Meaning-Making and Participation Structures in Balinese Gamelan:
Presented as part of the Mellon Foundation Grant Program, at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) All-State Conference, April, 2017, and at the 29th MayDayGroup Colloquium, June, 2017
Abstract: In the summer of 2016, a group of 18 American music students and teachers travelled to the Indonesian island of Bali to learn and perform Balinese Gamelan music in the company of several Balinese teachers. This research deconstructed the process of constructing meaning from discursive practices used in a cross-cultural music learning context in Bali in order to promote more equitable and inclusive spaces for music learning and teaching. Using Grounded Theory method (Charmaz 2006), data were collected through participant interviews and video recordings of rehearsals and performances. Results yielded three pertinent findings that can be applied in everyday teaching: 1) Establishing Meaning: Semiotics (sign, symbols, gestures) were used during rehearsals to communicate meaning. For music transmission to occur, discursive meaning must be constructed by the social actors present in the environment. This construction can take many forms. Not establishing the meaning of discourses used in the rehearsal process can lead to misinterpretation, 2) Forming Connections: In order for students to have meaningful musical experiences, they must feel a sense of connection to the music they are playing and to those around them. Students enjoy feeling successful, and forming connections can help set up students for success, 3) Everyone Learns Differently: It is important for teachers to cater to the needs of their students and to scaffold and facilitate knowledge from which students can grow and learn. Questions posed for teachers include: 1) How does your teaching environment (classroom) affect the learning environment of your students? 2) What do you and your students bring to the learning environment, and how can you foster their growth with the qualities they bring? 3) How can we create lifelong (music) learners?
View the poster below, links to presentations and publications coming soon!
Presented as part of the Mellon Foundation Grant Program, at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) All-State Conference, April, 2017, and at the 29th MayDayGroup Colloquium, June, 2017
Abstract: In the summer of 2016, a group of 18 American music students and teachers travelled to the Indonesian island of Bali to learn and perform Balinese Gamelan music in the company of several Balinese teachers. This research deconstructed the process of constructing meaning from discursive practices used in a cross-cultural music learning context in Bali in order to promote more equitable and inclusive spaces for music learning and teaching. Using Grounded Theory method (Charmaz 2006), data were collected through participant interviews and video recordings of rehearsals and performances. Results yielded three pertinent findings that can be applied in everyday teaching: 1) Establishing Meaning: Semiotics (sign, symbols, gestures) were used during rehearsals to communicate meaning. For music transmission to occur, discursive meaning must be constructed by the social actors present in the environment. This construction can take many forms. Not establishing the meaning of discourses used in the rehearsal process can lead to misinterpretation, 2) Forming Connections: In order for students to have meaningful musical experiences, they must feel a sense of connection to the music they are playing and to those around them. Students enjoy feeling successful, and forming connections can help set up students for success, 3) Everyone Learns Differently: It is important for teachers to cater to the needs of their students and to scaffold and facilitate knowledge from which students can grow and learn. Questions posed for teachers include: 1) How does your teaching environment (classroom) affect the learning environment of your students? 2) What do you and your students bring to the learning environment, and how can you foster their growth with the qualities they bring? 3) How can we create lifelong (music) learners?
View the poster below, links to presentations and publications coming soon!
Marginalization and Privilege within Public School Music Programs:
Presented at the Symposium for Music Teacher Educators (SMTE), September, 2015
Abstract: In the spring semester of 2015, five undergraduates enrolled in Secondary General Music Education Methods at Gettysburg College conducted research that investigated how students experienced or witnessed marginalization and privilege in their school music programs. Discovered themes include: 1) lack of access to instruments and lessons because of socioeconomic factors, 2) giftedness was often ignored and accommodations were not provided by teachers, 3) favoritism of and opportunities for some students over others. Expanding upon these initial findings from the individual interviews, each participant then participated in a focus group discussion with the researchers, and an additional theme about having a greater awareness of privilege emerged. The findings were analyzed and interpreted through the use of Systemic Oppression Theory as a theoretical framework. View the poster below!
Presented at the Symposium for Music Teacher Educators (SMTE), September, 2015
Abstract: In the spring semester of 2015, five undergraduates enrolled in Secondary General Music Education Methods at Gettysburg College conducted research that investigated how students experienced or witnessed marginalization and privilege in their school music programs. Discovered themes include: 1) lack of access to instruments and lessons because of socioeconomic factors, 2) giftedness was often ignored and accommodations were not provided by teachers, 3) favoritism of and opportunities for some students over others. Expanding upon these initial findings from the individual interviews, each participant then participated in a focus group discussion with the researchers, and an additional theme about having a greater awareness of privilege emerged. The findings were analyzed and interpreted through the use of Systemic Oppression Theory as a theoretical framework. View the poster below!
“The mind is like a parachute… It only works if we keep it open.”
-Albert Einstein
-Albert Einstein