Expanding horizons - ensemble improvisation on 20th-century classical music (video article)
(2024)
author(s): Peter Knudsen
connected to: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
published in: Research Catalogue
This video article presents two pedagogical applications of the artistic research project "Expanding Horizons" for ensembles with adult music students of diverse musical backgrounds. The project is centered around practical explorations of applying improvisation to repertoire from 20th-century Western classical music, in combination with qualitative methods such as autoethnography, participant-observation and semi-structured interviews.
The examples in the video demonstrates how approaches that are developed in the project can be applied to pedagogical situations, based on ensemble workshops with musicians of different musical orientations enrolled in music performance programmes in Sweden, one with university-level students in a bachelor programme and another with students at a folk high school.
Two pieces were selected and adapted for these situations: Lili Boulanger’s Cortége (1914) and Maurice Ravel’s String quartet in F, movement II (1903). During the workshops, these pieces were then re-worked in a collaborative manner, with an emphasis on mutual exploration and musical expressivity through improvisation. The main pedagogical considerations were: selecting the appropriate repertoire, adapting materials for diverse learners, and fostering agency among performers. Although the improvisational approaches presented are rooted in jazz performance practice, the examples demonstrate how improvisational frameworks can be adapted for music students across musical genres, showcasing the potential for creativity, collaboration and interdisciplinary learning in music education.
EXPLORING THE ARTISTIC LEGACY OF WILLIAM GILLOCK: JAZZ EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PRACTICES IN THE MODERN ERA
(2024)
author(s): Angelina Tarlovskaia
published in: Research Catalogue
This paper explores the artistic legacy of William Gillock through a practice-based lens, focusing on his influence on jazz education and contemporary musical practices. As a composer and educator, Gillock’s work has been instrumental in shaping modern jazz pedagogy.
The study reflects on my own pedagogical practice and its relationship to Gillock’s methods, examining how his compositional techniques and teaching strategies continue to inform my approach to jazz instruction. By engaging with Gillock’s work in practical contexts, I highlight how his contributions foster the development of technical proficiency and expressive artistry among students. This reflection underscores the enduring relevance of Gillock's innovations, as they continue to inspire and shape the growth of the jazz community today, ensuring that his legacy remains central to the evolution of jazz education and performance.
How (not) to write a B♭ french horn beginners method book
(2024)
author(s): Isabelle Roelofs
Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
Name: Isabelle Roelofs
Main subject: Master Natural Horn
Research supervisor: Daniel Salbert
Title: How (not) to write a Bb French Horn beginners method book
Research question: How (not) to write a Bb French Horn beginners method book
Summary of the results: As a horn teacher, I realize that the existing Dutch method books seem not to be written from the perspective of a beginning, young horn player. They show little consideration for the specific physical abilities of children at a young age when learning to play the horn, probably because those methods are mostly not written by a horn player. Therefore, I have researched the do's and don'ts behind writing a method book.
If playing the exercises in a method is not physically feasible, it can lead to frustration for the student, which, in my opinion, is detrimental to the learning process. I have always learned that moments of success are crucial for the development and maintenance of motivation. I find these moments of success lacking in existing Dutch-language horn methods. I also believe that they progress too quickly to emphasize reading notation. I notice that my own students often prioritize correctness over musicality.
I have critically examined and compared the available Dutch horn method books. Additionally, I interviewed fellow horn teachers to gather their perspectives. Furthermore, I attended a lesson for young horn players at BASIS (Royal Conservatory of the Hague) where auditory learning takes precedence.
I am not the first to consider writing my own method. Other horn teachers have embarked on this journey, each with their unique motivations. My research has revealed that I am not the only one who has critical thoughts about the existing horn method books. A significant part of the interviewed teachers also emphasized this same point.
Based on the obtained results, I have outlined the initial steps that, in my opinion, are necessary for a starting young horn player, along with the corresponding range of tones.
Biography:
Isabelle Roelofs, an accomplished horn player and dedicated music teacher, earned degrees in French Horn and Music Education from Codarts University. Graduating with honors from the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp, she is currently pursuing a Master's in Natural Horn at The Hague Conservatory with Teunis van der Zwart. Isabelle is the founder of Belle Musique (2018), where she imparts her musical knowledge through personalized horn lessons, shaping the future of horn players step by step.
Music Education Through Autobiographical Digital Storytelling (METADS) at the 14th SAR International Conference on Artistic Research
(2023)
author(s): Jeffrey Cobbold
published in: Research Catalogue
METADS stands for “Music Education Through Autobiographical Digital Storytelling”. It’s a special initiative for furthering interdisciplinary arts thinking and production that is inspired by music. METADS’ history started in 2017 with Jeffrey Cobbold’s musically rich digital audio sermon album focused on his autobiographical story as a music educator. Included in the sermon are observational digital stories of various music students, which offer approaches to confronting fear through various modes of truth-telling.
In 2020 METADS was mastered by audio engineer Johnny O, who also sang on the song "JOURNAL PROMPT" on the METADS album. The album’s cover art was created by graphic designer Lauren Meyer. In 2021 METADS expanded into a visual art project through Cobbold’s invitation to Meyer to create visualizations for the digital audio sermon album into a comprehensive visual guide/coloring book. Meyer’s involvement in METADS has furthered its progression toward interdisciplinary arts thinking and production inspired by music and storytelling.
For the 14th SAR International Conference on Artistic Research, METADS makes an urgent appeal for music educators and musicians to tend to the stewardship of their relationships in music through the creation of their own autobiographical digital stories, offering them as artistic research in this sensitive area of our musical lives. This is an effort to improve professional practice through investigation of relational fears and the expression of rare relational truths that are often concealed or neglected. METADS also seeks to appeal to the non-musician at the conference who engages in personal storytelling inspired by music or other mediums with a concern for the moral fabric of their creative relationships.
Effects of visual instructions in one-on-one violin lessons
(2021)
author(s): Mauro Smorto
published in: KC Research Portal
Starting from my personal teaching experience, I have been studying the effect of visual instructions on my violin pupils.
With a detailed analysis of the interactions between students and teacher and the help of 36 observation sheets, I could finally see the effects of enhancing visuals on student’s musical learning.
All conclusions were drawn after taking into account specific studies mentioned in the theoretical framework and with respect to the observations made by three external experts.
This research found further evidence of the link between visualization and critical thinking as well.
From Aural Teaching to Musical Literacy in the Elementary Horn Class
(2017)
author(s): Klaske de Haan
published in: KC Research Portal
Name: Klaske de Haan
Main Subject: Master Music Education According to the Kodály concept.
Research Supervisors: Suzanne Konings and Herman Jeurissen
Title of research:
From Aural Teaching to Musical Literacy in the Elementary Horn Class
First steps to a Kodály inspired horn method.
Research Question:
How to develop a methodology for the beginning horn player, from an aural approach to musical literacy?
Summary of Results:
The Netherlands and Germany are almost the only countries where children start playing the B flat horn instead of the F horn because of the rich culture of wind bans. There are almost no horn methods based on the harmonics of the B flat horn. The traditional instrumental music lesson is mainly based on reproducing: a certain image on paper matches a fitting fingering thus producing the matching sound. When the sound is not matching the image than the teacher corrects this sound. I noticed that the children could play well when playing by themselves, but when they played together with other instruments they could easily play the whole phrase on the wrong pitch (wrong harmonics) but with the right fingerings. The horn is an instrument based on harmonic overtone series. Finding the logical steps on the valves of the horn is very difficult. Woodwind players have a logical system on the instrument playing diatonic series like do re mi. For the horn, with 3 valves, there is not a logical sequence playing diatonic series. This made me realize that some changes in the methodology are necessary for the horn to make an aural approach more logical for the beginning horn player. It also did me realize how extremely important it is for the young horn player to develop the inner hearing very well and make the logical steps from sound to symbol. My research paper investigates the possibilities to develop musical literacy in the horn lesson but also in the instrumental group lesson with transposing instruments. My main conclusion is that it is very important to make singing and moving a part of the horn lesson in order to develop inner hearing in relation to the horn. In that way the music will be understand and musical literacy can be developed.
Biography:
Klaske de Haan studied horn at The Royal Conservatoire in The Hague and at the Fontys Conservatoire in Tilburg with Herman Jeurissen. She graduated in 2000 for her diploma Uitvoerend Musicus.
As a free lance horn player Klaske worked with several professional orchestras in the Netherlands for example The Residentie Orchestra. Klaske is a horn teacher at the Music school, Scholen in de Kunst, in Amersfoort and she works at the Royal Conservatoire at The Hague with BASIS. A new music program for young wind players.
From 2014 Klaske specializes in Music education and pedagogy by attending several course such as “muziek als vak”.
AN OVERVIEW ON THE ARTISTRY OF THE CONCERT ACCORDION IN CONTEMPORARY CHAMBER MUSIC. A Performer’s Journey Through Shaping Artistic Identity
(last edited: 2024)
author(s): Naiara De La Puente Vadillo
This exposition is in review and its share status is: visible to all.
In my doctoral research, I aim to examine the role of the accordion in contemporary chamber music performance practices through a process of observation, exploration, examination, and reflection as an accordionist. The focus of this project is centered on four doctoral concerts, in addition to my own embodied experience as a professional musician in Finland and Spain, working with various ensembles and musicians.
By integrating artistic processes, outcomes, documentation, interviews, and text, this research aims to contribute new insights and findings to the field of artistic research and to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the complexities of modern accordion performance, professional career, and education.
This doctoral research project makes an original contribution to the field by exploring new knowledge and understanding related to artistic identity formation, specifically within the community of concert accordionists. By reflecting on the evolving identity of concert accordionists and considering their potential needs, this research sheds light on the present and future directions in the field. In addition to my own experiences and observations, I have relied on the valuable work conducted by predecessors who have researched various aspects of the concert accordion.
The full scope of this doctoral project includes four artistic components (four concerts) and an artistic doctoral thesis comprising an integrative chapter with three interrelated thematic sections. Section One delves into the aspects of the artistic possibilities of concert accordion in contemporary chamber music repertory. Section Two will analyze and examine the evolution of the accordionist's artistic identity formation, while the final section will provide a personal perspective on the evolving identity of concert accordion players and their potential needs within the field and proposes steps for their continued growth and development in the future.
Keywords: artistic research, embodiment, classical contemporary music, chamber music, accordion, artistic identity.
Collective teacher efficacy in music education
(last edited: 2024)
author(s): Irma Kort
connected to: KC Research Portal
This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
Preliminary research in the needs and requirements for implementation of collective teacher efficacy within the context of music education
The role of music theory in professional music education, a historic overview [Snapshot from dev system - 2022-12-06 14:40]
(last edited: 2020)
author(s): Patrick van Deurzen
connected to: KC Research Portal
This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
In the 19th century, we can observe a growing gap between what we call now music theoretical books and the development of music. As Robert Wason writes in his overview of “Musica practica: music theory as pedagogy”: “These [19th century harmony] books are symptomatic of the dearth of new ideas, and the irrelevance that pedagogical theory was falling into: (…) neither a theory nor a pedagogy of ‘Nineteenth -Century Harmony’ ever really seemed to get under way.”
In this research, I try to unravel possible aspects that have a relation to this problem. One of these aspects has to do with the fact that a lot of what we call music theory origins from a compositional practice. Therefore, at the end of this research, I also made a start to describe music theoretical training that has no origin in this compositional practice.
This exposition is still in progress.
Starting from my personal teaching experience, I have been studying the effect of visual instructions on my violin pupils. With a detailed analysis of the interactions between students and teacher and the help of 36 observation sheets, I could finally see the effects of enhancing visuals on student’s musical learning. All conclusions were drawn after taking into account specific studies mentioned in the theoretical framework and with respect to the observations made by three external experts. This research found further evidence of the link between visualization and critical thinking as well.open exposition comments (0)