Seeing and hearing music teaching and learning: Transforming classroom observations through ethnography and portraiture

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to engage preservice teachers in thoughtful examination of teaching and learning in music classrooms through application of ethnographic and portraiture techniques, and to ascertain the efficacy of this approach in undergraduate music teacher preparation courses. Participants included faculty members at three universities and the preservice students enrolled in elementary general music methods courses. Students were coached in ethnographic data collection techniques (e.g., observations and field notes, memos, peer debrief, collection of artefacts) by their respective professors. Schwab's (1973) four curriculum commonplaces served as frames for students' observations in music classrooms. Students constructed ethnography-portraiture projects based on their data records and participated in exit interviews at the end of the semester. Data, comprised of students' projects and interviews, were analysed by the faculty participants for evidence of preservice teachers' ability to engage in the ethnography process, their thoughtful critique of the culture of the music classrooms and the teachers and children they observed, and changes in preservice teachers' perceptions and thinking about music teaching and learning. Analysis indicated that ethnographic techniques enabled the preservice teachers to articulate a multi-layered picture of teaching and learning in elementary music classrooms, to engage in nuanced reflections about their identity as teachers, and to provide detailed descriptions that were both analytical and critical as supported by data and informed by connections made with material from their methods coursework. Additional findings include evidence of insightful learning characterised by clarification of career goals, appreciation of the unexpected, changes in perspective, and emerging teacher identities.

Observational learning in the music masterclass

“…In their guidelines for observation in student class music teaching settings, Clements and Klinger advocate systematic observation which includes defining the purpose of observation, delaying interpretation until observation is completed, then considering the relevance of observations and finally inferring meaning (Clements & Klinger, 2010, p. 19). Structuring observation in this way appears to make it more likely for observers to delay judgement or criticism (Hoskyns, 2002, p. 177) and to move between descriptive and interpretive perspectives (Miranda et al ., 2007, p. 16). Guidance on the focus of attention during observation may help develop understanding relating not only to the content but also to processes, relationships and interactions that may be occurring, as well as ‘issues and problems which participants themselves regard as crucial’ (Denscombe, 2003, p. 204).…”

“…The process of learning through observation appears to be central to the acquisition and development of skill within a range of domains, including teacher training (Miranda et al ., 2007; Blair, 2008; Clements & Klinger, 2010), working with pre-school children (Hobart & Frankel, 2009; Riddall-Leech, 2010), healthcare practitioner training (Morris, 2003) and counselling training (Connor, 1994; Hough, 2010). In music, observational learning has been used within music therapy training (Hoskyns, 2002) and in learning conducting skills (Gonzo & Forsythe, 1976; Duke & Prickett, 1987; Johnston, 1993).…”

“…This process has to be managed carefully, as tacit or unstructured observation can result in unfocused and ineffective learning (Greene, 2009) and the possibility that ‘we see what we want or expect to see – to the point where believing is seeing’ (Ostermann & Kottkamp, 2004, p. 30). It can also create the potential for ‘heightened anxiety and total “shut down” in the learner’ (Morris, 2003) and result in unconsidered judgements on aspects of the observed behaviour (Hoskyns, 2002; Miranda et al ., 2007).…”

Application of Digital Music Technology in Music Pedagogy

“…Our country also intensifies the secondary education with all might and develops the curriculum standards in the field of music pedagogy, which have a very strong normative effect on us. Nowadays, under the background of deepening education reform, improving the quality education in an all-round way, and making efforts to launch fair education and accomplishing the healthy and sustainable development of education cause, especially after the aesthetics is chosen as a guiding principle for national education, students' good aesthetic sentiment and humanistic literacy have been improved with a good effect [7]. The music curriculum standards in middle and high schools somewhat differ, but most of them are still similar with contents summed up as follows:…”

Music Solfeggio Learning Platform Construction and Application

“…operations of student scores inquiry and statistics. It can read data via SqlDataReader object, call the Select order in SQL statement with Fill method, update change of the record in each day with Update method, and call the implied Insert, Update and Delete orders automatically [8].…”