The Sydney Conservatorium Early Music Ensemble: An activity-theoretical study of the impact of period instruments, historically-informed performance and a unique pedagogy on tertiary group-learning experiences

Abstract

This PhD thesis is focused on the learning experiences of students in the Sydney Conservatorium Early Music Ensemble (EME). It sheds light on an area that remains relatively under-researched to date: the group-learning experiences of tertiary-level music students. EME provides its members with an opportunity to experiment with period instruments and to explore repertoire from the late Renaissance to early Classical periods with a historically-informed approach to music making. The tutors of the ensemble, all of whom are expert practitioners in the field of historically-informed performance (HIP), have nurtured a pedagogy that embraces elements of informal peer learning and stimulates active participation and collaboration. The main claim of the thesis is that period instruments, HIP, a broadly constructivist tutor approach and collaborative peer learning all play a significant role in stimulating deeper learning and actively engaged music making. As part of the purely qualitative research design twelve EME students are interviewed about their experiences of learning to play period instruments and their perceptions of a collaborative learning environment, including the role of peers and tutors. A series of open-ended interview questions serves to gain insights into the principal research questions: what learning possibilities do the instruments offer and how do the students experience this alongside the mental and physical rigours of HIP, the unique approach of the tutors and interactions with peers? In seeking a theoretical framework to help explore the interrelationships between the materials and the 'actors' in EME, Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) offers a particularly helpful perspective. This research approach incorporates both ‘tools’ and the learning community as integral influences in the learning process. As such it facilitates a holistic investigation of the learning and teaching relationships in the specific EME environment and the ‘affordances’ or learning potential of the materials involved. My research claim is firmly supported by the findings in this study. The students provide ample evidence of a broad range of deep learning experiences associated with period instruments and HIP. In addition the benefits of multiple elements of group-learning are identified: a continuum of formal and informal learning, collaborative peer learning, and a reflective tutor approach that embraces active participation. The study contributes to CHAT in the realm of the arts and has positive implications for the role of period instruments, HIP and the value of group-learning situations in western-style conservatoires and other tertiary music institutions