ANDREA CREECH

PROGRESSIVE  METHODS  IN  POPULAR  MUSIC  EDUCATION  SYMPOSIUM

Western  University,  Canada  June  8-9,  2018

Critical  reflections  on  progressive  methods  in  music  education:    student  and  teacher  experiences  and  perceptions 

In  this  paper  I  will  revisit  the  rationale  for  a  conversation  about  diversity  and  inclusion  in  music  education  in  the  21st  century,  and  will  raise  some  critical  questions  about  the  implications  for  practice.  What  are  the  characteristics  of  progressive  methods,  and  how  can  these  methods  respond  to  an  increasingly  diverse  society  and  pluralistic  culture?  Drawing  principally  on  research  carried  out  in  the  context  of  UK  Musical  Futures  Champion  Schools,  as  well  as  further  research  that  focused  on  the  relevance  of  the  secondary  school  music  curriculum  within  plural  communities  (where  there  is  no  one  single  majority  ethnic  group),  I  will  consider  student  and  teacher  perceptions  and  experience  of  formal  as  well  as  informal  pedagogies  within  secondary  school  contexts.  I  will  furthermore  raise  some  critical  issues  that  may  arise  at  the  intersection  of  formal  music  education  with  music  learning  and  participation  within  non-formal  community  contexts.  Critical  questions  will  be  considered,  relating  to  the  meaning  and  implications  of  enjoyment  in  learning,  the  challenges  in  implementing  collaborative  or  co-operative  pedagogies,  and  potential  tensions  relating  to  the  ideas  of  assessment  and  progression  within  `progressive`  pedagogical  frameworks.

SOCIETY  FOR  EDUCATION  AND  MUSIC  PSYCHOLOGY  RESEARCH  RESEARCHING  MUSIC  -  EDUCATION  -  TECHNOLOGY  (MET2018)

26–27  March  2018,  Senate  House,  University  of  London

Creative  music  technologies  for  enriching  later-life  

In  this  paper  I  explore  the  potential  for  creative  music  technologies  to  enrich  opportunities  for  wellbeing  and  creativity  in  later-life.  I  will  address  the  question  of  what  may  be  the  underpinning  theoretical  principles  that  could  frame  the  design  and  use  of  later-life  creative  music  technologies.    There  is  a  small  but  growing  body  of  research  suggesting  that  older  people,  even  those  with  complex  needs,  are  capable  of,  and  interested  in  using  music  technologies.  Using  some  examples  of  practice,  I  will  highlight  the  multiple  and  significant  benefits  that  may  be  derived  from  receptive  or  active  creative  music-making  supported  by  a  range  of  music  technologies.  Speaking  from  the  perspective  of  a  ͚digital  immigrant͛  for  whom  digital  music  technologies  represent  a  landscape  that  can  feel  unfamiliar  and  even  bewildering,  I  nonetheless  argue  in  favour  of  the  crucial  importance  of  exploiting  opportunities  to  use  creative  digital  technologies  to  support  continued  playful,  exploratory,  and  joyful  musical  experience.

CREATIVE  AGEING  SYMPOSIUM

25-26  October  2017,  Griffith  University,  Brisbane  Australia

Collaborative,  Creative  and  Critical:  Musical  encounters  in  later  life

 Within  our  global  context  where  centenarians  represent  the  fastest  growing  age  group,  significant  challenges  relating  to  social  isolation,  depression  and  chronic  disease  amongst  older  people  have  been  highlighted.  In  response,  increasing  attention  has  been  directed  towards  the  potential  for  collaborative,  creative  opportunities  to  support  a  humanised  old  age.  Later-life  can  be  a  period  of  profound  creativity,  where  older  people  use  creative  outlets  for  reflection  on  their  own  unique  stories,  personal  healing  and  spiritual  growth.  It  is  within  creative  spaces  that  elders  can  explore  new  ways  of  being,  of  belonging,  and  of  becoming,  and  experience  a  continuing  sense  of  citizenship.  Adopting  the  theoretical  lens  of  a  salutogenic  model  of  health,  concerned  with  how  we  support  positive  adjustment  to  health  changes,  I  will  explore  the  pathways  by  which  collaborative  and  creative  musical  encounters  can  promote  sense  of  coherence  in  our  later  lives.  I  will  draw  on  some  case  study  examples,  arguing  that  musical  social  networks,  and  in  particular  opportunities  for  intergenerational  collaboration,  may  can  function  as  a  space  for  creative  ageing,  including  a  psychological  component  (e.g.  empowerment,  meaningfulness,  identity,  belonging),  a  behavioural  component  (e.g.,  effort,  intensity,  focused  concentration),  and  positive  physiological  outcomes  that  contribute  to  shared  emotional,  relational  or  affirmative  outcomes.  

INDIVIDUUM  ↔  COLLECTIVUM:  NACHKLÄNGE  EIN  INTERDISZIPLINÄRES  SYMPOSION  IM  RAHMEN  VON  „SPARKLING  SCIENCE“  UNIVERSITÄT  MOZARTEUM  SALZBURG

9.  und  20.  März  2014

Facilitating  creative  and  collaborative  musical  ensembles  

Musical  performance  is  an  inherently  social  activity  and  musical  ensembles  offer  a  powerful  context  for  fostering  deep  learning  in  music.  Yet,  the  ability  to  negotiate  and  collaborate  with  one’s  co-performers  to  generate  musically  cohesive,  imaginative  and  convincing  performances  does  not  come  easily  to  everyone.  In  this  session  I  will  explore  the  importance  of  peer  interdependence  in  musical  learning,  focusing  on  the  role  of  the  coach  or  facilitator  in  maximising  the  potential  for  collaborative  and  creative  music  making  in  groups.  The  group  dynamics,  processes  and  properties  found  in  ensembles  of  varying  types  and  sizes  will  be  considered  within  a  framework  comprising  musical,  perceptual  and  social  skills  that  underpin  creative  music  making.  Case  study  examples  will  demonstrate  how,  in  a  range  of  musical  contexts,  musical  coaches/facilitators  might  support  group  members  in  developing  these  skills.  I  will  conclude  by  offering  some  points  of  reflection  with  regard  to  how  facilitators  and  students  might  apply  the  key  messages  within  their  own  practice.