Teaching Balinese Gamelan Outside Bali: a Discussion of Pedagogic Issues

This article explains the uses of a gamelan semara dana in the teaching program of an Australian university. Seven topic areas are discussed: learning different patutan; moving between patutan within a piece of music; substitution of gongan; adding instruments to the gamelan; uses of the trompong; acts of music cognition; and uses of the gamelan in new, hybrid works. To conclude the article, the Balinese concept of desa-kala-patra is applied to this situation to read potential meanings of the presence and uses of a Balinese gamelan in an Australian setting. Keywords: Pedagogy, gamelan semara dana, music cognition, and teacher trainin

The Effect of the Carbon Tax and the Emission Reduction Fund on Government Salience

Many developed countries have committed to targets to reduce their carbon emissions under international agreements. However, a recent 2021 study found that only one country, The Gambia, is on track to meeting its Paris targets. A key mechanism for achieving these national targets is the government. Therefore, the failure of most countries to meet their targets highlights the importance of evaluating the major policy alternatives. Australia instituted a carbon pricing scheme in 2012 that was repealed in 2014 and subsequently replaced with an emissions reduction fund in 2015. This provides a unique opportunity to study the effects of these two major alternative government policies on government salience. This study applies stakeholder theory and finds that the power and urgency of both policies was weakened by uncertainty, an often-neglected factor affecting stakeholder salience. Furthermore, we note that an evaluation of government salience must also consider firm and industry differences and the effect of positively versus negatively framed interventions

The e-portfolio continuum: Discovering variables for e-portfolio adoption within music education

This article presents the results of audit data compiled from a case study introducing e-portfolios into a Music Education degree program, and highlights the key challenges faced from the initial stages of student use to curricular embedding and student adoption. This article discusses the technological, social and educational impacts inherent in a student’s adoption of e-portfolios within a degree program, and critically, shows how training for e-portfolio use must manage these complex,interrelated imbalances on an individual student basis

A dead Central American coral reef tract: Possible link with the Little Ice Age

Radiocarbon analyses, stable isotopic measurements and extensive field observations were made of coral reefs off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Panama. These analyses showed that live coral reefs in the Gulf of Papagayo, Costa Rica, were severely depleted in number, size and variety of species, compared to reefs in the major upwelling zone of the Gulf of Panama. Coral growth in the Gulf of Papagayo consisted mainly of dead reefs that died from 150–300 years B.P. The δ18O records revealed that most of the dead reefs were exposed to relatively cool water immediately preceding death. We propose that during the latter part of the Little Ice Age there was probably an equatorward shift of the Northern Trade Wind system, which caused an intensification of upwelling at lower latitudes. This increased upwelling was the likely cause of the demise of coral reefs in the Gulf of Papagayo

Exploring the Pedagogy and Impact of Technology on ePortfolio Creation for Arts Students in Australian Tertiary Study

The creative application and development of an ePortfolio as a pedagogic innovation in learning and teaching in higher education lies in strategies acquired by students to select authentic evidence to document achievements and skills as a graduate. Many educators use ePortfolios as a learning tool and through the introduction of reflection, or reflective practice activities the ePortfolio has the potential to be a powerful tool for all learners. This paper reports the pedagogic and technological undertaking of ePortfolio development for creative and performing arts students at four tertiary institutions in Australia. It explores how the artist perceives her/himself and the choice of evidence selected to showcase development, thus highlighting aspects of artistic identity versus professional career identity. ePortfolio development involves reflection, organisation and critical thinking by students developing a learning ‘story’ that accurately represents skills learnt and competencies developed during tertiary study. The creation of an ePortfolio often relies on a student’s ability to collect, reflect and select material that is appropriate; and to exercise the management of their knowledge in such a way that contributes to linking pedagogy and technology. It can also involve students exploring their known ICT skills and, at times, extending these beyond their expectation. This paper will review literature, in addition to reporting initial experiences of academics and students where the ePortfolio has been implemented into curriculum for creative and performing arts degree programs. Results show ePortfolios allowed students to achieve a demonstration of artistic capabilities and revealed that students have increased their ability to plan, implement and assess their learning reflectively; and to understand documentation relevant to Arts careers. Students developed a greater competency in their educational beliefs, pedagogical skills, University generic attributes, technological expertise and ability to address employment parameters required by employer groups and such professional bodies

Nitmiluk: An Aboriginal Rock Song about a Place

A study of the musical and textual profiles of 'Ntimiluk' by Aboriginal rock group, Blekbala Mujik, revealing that there is more to the song than the commemoration in its lyrics of the hand-back of land to its owners. Here the song is seen as a statement, through references to land, of identity, and linked to this, agendas of Jawoyn cultural revival and self-determination

Electronic portfolios and learner identity: an ePortfolio case study in music and writing

Although the employability of graduates is of concern across further and higher education it is particularly problematic in the arts disciplines, from which few students transition to a traditional, full-time position. Arts graduates shape their work to meet personal and professional needs, and the successful negotiation of this type of career requires a strong sense of identity and an awareness of diverse opportunities. The challenge for educators is how we might develop these capacities whilst being mindful of students’ dreams, which are often focused on artistic excellence and recognition. This paper reports findings from a collaborative study undertaken at four Australian universities. With a focus on developing an electronic portfolio (eP), the study involved students in classical and contemporary music, music education, music technology, creative writing and professional writing. The combination of music and writing provided points of comparison to identify issues specific to music, and those that might apply more generally. This paper reports findings related to learner identity, drawing evidence from survey and interview data. The study, which was driven by the learning process rather than the technological tool, revealed that students’ use of eP transitions from archive to self-portrait. Moreover, the eP emerged as a vehicle through which identity is negotiated and constructed. Indeed, the process of developing of an eP prompted students to adopt future-oriented thinking as they began to redefine their learning in relation to their future lives and careers. These findings were common to all students, regardless of discipline or technological platform.This work was supported by the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching [ID11-2041]. The views in this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teachin

Eastern tropical Pacific corals monitor low latitude climate of the past 400 years

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): We have measured coral growth band thickness and skeletal stable isotopic composition through a 371-year transect (AD 1583-1954) from a massive specimen of Pavona clavus from the Galápagos Islands. ... We observe a general cooling trend during 1860-1954, corresponding to the end of the Little Ice Age, an interval characterized by general warming at many mid-latitude sites. Variance at sunspot cycle frequencies in growth rate, stable isotopic, and trace element composition implies a direct or indirect link between the solar cycle and climate modulation in the eastern Pacific

Characterizing a Shallow Groundwater System beneath Irrigated Sugarcane with Electrical Resistivity and Radon (222Rn), Puunene, Hawai

In this study, we use a combination of electrical resistivity profiling and radon (222Rn) measurements to characterize a shallow groundwater system beneath the last remaining, largescale sugarcane plantation on Maui, Hawaii. Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company has continuously operated a sugarcane plantation on the western flank of Haleakala Volcano since 1878. The sugarcane is irrigated with a combination of surface water brought through tunnels from the wetter, eastern flank of Haleakala Volcano and groundwater from wells within the plantation. To assess the flow of irrigation water through the shallow subsurface, we collected a representative topo-sequence of four 2-D resistivity profiles that sample different topographic and hydrologic settings within the plantation. The profiles show a down-slope-thickening (0 to 20 m), surficial low-resistivity (10-200 Ohm-m) layer extending from the upslope limit of irrigated sugarcane to the lowest elevations of the plantation. At a canal crossing, the low resistivity layer thickens and is less resistive upslope of the canal. Beneath a reservoir at midelevation, the layer thickens to 20 m and curves down slope beneath the reservoir and up to the base of the field beyond. At the base of the slope, the low resistivity layer is 20-m thick below both fields and a second reservoir. An increase in radon concentration in the down-flow direction within the canal system at one location suggests groundwater infiltration into the canal. We attribute the low-resistivity layer to irrigation water that has infiltrated below the root zone and leaked from canals and reservoirs within the plantation. The water flows down slope to the base of the slope and there flows vertically, recharging the basal aquifer. We suggest that seepage from the canals and reservoirs is in part controlled by the local pressure head within the shallow flow system