in the curriculum in American schools provided .a foundation on which to commence the research. 272 female students encompassing Years 7 to 12 were selected from the groups which the co-ordinators of each extra-curricular area ranked as having the highest, second highest, third highest and lowest status within each school. The data observes the overall responses of the three schools and also the schools' individual responses, thus allowing a comparison between them. Intrinsic and external determinants were identified as the student's perception of her own ability, the effort the student makes in an activity, the enjoyment the student gets from an activity, recognition and awards, the duration of an activity, the performance opportunities available, the achievement and success of a group, the role of the staff leader, student leadership, the difficulty of a task, the workload at Years 11 and 12, the means of travelling to and from practices and when practices are held. The outcomes of the research indicate that the participation in an extra-curricular music activity requires a much greater level of commitment than does commitment to the other extracurricular areas and that extra-curricular music introduces students to adult concepts. The findings also stress the importance of the role of the conductor not only in working directly with the ensemble but in the promotion of it. The enjoyment of an extra-curricular activity was strongly cited by students as their reason for joining and staying in the particular activity. Implications of these results and recommendations for further research were then discussed.
-
ItemAn investigation into students' perceptions of the use of technology as a teaching tool in the music classroom( 2000)Music Technology is an increasingly important focus in the compulsory music classroom programs of secondary schools but limited research has been undertaken on how it impacts on student learning. This study focuses on students' experiences and perceptions of Music Technology within an independent, coeducational college. It has not been the intention of the study to compare the effectiveness of Music Technology against traditional classroom techniques but rather highlight possible teaching applications when integrated into an established music program. Hence, the study has attempted to develop an approach to the use of Music Technology in the classroom environment. A review of past and current research showed that there is a dearth of material that shows technology to be the 'ultimate' teaching tool that writers of many technology programs claim. Problems included a lack of longitudinal research and investigation undertaken with limited types of technology 'software'. General learning, theory were discussed as a means of developing ideas as to how learning technologies might be used in the classroom environment. Data for the investigation took the form of questionnaires, structured interviews, participant observation and recorded lessons. From this data five themes were recognised, based on how students felt the technology was impacting on their classroom experiences. In summary, these were: 1. With regard to effective learning in a Music Technology Laboratory, students preferred activities involving a degree of structure. 2. Students recognised the inability of the technology to actually teach them anything at all, however, they were aware that technology is a useful aid in the learning of music. 3. Students recognised the differences/ similarities between the Music Technology Laboratory and the traditional classroom environment and how this affected their learning. 4. Students did not recognise gender as being a factor in their ability or inability to be successful using Music Technology. 5. Students were generally positive about Music Technology. Music Technology can be a powerful tool when correctly used within the music classroom. This study tries to identify, from both student responses and the experiences of the researcher, ways that Music Technology can be used in order that effective learning can take place. Parallels are drawn from the learning theories of Vygotsky and Bruner and related to the experiences a student might have in a Music Technology Laboratory. A major focus for this study proposes the teacher as being a key element in the successful use of Music Technology and how this cannot be underestimated in the overall implementation of a successful program. The quality and relevance of the technical and professional support must also be of a high standard at all stages of Music Technology implementation.
-
Item"They think it's girl's stuff": gender issues surrounding playing the violin at lower primary and lower secondary levels( 1995)Recent research in Arts education has focussed on the influence that gender has in terms of boys' and girls' participation. This study, drawing from Post-structuralist feminist theories, looks specifically at students' beliefs about playing the violin, and the subsequent restrictions to participation, particularly by boys, that may be influenced by gendered attitudes. Students from lower primary and lower secondary levels were interviewed. The results confirmed previous research that identifies two significant areas: school subject hierarchy, and the labelling of the Arts as 'feminine'. Music, and specifically violin, held a very low position in the hierarchy of subjects. While this did not influence a student's involvement in lower primary years, students in lower secondary years favoured subjects that they felt had specific career relevance. Furthermore, playing the violin was identified by students from Year Three to Year Eight as being associated with the 'feminine'. This association directly confronted the gender identity of boys who chose to play the violin. However, a number of contradictory findings arose, where students' involvement in playing the violin, irrespective of their gender, was positively celebrated. Firstly, this seemed to occur where students showed clear talent at playing, supporting the idea that a 'genius culture' exists. Students were proud to receive recognition from peers, teachers and family for both the hard work, and perhaps natural talent that achieved satisfying musical results. Secondly, a student's popularity was inversely related.to the amount and nature of teasing they suffered for participation in a subject that was labelled 'feminine'. Students who were popular, received much less teasing.
-
ItemTeaching synthesizer performance: issues for an instrumental music program for synthesizer( 1994)This paper is an examination of issues involved in teaching the synthesizer as a musical instrument. It formulates and explores areas of study which could form the foundation for a synthesizer curriculum and explores methodologies which have been successful in synthesizer teaching. It is set in a context where synthesizer teaching is beginning to be institutionalised in Victoria, Australia, and considers what effects this is having, or may have, on training synthesizer performers who have traditionally been self-taught. The study is based upon literature in electronic music and music education, on interviews with expert synthesizer performers, and on case studies of synthesizer teaching from secondary and tertiary institutions. This paper draws upon these sources to identify important areas of study and issues which should be considered by those concerned with synthesizer teaching.
-
ItemMusic teaching in Victorian state primary schools in relation to teacher training( 1977)For many years now there has been considerable discussion on the inadvisability of expecting the primary school classroom teacher to shoulder the responsibility for the music education of the children in his charge. The early history of state education in Victoria shows that this task was originally considered to lie in the specialist's domain, and it was only an economic expedient of the 1890's that caused it to become the responsibility of the classroom teacher. The consequences of this move are revealed in the general lack of music education in our primary schools today. Research shows that the average teacher trainee does not possess the basic skills and abilities necessary for teacher-education courses to equip him to teach music in the classroom effectively. Courses of study in music also tend to be highly specialised and make the assumption that primary teachers have the competence to make them operable. Because most classroom teachers do not have this competence, and cannot reasonably be expected to acquire it, the courses are not taught, and what music experiences are provided are spasmodic and often of doubtful value. Nevertheless, classroom teachers do see that music has a value in primary education and show a desire to be involved in its instruction. They do not, however, want to have to shoulder the full responsibility, and see a need for guidance in the form of specialist assistance and a course of study which recognises their limited abilities. In searching for a solution, it seems that no good purpose will be served in pursuing the old generalist/specialist argument, for the problem appears not to be parochial in nature, but rather to extend over the whole gamut of primary education. As a consequence the commonly accepted notion of the classroom teacher as an intellectual factotum having to teach all subjects to all his pupils needs serious questioning. What is required is a resolution which decreases the number of subject areas for which the primary teacher is expected to assume responsibility, while at the same time permitting him to develop and make use of a high degree of expertise in one special field.
-
ItemWhy play jazz?: an investigation into meaning of participation in a primary school music ensemble( 2000)This study investigates the meaning which students find through membership of a music ensemble. As teacher-researcher data was collected from interviews, rehearsals and performances. The work is based on observation of thirteen members of a primary school jazz ensemble. The case studies are presented in a narrative style focussing on individual students. The reports have been grouped according to similarities in their responses. The study identifies five main factors which give meaning to music making for individual members of the ensemble. It then draws some inferences for making music meaningful for students.