Beginning vocal students’ learning of classical Italian songs: The process of learning

This study aimed to capture the reality of the learning process and to derive suggestions for future instruction based on the descriptions in the learning records of first-year university students taking vocal music classes. The descriptions can be classified into eight categories. (1) recognition of the situation, (2) mental state, (3) the basic content of vocal music, (4) understanding of classical Italian works and musical expression, (5) Italian pronunciation, (6) ensemble with piano, (7) learning from the appearance of others, and (8) connections with existing learning. We were able to capture aspects of the learners’ learning that became more concrete and developed as the number of lessons increased. We found that the learners deepened their learning systematically as they repeated the lessons according to their situations. Recognition of their achievements seemed to lead to motivation and higher learning. In addition, there were not many descriptions of their recognition of their achievements. The learners’ descriptions of the lessons on classical Italian songs indicated that they were given a wide range of content, but in addition, giving the learners a greater sense of “having done it” would lead to further acquisition of knowledge

The Opera Project at Hiroshima University amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Focusing on Educational Significance of Opera

This paper reports an opera concert which was held at Hiroshima University in November 2020 as well as the process surrounding this concert. Through an analysis, it aims to examine the educational significance of the Opera Project held at Hiroshima University. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous influence on our lives. Almost all music concerts were canceled or postponed. Opera concerts faced especially greater challenges than other types of concerts, as singers cannot wear a mask when they sing and keeping a distance between performers is extremely difficult due to the nature of the performance. At first, an opera concert was to be held in April 2020 at Hiroshima University as part of a class entitled “Opera Ensemble”. Needless to say, it was also delayed to November 2020. In addition, the “Opera Ensemble” class could not be normally taught. Therefore, class activities were transformed. Students took and edited videos themselves on behalf of regular Ensemble in the first semester. Consequently, in this November concert, only solo arias were played, and the produced videos were displayed. Additionally, various measures were prepared to counter the spread of the virus. These measures aimed, for instance, to decrease the capacity of the hall, to provide ventilation between the pieces, to collect the addresses of spectators etc. Although the pandemic had a profound influence on us all, positive aspects which we would have never witnessed without the pandemic exist. In conclusion, three positive aspects were identified: (1) the possibility of breaking fixed ideas, (2) cultivating students’ information and communication technology (ICT) literacy, planning ability, and cooperation spirit, and (3) considering what essential music is

Group Lesson Teaching of Vocal Music in the Music Teacher Training Program: With a focus on Class Records by Students

This study clarifies the content of learning from the students' point of view based on the descriptions of the class records of the vocal music classes we teach, and to obtain suggestions for the future of vocal music classes. The method used in the research is to analyze the descriptions of the class records submitted by the students after the lessons. For the analysis, we use the User Local text mining tool. By looking at the frequent words and co-occurrence relations in the text data, the content of learning from the students’ point of view will be clarified. The analysis revealed the following learning processes: (1) German pronunciation, (2) expression based on reading the atmosphere from the score, and (3) vocal approach to achieve the desired expression. Furthermore, these learning processes were deepened through the form of group lessons. It is very effective for the students of the teacher training course to read the music score and learn the vocal approach for the desired expression. In future, it would be desirable for vocal music classes to start with a musical approach and then expand to vocal instruction, rather than placing too much emphasis on vocal instruction

A Practical Study of Lessons of Choral Singing and Opera Practice in Hiroshima University for the Purpose of Bringing up of Comprehensive People Skills

On August 28, 2012, the Central Council for Education outlined the necessary abilities for future teachers in its "Report on Comprehensive Measures for Improving Teachers' Abilities throughout Their Teaching Life". One of the abilities identified in the report was "comprehensive people skills". The report defined comprehensive people skills as "rich human qualities and social skills, communication skills, the ability to work as a team with colleagues, and the ability to collaborate and cooperate with various organizations within the community and society". The "Program in Music Culture Education" at Hiroshima University Graduate School of Education includes lectures aimed at undergraduate student on "Choral Singing" and "Opera Practice". This paper analyzes the practical contents and effects of these lectures and considers their educational significance. Results of the analysis reveal connections between the lectures and the five abilities outlined by the Central Council for Education. In particular, interaction between members of different ages and the planning and managing of regular concerts were seen to play a significant role in the "Choral Singing" lecture. The "Opera Practice" lecture can be judged to be educationally significant since it deals with a form of comprehensive art and requires students to engage in a variety of different jobs. The "Choral Singing" and "Opera Practice"lectures not only foster musical performance ability through practical experience of choral singing and opera, but also aim to encourage students' lecture participation in leadership positions as students work as an independent team in order to produce something together. Therefore, the program contributes to the cultivation of "comprehensive people skills

プロジェクト型学習としての広島大学のオペラ制作 : オペラ「魔笛」の制作における指導者の働きかけに着目して

This study aims to analyze the relationship between the instructor’s approach and the students’ thoughts during the process of opera production at Hiroshima University to understand the actual situation of opera production and explore effective ways of teaching and supporting the students. After an overview of the entire opera production process, the analysis focused on the music rehearsal process. The results of the study showed that in engaging in opera production as music learning, there were two approaches based on learner understanding. The first is “a work that promotes complex learning about the various elements that make up an opera.” The interconnectedness of the various elements is a special characteristic of opera as a comprehensive art form. The second is “to further enrich the thinking that is constantly taking place within the learner’s own mind in the performance and production of the work.” The purpose of these efforts was to provide the student the opportunity to learn as an all-rounder who can look at the whole picture, as well as to learn as an expert in a certain field. While these efforts were made by the instructor, the learners were less interested in elements that were not directly related to them, and their learning was biased toward expert learning. In the project-based learning approach at the university, it is necessary for students to learn as all-rounders who generate their own learning from the way others learn. Because of the unique nature of opera, with its complex intertwining of various elements, being aware of others’ learning and one’s own learning is equally important for students. Thus, the study results showed that it is necessary to work not only on the project-based learning characteristic of opera production, but also on the way of learning itself, in order to “construct learning as an all-rounder.

Understanding others through a variety of expressive activities and getting to know more about myself.

In this study, based on the actual situation and issues of the children in the 6th grade, we decided to launch an art department and work on a musical for the whole grade. We developed a unit based on the idea of Project Based Learning. In this project, we divided our efforts into six phases to help children recognize others and achieve self-actualization. By experiencing the process of working with various others, the children were able to demonstrate their strengths and realize the value of working with others