Developing meaningful learning in instrumental lessons: a study on the role of teaching and learning cues

Meaningful learning is a process in which new information is related to previously learned ideas. This process is a fundamental pillar in education and it is based on the negotiation of common meanings between teachers and students. Although its importance has been recognized in different fields, in instrumental teaching meaningful learning is still not widely explored. Literature in this field suggests that teachers spend great part of time talking, employing a linear discourse, while students assume a passive attitude in the lessons. Despite some authors started to claim a change in this paradigm, there is still room to understand how meaningful learning might be promoted in instrumental lessons. The purpose of this study was to understand the role of teaching and learning cues, i.e., summarized information used to decrease the overload of information, in one-to-one instrumental lessons. In order to achieve this aim, two cases studies embedded in an action- research project were conducted. The participants were the author, who taught violin through a social project and two students; i.e., one boy and one girl, aged respectively 4 and 7 years old. They were violin beginners who had the first contact with the instrument in this project. A total of 9 one-to-one violin lessons per case study were led and video recorded. An interview was conducted with each participant and their parents before the first lesson to map the students profile. Selected parts of the lessons where teaching and learning cues were used were transcribed and analysed, The preliminary results shows that teaching and learning cues have been acting to enhance: (i) individual constructions: students’ self- constructions of concepts and meanings. This was observed through a spontaneous creation of their own vocabulary or throughout teacher’ support by questioning in order to understand how the student realize a concept; and (ii) shared constructions: teacher and student shared and negotiated construction of meanings and vocabularies. Such aspects were observed through of how the student realizes the content. Although this study is limited to number of students and lessons, it is possible to recognize that the conscious use of teaching cues and specially learning cues, can foster a student- centered approach, supporting the development of meaningful learning during the lesson.publishe

Desvendando o “jardim secreto”: A comunicação entre professor e aluno no ensino individual do instrumento

The purpose of this article is to present a discussion on the existing paradigm of instructional communication in one-to-one instrumental lessons. Some authors described individual lessons as something like a ‘secret garden’ compared with the scrutiny given to classroom behavior in schools. In such lessons, to communicate and express ideas about musical meaning has been established as one of six instrumental/vocal teacher roles. However, the overall studies reported that one-to-one instrumental teaching has mostly followed a model characterized by one-way communication from teacher to student. In addition, the literature outlined that instrumental teachers used a specific pedagogical vocabulary to explain and demonstrate a skill. Some strategies for communicating this vocabulary effectively were highlighted and discussed in this article. Regardless of the insights here discussed, the literature review presented indicated few studies focused on instructional communication in one-to-one instrumental lessons. Although this field of research is increasing, some authors claim that the research in instrumental teaching is not following up the current demand for this practice.O presente artigo discute o estado da arte referente à comunicação de instruções no ensino individual do instrumento. Alguns autores descreveram a aula individual como um “jardim secreto”, em comparação com o escrutínio científico dado às aulas de música em grupo. A partir da investigação já feita sobre esta temática foi possível verificar que a comunicação de ideias relacionadas a um significado musical tem sido estabelecida como um dos seis papéis do professor de instrumento/canto. No entanto, a grande parte dos estudos reportam que o ensino instrumental tem seguido, na sua maioria, um modelo caracterizado pela comunicação unidirecional do professor para o aluno. Além disso, a literatura existente tem apontado que os professores de instrumento usam um vocabulário pedagógico específico para explicar e demonstrar uma competência. Algumas estratégias para comunicar este vocabulário de forma efetiva foram destacadas e discutidas neste artigo. Com base na literatura levantada foi possível verificar uma lacuna de estudos focados na comunicação de instruções em aulas individuais de instrumento. Alguns autores sugerem que, embora esta área de investigação esteja aumentando, a investigação no ensino instrumental não está acompanhando a demanda atual da prática.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Rethinking music performance in european higher education music institutions: Portugal case

Portuguese higher music education is still influenced by the traditional conservatory model. Such influence has glossed over the importance of fostering creativity, critical thinking and a culture of enquiry from the earliest stages of learning. The lack of attention to these issues has impeded other career paths in musical performance for students and teachers. In this article we present a national perspective concerning new directions for music performance education based on the identification of the requirements for an artistic career. A selection of 17 Stakeholders were interviewed: music producers and studio directors (2); teachers of related educational programmes (2); students of music performance (3); alumni (4); course directors (3); and Professional performers (2). The questions addressed the key challenges facing the contemporary music industry: training preparations; curriculum evaluation; aspects of instrumental guidance; demands of music performance career; and requirements of a sustainable artistic proposal. From a thematic analysis, two main themes emerged: individual requirements and institutional requirements. The first consists of a set of demands students should face in order to develop a career path as an artist. The second is related to a set of possible improvements in Portuguese HEIs. Results suggest Portuguese institutions should offer a flexible curriculum, creating balanced connections between theory and practice in order to support students' transitions. Other demands include: mentoring; psychophysiological wellbeing, artistic creation, diversified education, project based learning, guidance on technological issues and collaborative music making. In addition, the results also suggest that students should develop technological literacy, knowledge of music industries, entrepreneurship and self-promotion, networking, management skills, a diverse and flexible profile, a contemporary and artistic approach, critical thinking and self-reflection and a deep connection with music production. The results obtained may inform the current discussion on the role of music higher education institutions in Portugal and their possible improvements.publishe

Padrões de dedos: uma contribuição à técnica violinística aplicada a alunos do ensino superior

Mestrado em MúsicaEste trabalho tem como objectivo estudar três autores: William Primrose, Robert Gerle e Barbara Barber que, nos seus livros voltados à prática violinística, apresentam o sistema de Padrões de dedos como um recurso técnico da mão esquerda, visando a optimização do estudo. Após analisada cada abordagem extraíram-se as principais características que, posteriormente, foram aplicadas em alunos do ensino superior da Universidade de Aveiro, pelo professor da classe. Esta investigação pretendeu testar a funcionalidade, aproveitamento e utilidade dos principais elementos estabelecidos, a fim de seleccionar aqueles que mais se destacaram.This work aims to present three authors: William Primrose, Robert Gerle and Barbara Barber, whom on their books focused on violin practice. These authors dealt with the Finger Pattern system, as a technical resource for the left hand, in order to optimize study. After each approach was analyzed, the main features of each system were selected, and applied by their classroom teacher, to higher education students. This research intended to test the functionality, utilization and usefulness of the main elements of each system, in order to select those that stood out

A comunicação de instruções no ensino e aprendizagem do instrumento: o uso de pistas pedagógicas em aulas de violino

Doutoramento em MúsicaA qualidade da instrução expressa por professores de instrumento tem vindo a ser apontada como um dos fatores que distingue professores experientes de professores menos experientes. Um dos desafios do professor de instrumento é abordar conteúdos complexos, que envolvem um vocabulário específico, e que ao serem comunicados de forma clara e efetiva podem ser posteriormente compreendidos e relembrados pelo aluno. Assim, a partir do estudo de pistas pedagógicas, o objectivo desta investigação é compreender o processo de comunicação no ensino individual do instrumento. Para atingir este propósito foi conduzido um estudo de caso, exploratório, focado na comunicação estabelecida entre professor e aluno. Primeiro foi realizado um estudo piloto que guiou a construção do protocolo do estudo de caso principal. Depois foi realizado o estudo de caso principal que envolveu a observação de dezasseis aulas individuais de violino e a realização de doze entrevistas semiestruturadas. Os participantes foram quatro professores (idades entre os 41 e 62 anos) e oito alunos (idades entre os 9 e 15 anos). Duas aulas sequenciais foram filmadas e foi conduzida uma entrevista no final da segunda aula. Vinte e oito pistas pedagógicas foram selecionadas a partir das observações, das filmagens e das notas de campo. Uma análise temática possibilitou a identificação de: (i) elementos contextuais; (ii) responsabilidades profissionais percepcionadas pelos professores; (iii) estratégias de comunicação e (iv) percepções dos estudantes sobre a comunicação em sala de aula. Relativamente às pistas pedagógicas selecionadas foram identificadas o seu uso e eficácia. Os resultados principais sugerem que, na comunicação de instruções os professores desenvolvem competências específicas para expressar ideias musicais. Estas ideias são baseadas no conhecimento que têm sobre as preferências dos alunos, e a capacidade de serem flexíveis e de combinar diferentes estratégias. Os professores comunicam através de instruções, e usam as pistas pedagógicas com a função de aconselhar, resolver problemas e enfatizar um determinado conteúdo. As pistas pedagógicas foram usadas na abordagem de competências técnicas, auditivas, interpretativas e de apresentação. De uma forma geral, a comunicação destas pistas foi eficaz quando utilizada com a função de enfatizar algum conteúdo importante. Mais, a eficácia desta comunicação foi feita através do uso de diferentes estratégias: (i) metáforas; (ii) demonstração; (iii) contato/modelagem física, e (iv) incentivar o aluno a tocar livremente. Estes resultados refletem uma tendência comum encontrada na literatura, que sugere que a comunicação de instruções pode ser também otimizada quando professor e aluno negoceiam e partilham conceitos e significados durante as aulas de instrumento. Embora a otimização da comunicação de instruções tenha sido o enfoque principal desta tese, a contribuição final passa pela aprendizagem significativa do aluno, resultando numa experiência de ensino e aprendizagem positiva e agradável.The quality of the teacher’s instructions has been identified in studies as one of several factors that distinguish expert teachers from their less expert counterparts. One of the teacher’s challenges when teaching an instrument is to approach a complex content (that involves a specific vocabulary) using effective and clear communication which can be understood and recalled by the student later. Therefore, this thesis aims to understand, through the study of teaching cues, the process of instructional communication in oneto- one instrumental lessons. In order to reach the research aim, an exploratory case study into the communicative relationship established between violin teacher and student was conducted. Firstly, a pilot study guided the building of the case study protocol. Then, the main exploratory case study involved the observation of sixteen one-to-one violin lessons and twelve semi-structured interviews. The participants were four teachers (aged between 41 and 62) and eight violin students (aged between 9 and 15). Two sequential lessons were videotaped, and after the first lesson a semi-structured interview was conducted with teachers and students separately. Based on the video observations and on the field notes, twentyeight teaching cues were selected. A thematic analysis enabled the researcher to identify: (i) contextual elements; (ii) teachers’ perceived professional responsibilities; (iii) teachers’ strategies to convey information; and (iv) students’ perceptions regarding instructional communication. Concerning the selected teaching cues, their use and effectiveness in communication were identified. The main findings suggested that in instructional communication teachers develop specific skills to convey musical ideas based on their awareness of students’ preferences, while trying to be flexible and combining different strategies. They use instructions to convey the message and teaching cues with the intention advising, problem solving and emphasizing a pedagogical content. Teaching cues were used to approach technical, aural, interpretative and presentation skills. Overall, teaching cues were communicated effectively when teachers conveyed information by emphasizing important aspects in the communication. In addition, such effective communication was achieved through different strategies: (i) using metaphors; (ii) demonstrating; (iii) physical modelling; and (iv) encouraging students to play freely. These results reflect a common trend in the existing literature that suggests that instructional communication is optimized when teachers and students negotiate and share the concepts and meanings during lessons. Although the optimization of communication was the main point highlighted in this study, the final goal is the students’ meaningful learning and, consequently, their contribution to a more positive and enjoyable teaching and learning experience

Rethinking music performance in European higher education: testing an artistic-research-based approach

Practices associated with the teaching and learning of music performance historically focus on values and expectations established in the 19th century Western conservatory context and its master-apprentice pedagogical model. In this presentation the impact of a new approach to teaching music performance, based on artistic research, will be described. Such an approach was offered as a teaching and learning activity (REACT training school) promoted by a strategic partnership, funded by the ERASMUS+, that involved 5 European higher music institutions. A total of 17 higher education students took part in the REACT training school. The course was unpacked in 40 hours during one academic week at the University of Aveiro in Portugal. Topics included artistic research, ethics and remix culture, artistic career, artistic projects, health and well-being, social intervention in arts and artistic documentation. The impact of REACT training school was assessed through a qualitative study based on interviews, which were analyzed using a thematic approach. The questions addressed students perspectives on the role of an artistic-research-based learning approach to performance teaching and learning in higher education music institutions. From the thematic analysis two main themes emerged: impact and improvements. The first is related to how the activity affected their artistic and professional path. The second refers to changes to be implemented in future editions. Results suggests that REACT training school opened space for students to think out of the bo, developing a critical and reflexive attitude that embraced news aspects regarding a set of diversified topics as funding, score, curriculum, creativity, theory and practice. At the same time, the results suggests that future editions must open more space to individual mentoring, integrating more profoundly students and instrumental teachers in the activities proposed. The results here presented play an important role in the current discussion regarding the role of artistic research in higher education and how institutions can improve existing artistic and academic practices.publishe

Resumos do Research ‘Hands on’ FLUTE

Research ‘Hands on’ FLUTE é um encontro dedicado à área instrumental de Flauta, cuja particularidade está no facto de fazer a simbiose entre dois tipos de encontros: a Convenção de cunho artístico à volta de um determinado instrumento (como por ex: British Flute Society Convention 2016) e a Conferência de investigação Académica tradicional mas circunscrita a esta área instrumental. Assim, pretendese provocar um confronto e uma partilha de um modo mais estreito entre produção artística e Investigação, criando oportunidades para que os saberes de artistas e de investigadores se possam cruzar com benefícios óbvios para ambas as partes. O primeiro destes encontros terá lugar na Universidade de Aveiro nos dias 10-13 de Abril de 2017.Research ‘Hands on’ FLUTE is a meeting dedicated to the area of the flute, and is unique due to its symbiosis between two types of meetings: the convention, of an artistic nature which concentrates on a particular instrument (such as the British Flute Society Convention 2016, for example) and the traditional academic research conference, but focusing on an instrumental area. ‘Hands on’ Flute aims to bridge the gap between artistic production and academic research, creating opportunities to combine the artists’ and the researchers’ knowledge, for mutual benefit. This first meeting will take place at the University of Aveiro from April 10th to 13th, 2017

Music, wellbeing and engagement in early childhood: reflections from a pilot study focused on sound as artistic matter

Recent research in Music Education and Music Psychology has established important connections between music and children's wellbeing (Hallam, 2015, 2016; Hallam, Creech & Varvarigou, 2017; Smith, 2021). Consequently, several researchers have highlighted the need to implement more inclusive and democratic practices in formal and non-formal educational contexts, involving all children in participatory and meaningful musical experiences (Benedict et al. 2015; Hess, 2017; Wright, 2015). Following this demand, some scholars have criticized hegemonic Eurocentric approaches to music education, suggesting instead a departure from sound and sounding phenomena as larger categories that might incorporate children's diverse trajectories and life experiences, and invite all children to participate in truly engaged ways (Recharte, 2019; Thumlert & Nolan, 2019; Thumlert, Harley & Nolan, 2020). This paper reports preliminary findings of a pilot study that is being developed in a Portuguese non-profit association located in the central area of Portugal. This association aims to develop inclusive and democratic projects with children from 0 to 6 years old - that are not integrated in other social facilities such as nursery schools or Kindergartens - and their respective families. One of the main goals of this association is to raise the awareness of children's rights among community members and beyond, namely the right children have to free play since their birth. The pilot study covers 12 music education sessions named "Sound Hunters", dedicated to the development of an approach to music education with an intense playful component, departing from sound as artistic matter and involving competences related to deep listening, sound exploration and experimentation. All the activities were planned and implemented in an action-research project, using a series of new devices and tools specially created and adapted to children, that could be easily explored and manipulated by them autonomously. The participants included 15 children with ages ranging from 18 months to 5 years old, the association team and the authors as facilitators. This study applied the Leuven Scales (Laevers, 2005) to assess the children's levels of involvement and wellbeing, using data from participant observation, field notes, and video and audio recordings. Results from this assessment were then triangulated with data from informal conversations and interviews with children and the association team. It was found that, during the periods of observation, children evidenced high and very high levels of wellbeing and involvement, especially manifested in their receptivity to the activities proposed during the sessions, self-confidence and self-assurance, and on their levels of attention, interest, and creativity. These findings were then corroborated by what children mentioned during the interviews and informal conversations about their personal experiences during the sessions. In this paper we argue that these findings emerge as a consequence of the opportunities offered to children to make connections with sound phenomena deeply related with their daily lives and interact collaboratively with sounds through participatory processes genuinely opened to creativity and experimentation. Finally, we discuss how this perspective might promote more meaningful and inclusive educational practices, discussing the implications and challenges posed to music education in early childhood.publishe

The song: a pedagogical proposal in cello teaching-learning

No sentido de um ensino ajustado às fnalidades e às metas preconizadas para o Ensino Básico torna-se fundamental uma seleção apropriada dos recursos didáticos a utilizar. Assim, pensou-se utilizar a canção como ferramenta pedagógica, tal como sugerido por vários pedagogos, tais como Willems, Kodály ou Suzuki, para a aprendizagem e desenvolvimento de competências musicais e técnicas do violoncelo, buscando assim uma maior motivação e interesse do aluno. A investigação foi elaborada em duas partes, onde na primeira foi realizada uma pesquisa documental, preparatória ao estudo empírico com o intuito de elaborar um compêndio de canções tradicionais e/ou populares infantis portuguesas adaptadas ao violoncelo e na segunda secção foi desenvolvida uma investigação-ação com o objetivo de compreender a utilização dessas canções como ferramenta didático-pedagógica para o desenvolvimento de competências, bem como as suas implicações no envolvimento parental no acompanhamento do estudo dos seus educandos. Os resultados mostraram que efetivamente as canções selecionadas foram facilitadoras do desenvolvimento de competências técnicas principalmente dos padrões de dedos e aspetos musicais, taisos resultados demonstraram que os alunos que tiveram maior acompanhamento por parte dos pais/encarregados de educação obtiveram melhores resultados. como: afnação, audição e ritmo. Além disso,Abstract : In the sense of a teaching adjusted to the purposes and goals recommended for Basic Education, an appropriate selection of didactic resources to be used becomes fundamental. Thus, it was thought to use the song as a pedagogical tool, as suggested by several pedagogues, such as Willems, Kodály or Suzuki, for the learning and development of musical and technical skills of the cello, thus seeking a greater motivation and interest of the student. The research was elaborated in two parts, where in the frst one a documentary research was carried out, preparatory to the empirical study in order to elaborate a compendium of traditional and/or popular Portuguese children's songs adapted to the cello and in the second section an action investigation was developed with the objective of understanding the use of these songs as a didactic-pedagogical tool for the development of skills, and its implications for parental involvement in monitoring the study of its learners. The results showed that efectively the selected songs were facilitating the development of technical skills mainly of fnger patterns and musical aspects, such as: tuning, listening and rhythm. In addition, the results showed that students who had more follow-up by parents/guardians had better results.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The song: a pedagogical proposal in cello teaching-learning

No sentido de um ensino ajustado às fnalidades e às metas preconizadas para o Ensino Básico torna-se fundamental uma seleção apropriada dos recursos didáticos a utilizar. Assim, pensou-se utilizar a canção como ferramenta pedagógica, tal como sugerido por vários pedagogos, tais como Willems, Kodály ou Suzuki, para a aprendizagem e desenvolvimento de competências musicais e técnicas do violoncelo, buscando assim uma maior motivação e interesse do aluno. A investigação foi elaborada em duas partes, onde na primeira foi realizada uma pesquisa documental, preparatória ao estudo empírico com o intuito de elaborar um compêndio de canções tradicionais e/ou populares infantis portuguesas adaptadas ao violoncelo e na segunda secção foi desenvolvida uma investigação-ação com o objetivo de compreender a utilização dessas canções como ferramenta didático-pedagógica para o desenvolvimento de competências, bem como as suas implicações no envolvimento parental no acompanhamento do estudo dos seus educandos. Os resultados mostraram que efetivamente as canções selecionadas foram facilitadoras do desenvolvimento de competências técnicas principalmente dos padrões de dedos e aspetos musicais, tais como os resultados demonstraram que os alunos que tiveram maior acompanhamento por parte dos pais/encarregados de educação obtiveram melhores resultados. como: afinação, audição e ritmo. Além disso, os resultados demonstraram que os alunos que tiveram maior acompanhamento por parte dos pais/encarregados de educação obtiveram melhores resultados.In the sense of a teaching adjusted to the purposes and goals recommended for Basic Education, an appropriate selection of didactic resources to be used becomes fundamental. Thus, it was thought to use the song as a pedagogical tool, as suggested by several pedagogues, such as Willems, Kodály or Suzuki, for the learning and development of musical and technical skills of the cello, thus seeking a greater motivation and interest of the student. The research was elaborated in two parts, where in the frst one a documentary research was carried out, preparatory to the empirical study in order to elaborate a compendium of traditional and/or popular Portuguese children's songs adapted to the cello and in the second section an action investigation was developed with the objective of understanding the use of these songs as a didactic-pedagogical tool for the development of skills, and its implications for parental involvement in monitoring the study of its learners. The results showed that efectively the selected songs were facilitating the development of technical skills mainly of finger patterns and musical aspects, such as: tuning, listening and rhythm. In addition, the results showed that students who had more follow-up by parents/guardians had better results.publishe