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Davidson, Robert & Lupton, Mandy(2016)’It makes you think anything is possible’: Representing diversity in musictheory pedagogy.British Journal of Music Education, 33(02), pp. 175-189.
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https://doi.org/10.1017/S0265051716000115
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“It makes you think anything is possible”: Representing diversity in music theory
pedagogy
RobertDavidsonandMandyLupton
Biography
RobertDavidsonisSeniorLecturerinCompositionattheUniversityofQueensland.AfterstudyingcompositionwithTerryRiley,heformedhisquintetTopology,residentattheBrisbanePowerhouse,withwhomheregularlytoursinternationallyandworkswithawiderangeofcollaboratorssuchastheBrodskyQuartet,KateMiller‐Heidke,KatieNoonan,TaikOzandTrichotomy.Hismusicisfocusedonstylisticpluralism,intersectionsbetweenmusicandlanguage,andimprovisation.
RobertDavidson,SchoolofMusic,UniversityofQueensland,StLuciaQld4072,Australia
MandyLuptonisaSeniorLecturerinEducationattheQueenslandUniversityofTechnology.Shehasanextensivebackgroundinhighereducationteachingandlearning.Herresearchinterestsincludethewaysinwhichuniversitystudentsuseinformationtocompose.Shehasdevelopedtheoreticalandexperientialmodelsforteachingandlearningmusiccompositionbasedonherresearch.
MandyLupton,SchoolofCulturalandProfessionalLearning,QueenslandUniversityofTechnology,VictoriaParkRoad,KelvinGroveQLD4059Australia
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“It makes you think anything is possible”: Representing diversity in music theory
pedagogy
Abstract Thispapercritiquesatraditionalapproachtomusictheorypedagogy.Itarguesthatmusic
theorycoursesshoulddrawonpedagogiesthatreflectthediversityandpluralisminherentin
21stcenturymusicmaking.Itpresentsthefindingsofanactionresearchprojectinvestigating
theexperiencesofundergraduatestudentsundertakinganinnovativecontemporaryartmusic
theorycourse.Itdescribesthestudents’struggleincomingtotermswithacoursethat
integratedcomposing,performing,listeningandanalysingcoupledwithwhatformanywas
theirfirstexposuretothediversityofcontemporaryartmusic.Thepaperconcludeswith
suggestingthattheapproachcouldbeadoptedmorewidelythroughoutmusicprograms.
Keywords:contemporaryartmusic,pedagogy,curriculumdesign
Introduction
Themostcharacteristicfeatureof21stcenturymusicisitsdiversity.TheInternet‐fuelled
explosioninmusiccommunicationhasresultedinunprecedentedpluralism.Academic
approachestomusichavealsobecomefarmoreinclusive,inthecontextofpostmodern
understandings,sothatthepurviewof“contemporarymusic”inuniversitiesisnowmuchwider
thaninpreviousgenerations,whenlargeareasofmusic(suchasthemajorityofpopularmusic)
wouldberoutinelyexcludedfromthedefinitionoftheterm(Monelle,1996).Suchexclusionis
difficulttomaintaininthecurrentcontextofpluralism,whichMellerslinkswithdemocracy:
Themostdistinctivecharacteristicoftheageweliveinmaybeitsextremepluralism,
whichisanindirectconsequenceofthetriumphofdemocraticprincipleandofthesheer
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sizeoftheindustrialisedcommunitiesweinhabit.Whensocialgroupsremainrelatively
small,self‐contained,andregional,continuingcustomsandcodesofvaluemaybe
meaningful,whereasthisisvirtuallyimpossibleinthemultifariouscongregationsof
races,religions,creeds,castesandclassesspawnedbyourindustrialtechnocracies.A
globalvillageisacontradictioninterms,thoughthephraseispertinentto'thewaywe
livenow'.(Mellers,1998)
Teachingcontemporarymusictheory,then,presentsnewchallenges.Howdoesaneducator
accuratelyreflectthediversityofcurrentmusicwithoutoverwhelmingstudentsinanoceanof
complexity?Thispaperapproachesthequestionthroughcritiquingtraditionalmusictheory
pedagogyandexaminingstudentexperiencesofauniversitycoursedevotedto“contemporary
artmusic”theory.
Inthecourse,“contemporaryartmusic”istreatedasanenormouslydiversepocketofmusical
practice,butonlyoneofagreatnumberofco‐existingmusicsthatmakeup“contemporary
music”,definedasanymusicbeingmadenow.Contemporaryartmusic,then,isapproachedasa
subsetofcontemporarymusic.Contemporaryartmusicisnotoriouslydifficulttodefine,oreven
name.Variousterms,includingpostclassical,avant‐garde,“newmusic”andmanyothershave
beentried(Oteri,2005).Thisdifficultypresentsachallengeforthosedesigningandteaching
musictheorycourses.
Traditional and new curricula
Inrecentyearstherehavebeendebatesinconservatoiresanduniversitymusicdepartments
overcurriculumdevelopmentandpedagogy.Somedebateshavebeenpromptedbytheexpense
oftheone‐to‐onestudioteachingmodel,whileothershavecritiquedtraditionalcurriculaas
beenarchaicandanachronistic(McKendry,2011a&b;Sarath,1995;Tregear,2014).Asa
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consequence,somehighereducationmusicprogramsarecurrentlyundergoingradicalshiftsin
pedagogyandcontent,characterisedbyarejectionofthehierarchical‘mentor‐protégé’model
(Tregear,2014,p.26)infavourofademocraticandindependentlearningapproachaimedat
developingbroadskillsandcreativity(Sarath,1995;Tregear,2014).
Thenewcurriculumapproachesareunderpinnedbypostmodernisttheory(Elliott,2001).In
doingsotheycelebratepluralismandrejectthe‘tyrannyofcanon’(McKendry.2011,p.133).
Theyintegrateperforming,composing,arrangingandimprovisingwithmusictheory,aural
trainingandhistory(Elliott,2001;McKendry,2011;Tregear,2014)creatinga‘conservatoire
sansfrontiers’(Tregear,2014,p.32).Thesenewapproacheshaveobviousimplicationsfor
contemporaryartmusictheorycurriculumandpedagogy,accentuatedbydifficultiesin
diversityanddefinitionasmentionedabove.
Music theory pedagogy
Thescholarlyliteraturedealingwithmusictheorypedagogyhastendedtobypassdifficultiesin
definingcontemporaryartmusicinfocusingonearlyrepertoiresofWesternartmusicandon
approachesusingWesternstaffnotation(Rogers,1984).Wherelisteningisemphasised,the
focusisoftendirectedtowardsparticulardimensionsofmusicsalientinnotation,especially
patternsofpitch(Rogers,1984).Alongwithprivilegingstaffnotation,theliteratureisstrongly
focusedonthepast.Wheremorerecentmusicisincluded,itisoftenfocusedonasmallsubset
ofcontemporarymusic,namely“post‐tonal”music,whichappearstobeselectedforitsfocuson
structuresinpitchandrhythm,ratherthanonelementsthataremoreresistantto
representationinstaffnotation.
Intheseways,musictheorypedagogyfollowsitssourcediscipline,musictheory,whichhaslong
beencriticisedforoverlookingmusicaldimensionsthatmaybecentraltoparticularmusic
genres(McClary,1990;Middleton,1990).Criticsofthedisciplineofmusictheoryhave
examineditsfoundationalassumptions,includingautonomyofthework,aestheticuniversality,
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andobjectivity.Theyarguethattheseassumptionsarenotuniversal,butinsteadsuitedtoa
limitedareaofmusic,namely“commonpractice”Westernartmusic(Green,1988;Shaw‐Miller,
1993;YouYoung,2006).
Musictheoryhasrespondedbybroadeningitsoutlook,bothinmethodologyandsubjectmatter.
Itisincreasinglycommonforthemajormusictheoryjournalstoincludescholarlyanalysesof
popularmusicgenressuchasheavymetal(Pieslak,2007),electronicdancemusic(Butler,
2005),popandrock(Capuzzo,2004),andsoul(Fink,2011).However,musictheorypedagogy,
atleastasreflectedinmanyundergraduatemusictheorycoursescontinuestofollow
universalisingassumptionsofearliermusictheory.
Wasonarguesthatmusictheorycourseshavetherebyavoidedcontemporarymusicandhave
retreatedtohistoricalapproaches:
Giventhelossofacommonlanguageofharmonictonalityinthetwentiethcentury,and
thefluxofcompetingmusicalstylesandlanguagesthatrushedintofillthevacuum,itis
littlewonderthatthemusictaughttostudentswasbyandlargemadeupofahistorical
canonofmusicalartworks;nolongerdidmusicteachersconveyaliving,vibrant
language,letalonecontributetothislanguagethemselvesascomposers.Perhapsthe
plethoraofco‐existingmusicalstylesthatcharacterizesourcontemporaryscene–
LeonardMeyer’s“dynamicsteady‐state”–makessuchacouplingbetween
contemporarycompositionandtheoryinstructionnolongerapracticalreality.Ifthisis
so,though,thestatusoftheprofessionalmusictheoryinstructorseemstohave
ironicallyreturnedatleastinparttothatofthespeculativemusicusofmedievallore–
whoisa“knower”butnotnecessarilya“doer”.Tothatextent,theacademizationof
musictheorymaybeseentohavecomeatacost.(Wason,2002)
Weareleftthenwithaseriousdisconnectionbetweenhighereducationmusicprogramsand
real‐worldmusicalpractice.Currentmusicalrealitycallsforareimaginingofmusicianship
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(Hugill,2008),whichmaybetermed“multicoded”(Hugill,2008;Webb,2008),andthe
challengeistoincorporatethisnewunderstandingintohighereducation.
Thefollowingsectiondiscussesthecurriculumdesignofacontemporarymusictheorycoursein
anAustralianresearch‐intensiveuniversity.Thecoursehasbeendesignedwiththeaimsof
addressingthechallengesdescribedabove.
Curriculum design: course context
Thecourse,MusicTechniques4,haslongbeenacorecourseintheBachelorofMusicand
BachelorofArts(Music)programs.Itisthefourthinasequenceofmusictheorycourses,which
followanhistoricalprogressionthroughWesternartmusicfromBaroquemusicto
contemporarymusic.Thefirstthreecoursesinthesequencetendtowardsatraditional
transmission‐learningmodel,focusingonastable,definedcorpusofmusicalknowledge.Before
beingredesigned,MusicTechniques4followedasimilarapproach,focusingonanalysisof
twelveprescribedcompositionsfromthecanonofmodernistEuropeanartmusic(including
workssuchasSchoenberg’sDreiKlavierstückeop.11,Boulez’sStructures,Webern’sop.22
QuartetandMessiaen’sCanteyodjaya).Learnersdemonstratedtheirunderstandingofa
predefinedsetofcompositionaltechniques,centredonmusicnotationandtheconceptionof
compositionsasautonomous,staticmusicalobjects.
Asdiscussedintheprevioussection,theprimarychallengeinredesigningthecoursewasto
reflectcurrentmusicalpracticemoreconsciouslywithoutsacrificingchallengeorrigour.
Multicodedmusicianshipskills(Webb,2008)andtheintegrationofcomposition,performance,
analysis,listeninganddiscussionwereseenasessential.Therewasalsoagoaltoexpand
conceptionsofmusicbeyondafocusonstaffnotation,inlinewiththeorientationofmuch
contemporarymusic.Thus,thecoursewasdesignedtoachievethelearningoutcomesvaluedby
amulticodedapproach,andapluralisticmusicculture,ratherthanatraditionalapproach.This
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alsomeantthatthelearningoutcomeswereintentionallydifferentfromthoseachievedusinga
moretraditionalapproach.
Toaddressthisapproach,thefollowingcourseobjectivesweredeveloped:
Adoptcomposingapproachesandtechniquesforcreatingmusicofmanygenres
UnderstandstrategiesincomposingWesternartmusicofthe20thand21stcenturies
Workcollaborativelyindevelopingcreativemusicalperformances
Overall,therevisedcourseusedthe‘comprehensive/creative’curriculummodeloutlinedby
Sarath(1995p.32)thatdevelopscomprehensiveskills,isunderpinnedby‘hands‐oncreative
basedlearning’,‘approachestraditionasalivingsourceofcreativeandexpressivetools’and
‘transcendschronologicalandgeographicalboundaries’.
Thisconstructivist,learner‐centredapproach(Hanley&Montgomery2005)enabledstudentsto
experienceknowledgeasinternalandsubjectiveratherthanobjectiveandresidinginexperts.
Itinvolvedindependentlearningtoallowindividualpathwaysthroughtheknowledge.The
resultingspecialisedknowledgeofeachstudentwassharedwiththeclass,andusedin
collaborativework.
Design of the course
Teachingactivitiesweredesignedtofostermulti‐codedmusicianship,integratingcomposition,
performance,analysis,listeninganddiscussion.Lectureswereusedprimarilytoprovidean
overviewandcontextofmusicaltechniques,exposingstudentstoabroadscopeofmusical
ideas.Forexample,thetechniqueofHocketmaybeexplainedandillustratedwithawiderange
ofexamplesincluding13thcenturyFrenchmusic,AkadindaperformancesinUganda,1950s
AmericanpopularsongssuchasMrSandman,contemporaryEuropeanorchestralmusicby
ThomasAdès,jazzbyHerbieHancock,vocalmusicbyMeredithMonk,Peruviansikuensembles,
heavymetalbyMeshuggahandcurrentindierockbyTheDirtyProjectors.Tutorialsfocusedon
discussionofthemusicalideasandtechniques,includingstudentpresentationsoftheir
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researchintotechniques,andonworkshoppingofstudentcompositions.Studentsworked
independentlyonresearchingmusictechniquesinaselectedareaoffocus,andoncomposing
andarrangingmusic.
Thereweretwoassessmentitems:
1. Webpageandpresentation–eachstudentselectedanareaoffocustoinvestigate,
summariseandsharewiththeclassthroughaseminarpresentationandwebpage
2. Performancesoforiginalandcollaborativecompositions.Twoindividualcompositions
focusedonaspecifictechnique,andacollaborativecompositionfocusedonintegration
ofmultipletechniques.Allwereperformedinclassandreceivedpeercommentary.
Assessmentfocusedonperformance,compositionaluseoftechniques,andcritical
engagementwithotherstudents’work.
Itwasrecognisedthatitwouldbeparticularlyimportanttoevaluatetheredesignedcoursedue
totheinnovationsabove.Thus,anactionresearchprojectwasinitiatedtoinvestigatestudents’
experiencesinthecourse.Thispaperreportsthefirstcycleoftheresearch,andreportsbriefly
onsubsequentiterations.Inthenextsectionwedescribethemethodologyforthestudy,
followedbyareportonthestudents’experienceinthecourse.
Methodology
Thisstudytookaqualitative,interpretiveresearchapproach.Thisapproachwaschosentobe
consistentwiththeconstructivistnatureofthecourseandwithouraimsofinvestigatingthe
livedexperiencefromtheperspectiveofthestudents.Thiswasparticularlyimportantdueto
thenewdesignofthecourse,which,asdescribedabovewasaradicaldeparturefromthe
traditionalcurriculum.
Thedatacollectionconsistedofsemi‐structuredinterviewswith11students(5male,6female).
Thestudentswerevolunteersfromaclassof65students.Theinterviewsrangedinlengthfrom
30‐60minutesandwereconductedshortlyafterthesemesterfinishedbythesecondauthor,an
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educationalresearcherwhowasnotonthecourseteachingteam.Theinterviewquestionswere
designedtoexplorethelearningoutcomesofthecourse:
1. Whathaveyoulearnedaboutcreatingmusicthroughdoingthecourse?
2. Whattechniqueshaveyoulearnedinthecoursethatyouthinkhaveallowedyouto
becomemoreexpressive?
3. Whatwaysdoyouthinkdidthecoursehelpeddevelopyourmusicalcreativity?
4. Whatitwasliketocollaborateonacomposition?
5. Howwouldyoudescribethecoursetoafriendwhowasconsideringenrollinginit?
Theinterviewsweretranscribedverbatimandanalysedthematicallylookingforaspectsof
similarityanddifference.FollowingNorton(2009),anumberofiterationswereundertaken,
involving:immersion,generatingcategories,deletingcategories,mergingcategoriesinto
themes,checkingthemesandlinkingthemes.Immersionconsistedofrepeatedreadingsand
summarisationofeachstudent’sreportedexperience.Categoriesweregeneratedfromeach
transcriptdescribingthestudents’descriptionoftheirlearningandwhattheythoughthe
coursewasabout.Thecategorieswerethenpooled,andsomecategorieswereamalgamated.
Themeswerecreatedbydrawingontheprominentsimilaritiesanddifferencesdescribedinthe
categories.Thethemeswerethenillustratedusingquotationsfromthetranscripts.
Results
Inthissection,wepresentthethemesillustratingthedominantwaysinwhichthestudents
respondedtotheredesignedcourse.Itshouldbenotedthatitwasapparentfromtheoutsetthat
studentsexpectedtheMusicTechniques4coursetocontinueinthesamemannerasthe
previousMusicTechniquescourses.Furthermore,itwasclearthatthenatureof20thand21st
centuryWesternartmusicandtheemphasisonpluralismandmulti‐codedmusicianshipwasa
departurefromstudents’previousmusicalexperiences.
10
Accordingly,themes1‐5reflectstrongaffectasstudentsreflectedupontheirexperienceinthe
course.Theme1describestheconfusionovertheintegrationofcomposition,performanceand
musictheory.Theme2illustratestherangeofstrongpositiveandnegativefeelingsstudents
experienced.Theme3describesthewaysthestudentsrespondedtoindependentandpeer
learningapproaches.Theme4isatransformationaltheme,wherestudentsdescribelearningto
becomemoreexpressiveinbroadeningtheirthinkingandunderstanding.Theme5describes
someofthecompositionalskillsstudentsreporteddevelopingthatledtoafeelingofliberation
andasenseoffreedom.Finally,theme6doesnothighlightaffect,ratheritdescribesthetypesof
compositionalandtheoryskillsandknowledgestudentsreportedlearninginthecourse.Aswill
beseenthethemesarerelated.Takentogethertheyrepresentthejourneythatstudents
undertookinundertakingacoursethatchallengedtheirassumptionsthroughtheuseof
innovativepedagogyandcontent.
Theme1–Theintegrationofcomposition,performanceandmusictheory
Studentsdescribedthecourseasbeingaboutperformanceandcompositionaswellasmusic
theory.
Atheorycoursebasedoncomposition.(S5)
Theoriesofcompositionwithperformanceaspects.(S9)
Aperformance‐basedtheorycourse.(S8)
Learntocomposebetter,andplaybetter…learntoapplyinyourperformanceandcomposition.
(S7)
Ingeneral,theintegrationofcomposition,performanceandmusictheorycausedstudents
confusionandanxiety.Studentshadexpectedatraditionalmusictheorycourse,alongthelines
oftheirpreviousexperiencei.e.beinggivenexplanationsandwrittenexercisestodemonstrate
applicationofmusictheory.
11
ThisiscompletelydifferenttothepreviousMusicTechniquescourseswe'vedone….Withthis
one,weturneduporwereadthecourseprofilewhenitbecameavailable,andallofusjustwent,
"What!Thisisn'twhatwesignedupfor!"[laughs]…Ididlearnalotfromit,asmuchasitwasa
shockatthebeginning.(S11)
ThepreviousTechniquescourses,theypresenteduswithinformation,and“Youhavetoknow
this.”And“Nowyou’regoingtodemonstratethatyouknowthis”andwe’ddoassignmentsevery
secondweekorsomething.And,youknow,demonstratethatyoucanwriteathree‐partfugue,
demonstratethatyoucanwriteintwo‐to‐onecounterpoint.Demonstratethatyoucanwritea
chordprogression,writeinfour‐partharmony.Thiscoursedidn’treallydothat.(S8)
Therequirementtoperformacross‐genreadaptationofaMichaelJacksonsongwas
particularlyconfrontingtotheclass.
He[thelecturer]certainlydidthingsverydifferently.Iwasabitscepticalatthestart.Especially
whenhewaslike,“DoaMichaelJacksoncoversong.”Idon’tknowmuchaboutMichaelJackson,I
neverlistenedtomuchMichaelJacksonatall,butitwasfine,becauseyoujustlistentoitalot,
andfigureouthowitworks.(S6)
AtthebeginningofthesemesterIthoughtitwasreallyridiculoustowriteaMichaelJackson
song.Ithinkalotofusfoundthatwasreallystrange.Asthecoursewentonwerealizedthatit
probablyfittedwhatwastaughtreallywell.(S5)
Theme2–Musicalcontent
Thecontentofthecoursewasalsochallenging.Formanystudentsitwastheirfirstintroduction
tocontemporaryartmusic.
Halfthestuffhe[thelecturer]wasshowingusIdidn’tthinkwasmusic.Itdidn’tconstitute
music…Maybeit’snoise.Organisednoise.(S8)
AtfirstIwasalittlebitlike“Ohwhyareweevendoingthisfor?”butthen,onceyoutryandget
yourheadaroundit,itisactuallyreallyinteresting.(S1)
12
Studentsdescribedcontemporaryartmusicas‘wacky’,‘weird’,‘crazy’and‘outthere’.For
instance,student8foundthe‘freethinking’approachveryconfronting.Shesaid:
ItwasverynewandsonewthatIcouldn’treallykeepitinmyheadanduseit.Becauseitwasso
muchweird,crazystuff.Thatitwasjustlotsofnewstuff.Becausealotofthesetechniquesareso
outthere.Becauseoftheperiodweliveineverybody’ssofreethinking,it’slike“Let’strythis”.If
somecrazypersonhadtriedtodothatintheeighteencenturyitwouldhavebeenlike,“Youcan’t
dothat.That’snothowitworks.”Butyoucandowhateveryouwantnow.Experimentwith
musicalinstruments.Let’sgetasaxophonemouthpieceandstickitinacarrot!(S8)
Theme3–Affect
Theaffectiveimpactofthecoursewasconsiderable,bothpositiveandnegative.Students
describedbeing‘scared’,and‘shocked’withthedifferentapproach,andalsoconfrontedatthe
thoughtofcomposingandperforminginfrontoftheirpeers.
Itwaskindofscarytohaveotherpeoplehearsomethingthatyou’vecomposed.JustbecauseI’ve
neverdonethatbefore,soIwasveryinhibited,butwhenyouhavetodoityourealisethatit’snot
suchanimpossiblething.Itwasgood.(S11)
I’mreallygladwepushedoutofourcomfortzoneswithanewteacherandanewwayof
teaching...quiteasignificantpartoftheclassreallydislikeditinthebeginning.Ittookusquitea
whiletowarmuptotheideathatit’snotareallybadideaafterall.(S5)
Studentsalsodescribedthecourseas,‘fun’and‘enjoyable’(S1,S3,S4,S7,S9,S10).Thispositive
affectwasrelatedtoboththegroupworkandthe‘liberating’feelingofhavingthesortof
‘freedom’and‘expression’thatthecourseallowed.Itwasalsorelatedtotheindependent
learningaspectsofthecourse.Bycontrast,theprevioustheorycoursesandtheAustralian
MusicExaminationBoardsyllabus(whichwasmentionedinmanyresponses)weretaught
traditionally.
Before[intheprevioustheorycourses],weneverreallyhadthefreedomtodoanythinglikethat,
becausethey'dalwaysgiveyoualineandyou'dhavetoharmonizetothatinthestyle,or
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whatever.Youwouldn'tevergetyourownfreecreativitytodo…Ithoughtit[thiscourse]was
scary,butstillatthesametimefun,becauseyougottodoyourownthing.(S9)
Therewasalotmorefreedominthiscourse.(S3)
I’mreallygladwepushedoutofourcomfortzoneswith…anewwayofteaching.(S5)
Iwouldsayitwasfun,greatanddifferent.Because,asIsaidbefore,weteachourselves,rather
thanlisteningto[the]lecturers.(S7)
Itwasfunusingthem[thetechniques],becauseIhadneverusedthembefore…[theMichael
Jacksongroupcomposition]wasfun,too,becausewecouldbeasexpressiveaswewanted.(S7)
[Collaborating]wasactuallyalotoffun…Ifindthateveryonehassomanyideasandthereare
oftenthingsyouhaven’tthoughtofyourself,andyoujustopenotherdoorsfromtheirpointof
view.Sothat’salotoffunandit’sreallyinteresting.(S1)
Itwas,Iwanttosay,fun…it’ssomethingentirelyyourown,andthenyougetagroupofpeople
togethertoperformit.Itwasareallyenjoyableexperience.(S10)
Partofthepositiveaffectwastheconfidencestudentsdevelopedbycomposingandperforming
theircompositions.Studentsweresurprisedthattheircompositionsturnedoutsowell.
Ididn’treallyrealiseIcouldwritedecentmusic.(S5)
IthascertainlymademerealisethatI’mbetteratthisthanIliketogivemyselfcreditfor…you
sometimessurpriseyourselfhowwellitworks…thepeopleinthegroupthoughtitsounded
reallycool.(S6)
Idon’thavemuchfaithinmyabilitytocompose.Whichiswhatwasgoodaboutthesubject,
becauseitkindofopenedthatup.(S10)
Theme4‐Independentandpeerlearning
Independentandpeerlearningwerenotedasdistinctivefeaturesinthecourse,departingfrom
expectationsofhaving‘everythinglaidout’(S11),withinclearboundaries.Independent
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learningfeaturedinalltheassessment.Forinstance,studentsneededtochooseatechnique,
researchitandpresenttheresultsoftheirresearchtotheclass.IntheMichaelJackson
assignment,studentsalsoneededtochoosethesong,andmakeallthearrangingdecisions.
Studentsdescribedthisas‘teachingthemselves’.
Peopledon’trealisethepotentialofthecoursejustbecausealotofitisleftuptothem.(S6)
Wewereteachingourselvesreally.(S7)
His[thelecturer’s]approachisverymuchthatweteachourselves,throughdoingthewikisand
everything.Thatsortofleftustochoosewhatwewantedtofocusonreally.IchosetopicsthatI
foundeasy,thatIdidn’thavetodoalotofworkon.BecauseI’mabitlazylikethat.(S8)
Wehadtobecreativeandrelyonourselvesmore,ratherthanhavingeverythinglaidoutforus.I
thinkthatwasgood,becausewehadtobealittlemoreindependentwithourlearningstyles,and
alsowithteachingeachotherandhelpingeachother.(S11)
Learningfromother’spresentationswasincontrasttoatraditionalapproachfocusedon
teacher‐directedtransmissionofinformation.
Youcometoclassandyouhearsomeone’sperformanceandyouthink‘Well,OK,Ididn’tthinkof
that.’You’realwayssortoflearningsomething,it’snotjustrepeatedknowledge.(S9)
[Thelecturer]getseveryoneinvolvedandasksforpeople’sopinions,whereaspreviouslywe
wouldsittherefortwohoursandsomeonewouldtalk.(S10)
Studentswererequiredtoworkcollaborativelyinordertoperformthetwocomposition
assignments.Theseconsistedof1)workingwithatriotopresentasix‐to‐tenminutesetof
compositionsillustratingtheuseofcontemporaryartmusictechniques,and2)workingwitha
quartetorquintettopresentacross‐genrearrangementofaMichaelJacksonsong,makinguse
ofcontemporaryartmusictechniques.
Studentscommentedonarangeofaspectsinrelationtotheirgroupexperience.Asdiscussed
above,aprimarythemewasoneoffun,whileanotherwasthepositivecontributionofgroup
15
members.Therewasverylittlenegativityassociatedwiththegroupprocessandoutcome.
Studentsreportedlearningfromtheirpeersintermsofhavingarangeofopinionand
knowledgetodrawfrom.
Everyonehassomanyideasandthereareoftenthingsyouhaven’tthoughtofyourself.Andyou
justopenotherdoorsfromtheirpointofview…[Itshowedme]howit’spossibletouseeveryone
tocreatesomething…Justworkingwithareallysolidgrouptowardsacommongoal.(S1)
Openedupmoreideas–whenyouworkonyourown,youknowwhat’sgoingtohappen.(S6)
Theyoffersuggestionsaswellastheymakesurethatyourmusicmostlikelymakessense,your
technique.Becauseeachmembertheyofferdifferentopinionsaswellasknowledge.(S2)
Theme5–Becomingmoreexpressive
Studentsreportedthatthecourseallowedthemtothinkdifferentlyaboutperformingand
generallybefreerinthewaytheyapproachedtheirmusicmaking.Forinstance,studentssaid
thatlearningcontemporarytechniqueshelpedthemtounderstandcontemporarymusic,and
thushavemoreinsightsintoperformingcontemporaryworks.
[Learningthetechniqueshas]helpedmethinkabout‘whatisthecomposertryingtodohere?’
[It]helpsyougetthecharacterofthepiece...helpspointyoutowardswhatthepurposemight
havebeen...helpsyouperformwithmoreinsights.Andratherthancreatinganarbitrary
characteronwhatyouthinkishappeninginthepiece,ithelpsmakethecharacterpossiblymore
whatthecomposer’sintentionmighthavebeen.(S1)
IfIevergetapiecelikethat[usingserialism],Icangothroughandworkouthowitworks.It’ll
makeiteasiertoplay,maybe.(S8)
Student11hadpreviouslyfoundcontemporaryartmusicrepertoiredaunting.Herexperience
inthecoursehasde‐mystifiedthismusicforher.
[Thecourse]mademetryit[performingcontemporaryartmusic]…It’sgivenmeabetter
understandingofthetechniquesthatthecomposershaveused.SowhenIlookatitnow,Idon’t
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justthink“Ohthat’shorrible,thatdoessoundterrible”.Icansay“Oh,butthey’veusedthis
technique,andthereforethisisprobablywhattheywereaimingfor”.Ordosomeresearchto
reallyfindoutwhattheywereaimingfor.Sothat’sbeenhelpful,becausethat’sbeenmygeneral
thingwith20thcenturymusic,tolookatitandgo“Oh,no,notthat!Itlooksterrible!”(S11)
Likewise,Student5describedcreatingmoremeaningfromcontemporaryartmusicthat
previouslyshehadconsideredas‘noise’.
Itusedtobetome,“thisisjustnoise.”Likemodernmusicisjustnoise.Ineverreallyunderstood
that.AndnowwhenIlistentoit,andIthinkofideastocompose,Icomeupwithunderstanding
there’sareasonbehindthat,saydrawingontheinfluenceoftribalrhythms.Ithinkrhythmin
modernmusicisalotmorecommonthaninpreviousperiods.I’mreallyinterestedinthat.(S5)
Thetheatricalityofmanyofthestudentperformancesmadesomestudentsrealisethatthey
couldbemoreuninhibitedwhileperforming.
Inmyperformanceitcouldbeinfluentialinopeningupmoretheatricality...Ifoundthatalotofit
hadverydramatictendencies.(S10)
Performance‐wiseIthinkI’dprobablybemoreextravert...they’resointoit,itmakesyoujust
wanttowatchthem.(S9)
Beingexposedtocontemporaryartmusicandusingthetechniquesincomposingallowed
studentstobefreerintheirapproach.Studentsreportedbroadeningtheirmind,realisingthat
thereare‘limitless’possibilities,andbeinggiventhefreedomto‘thinkoutsidethesquare’.
[It]openedmymindup...openedmyeyesthatthere’sotherwaystodoit…there’sabigworldout
there.(S3)
Broadeningwhatyouhadpreviouslythoughtandbeentaughtaboutmusic.(S10)
Thiscoursehasgivenmetheopportunitytobecreativeandtoexploremyowncreativebounds
ratherthanactuallyteachingmeanythingparticularlymaterialaboutbeingcreativeorhowI
shouldbecreative...It’sjustallowedmetoexpressmyself...beinggiventhefreedomtodo
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completelywhackythingswithoutbeingpenalisedforit…givenmethechancetofindoutwhatI
cando.(S6)
[It]makesyouthinkanythingispossible.Whatyouthinkisaboundarymaynotactuallybea
boundary…Youshouldn’tlimityourcreativitytowhatyouthinkisaboundary.Tryandthink
outsidethesquare…Ithinkitjustopensyourmindtothingsthatyoudidn’tthinkwerepossible
before…thinkingoutsidetheboxisoneofthethingsI’velearned.(S9)
Studentssaidthatnotbeingboundedbytheparameterstheywereusedtoinpreviouscourses
‘liberated’them.Thisincludednotbeingrequiredtonotatetheircompositions.
IfeltreallyliberatedinwritingthatbecauseIdidnothavetonotateit.(S5)
I’dsayfrommysecondaryschooltonow,whenIcomposeeverythingisveryharmonious,andit
hastofollowalltherules,mostlyfromBaroque.Butmodernismcompelsyoutothinkoutside
thatBaroqueera…modernismputsmeoutsideandletsmedoothersortsoftechniques,tryto
testthemout.Intheendtheysoundwonderful.Theydo…Itjustoffersmealotofoptionstowrite
asong.Itdoesn’thavetobeverystiff.It’sfreestyle.(S2)
Before,weneverreallyhadthefreedomtodoanythinglikethat,because[inpreviouscourses]
they’dalwaysgiveyoualineandyou’dhavetoharmonisetothatinthestyle,orwhatever.You
wouldn’tevergetyourownfreecreativity.(S9)
Theme6–Learningthroughcomposing
Formanystudents,thecourseenabledthemtodeveloptheircompositionskillsbeyondthose
requiredbyatraditionaltheorycoursewherecompositionstypicallytaketheformofshort
exercisestopracticeusingaparticulartechniquesuchasfugue,voiceleading,modulationetc.In
thosemoretraditionalapproaches,studentswouldbegivenarangeofparameterssuchasthe
lengthoftheexercise.Asstudent11comments:
They’dsetusatask.We’dbeworkingonimpressionism,forexample,andthenthey’dsay,“OK,
withthesecharacteristics,composea20‐barpieceinanimpressioniststyle.”(S11)
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Student11alsoexplainedthatsheapproachedcomposingdifferentlyinthecourse,usingtrial
anderror.Herusualapproachwastostartwithanideaofhowshewantedthepiecetosound.
Butinthiscourse,shewasn’tfamiliarwiththesoundsthatwerepossiblesoshehadtostart
withexperimentation.
IthinkIdiditbackwardstowhatInormallydointhatIwasjustexperimenting.Thenif
somethingworked,thenI’dkeepthatandthenexperimentagaintillIfoundsomethingthat
workedandkeepthat…ratherthanstartingwithwhatIwantedittosoundlike.(S11)
Anotherpointofdifferencewasthattheperformanceaspectofthecourseallowedstudentsto
actuallyheartheircompositions.
Ineverknewhowmycompositionssoundlike.[Inthepreviouscourses]weweremadetowrite
fuguesorfour‐partharmony…youdon’treallyhaveanideaofhowitsoundslike.(S5)
Severalstudentsmentionedthatthecourseenabledthemtolearntowriteforarangeof
instruments,andtolearnaboutthecharacteristicsofinstruments,forexamplerangeand
timbre.Onestudentmentionedaskinghergroupmemberstobecarefulwhenwritingfor
clarinetacrossthebreak(S11),whileotherssaid:
Ilearnedabouttheirrange.Andcertainlythatthetenorsaxophoneisveryloudandhardtoplay
softly.Youhavetowritetheirdynamicsdownalittle.Otherwisetheyburyeverythingelse.(S8)
Ilearnedalotfromthem[mygroup].Liketheviolin,violarange.Thesounds,youhearthe
soundsfromtheothercompositions.(S4)
YoulearntowritethingspeoplecanplaybecausetherewasonepiecethatIwrotethatwasfor
voiceinsopranoandIhadalternatingquaversthroughoutthepiecetoimitateatapeloopandI
thinkshealmostdiedsingingit.(S5)
Forsomeitwasthefirsttimetheyhadwrittenanextendedcompositionbeyondshortexercises.
IthinkImighthavelearnedtorespectcompositionsmore.Iknowthatsoundskindofsilly,but
before[inpreviouscourses]Iwaslike“Ohno,IhavetoactuallywritemysixthgradeAMEB
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[AustralianMusicExaminationsBoard].I’lljustdosomeniceharmonieshere.”AndnowIhaveto
actuallyputthatthoughtprocessin.Youhavetothinkofanideaandmakeitgolongenoughto
actuallybecountedasafull‐lengthperformance.Itjustmademereallysitdownandthink“Wow,
itreallytakesalottocomposesomethingyourself.(S9)
Discussion
Thefindingsillustratethechangefroma‘conventional’toa‘comprehensive/creative’model
(Sarath,2010,p.32)atasinglecourselevelpresentedopportunitiesandbarriers.The
opportunitiesincludedthefreedomofcreativeexpressionthroughapluralist,multicoded
approach,whereasthebarriersincludedstudentresistanceduetothenon‐traditionaland
unfamiliarapproach.
Thestrongaffectthatcharacterisedstudents’experiencesindicatedthattherewere
opportunitiestoengagewiththeiremotionsandthatmoreneededtobemanagedthansimply
musicaltechniques.Whenmovingoutsideexpectedteachingdirections,itiscrucialtotake
accountofhowthisislikelytobeconfrontingandstressful.However,thisdoesnotmeanwe
shouldavoidconfrontation.Studentswhoexperiencedthecourseastransformativereported
feelingsofliberationandfreedom,whilestudentswhoreportedmorenegativeresponses(a
muchsmallernumber)neverthelessrecogniseditasapowerfullearningexperience.
Thecoursewasredesignedinsubsequentiterationstopromoteclearercommunicationofthe
goalsandobjectives.Thisincludeddiscussionsofhowthecoursedifferedfromprevioustheory
courses,clarificationofthescheduleandexpectations,andmorefrequentfeedbackand
guidance,particularlyintheearlyweeks.Briefanalyticaltaskswerealsointroducedin
conjunctionwithmoremusicalexamplesdiscussedinclass,sothattechniquescouldbeseenin
diversesettingsbeforebeingusedcreatively.Beforecomposingwasattempted,studentswere
guidedinimprovisationexercisesasawaytoreducecreativeinhibitionsanddemonstrateto
20
themselvesthattheywereabletoinventmusicmuchastheyinventspokenutterances.Thefirst
analysisanddiscussionactivitieswerecentredonrecordingsofclassimprovisations,
convincingthestudentsthattheyhadcreativeabilitythatsimplyneededreleasingandrefining
inthesubsequentcompositionalactivities.
Theeffectivenessofthesechangesissuggestedbyincreasinglypositivefeedbackfromstudents.
However,thereisperhapsanunnecessarilylargeburdenofchallengeplacedonthiscourse,as
studentsarerequiredtonegotiatenotonlynewmusicaltechniques,butalsounfamiliarwaysof
learning.Thiscouldbeavoidedbyamorewidespreadusethroughoutthemusicprogramof
learningmethodsfocusedonindependence,pluralismandpeerlearning.Notably,aftertaking
thiscourse,studentshavefrequentlyrequestedmoreopportunitiesforsimilarlearning
approachesinothercourses.Thereisnoreasonwhysuchapproachescannotbemore
thoroughlyintegratedintomoretraditionalmusiclearning.
Conclusion
Theexperienceofstudentsinthiscourseillustratestherisksandopportunitiesintakinga
postmodernapproach.AsElliott(p.33)argues‘ononehand,today’spluralityofperspectives
holdsenormouspotentialforindividualgrowth,collaborativeresearchanddemocratic
development;ontheotherhand,thepluralismandambiguityofourpostmodernsituation
meansbewilderment,frustrationandconflictformany.’ Asthedesignofthiscourseshows,
musictheorycanbetaughtwithafocusonpresent‐daymusicmakingwithoutshyingaway
fromitspluralisticcomplexity.Itcanbetaughtbyintegratingcomposing,performing,listening
andanalysing.Thisapproachtoteachingcanbeappliedbeyondmusictheoryintootherareasof
musiceducation.Thediversitiesinmusichistory,forexample,canbeteasedoutby
independentexplorationsofcompositionalactivitiesledbystudents.Andteachingofmusic
theoryfromearlierperiodsneednotexcludeautonomyandpluralismasstudentsexplore
diverseemphases.Bythesemeans,awholeprogramofmusiceducationcanbedeveloped
21
focusedonpluralisticlearning,preparingstudentsforthemusicalrealitythatawaitsthemon
graduation.
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