Music education in Australia : valuing cultural diversity

Australia is a ‘mosaic of cultures’, the borders between cultures, communities and societies are continually blurring, thus music and multiculturalism cannot be divorced from society per se. As teachers are agents of change, broadening students’ experiences and understandings of ‘other cultures’ can only enhance the provision of inclusive, rich, multicultural programs at schools. The article considers notions of multiculturalism, cultural diversity and music education. It also raises concerns and issues when valuing cultural diversity in music education. Music is an effective platform to foster understanding of difference within and beyond the classroom. I propose that teacher education courses provide intercultural inclusive practices.

Quantum music

The purpose of the research was to examine the human response system to aid the development of improvised music and mulit-media artwork. It was found that there are many predictable responses to external stimuli within the human body and that music and performance would benefit if this knowledge was applied.

Teaching music in New South Wales primary schools : 1920-1956

This thesis concerns the place of music in New South Wales schools from 1920 to 1956. The initial chapters explore issues related to the investigation and the methodology that has guided the research. To provide a foundation for the thesis as a whole, the investigation’s British antecedents are considered and the relevant literature is reviewed. Six broad themes are used as the organisational framework for this thesis: the major events that shaped schooling, the syllabus and recommended music resources, the rationales for the inclusion of music in schools, the place of school music broadcasts, music teaching practice in schools, and the provision of teacher training. Each theme forms the basis of one chapter, with the exception of one extensive theme which is discussed in two adjoining chapters.

This investigation concluded that from 1920 to 1956, the Department of Education’s fundamental aim for schooling was to develop the state’s children into good citizens. Music was valued for its ability to contribute to this aim.

During this period, the Department engaged in a policy of music transmissionism. Specifically, the Department sought to transmit the music values, knowledge and skills that it held in high regard to teachers who in turn were expected to transmit them to their students. The dominant culture and values that were transmitted were those of Britain and the British Empire—that is, music was used to transmit Britishness to children.

The investigation also concluded that during this period there was an expansion of music curriculum and pedagogy in New South Wales. However, in a oneway traffic of ideas between Britain and Australia, it was British music education practices that continued to influence the methods used in New South Wales schools.

In addition, this investigation concluded that there were past periods when New South Wales schools were very musical places—specifically, at the turn of the twentieth century, during the Second World War and during the immediate post-war years. The successes achieved in music during these times required the interplay of six factors: a Department of Education that valued music for the contribution it made to the development of children as good citizens; a Department of Education that provided strong leadership for music by employing a conscientious, inspirational music educator or educators whose sole responsibility was to champion and supervise music across the state; a Departmental expectation that music would be taught by generalist teachers who themselves had developed music expertise during their pre-service preparation or through professional development opportunities offered to them; the existence of a reward system to encourage teachers to increase their music discipline knowledge and skills; a music syllabus that was developmental and hence built on prior music knowledge and skills; and teachers who were able to deliver quality music programs to their students because they themselves were one element in a cycle of respect for music.

Many layers of meaning : multicultural music education in Victoria, Australia

This paper explores music education viewed through lenses of cultural identity and the formation of personal identity in contemporary, multicultural Victoria, Australia. The people of this state come from more than 280 countries, speak more than 240 languages and follow more than 120 faiths. Our population diversity is constantly changing which challenges music educators to respond to classroom demographics and as tertiary educators we prepare our pre-service students to become culturally responsive teachers. As music educators, we occupy and are situated in multiple identities that shape the ways in which we experience and understand music and its transmission. As Australian tertiary music educators, we explore pre-service teacher cultural identity, attitudes and values about the inclusion of multicultural music in the classroom where cultural dialogue provides a platform for the construction of meaning. While marginalization and diversity occurs within multifaceted forms, we question: What music do we present in contemporary Victorian schools? Why do we make these choices? How do we present this music? This consideration, contextualized within the curricular framework, addresses issues of access, equity and community engagement. The making of meaning in shared cultural experiences contributes to the formation of identity which is a fluid and multilayered construct.

Transforming value perception in music information systems

Information systems are changing the way artists and consumers create, use and interact with music. Music experience has become richer and more sophisticated than simply buying and listening to music. New links between IS and music are forging unprecedented levels of creative e-collaboration, innovative music technology development, new music commerce and marketing methods, alongside with the emergence of e-music communities nurturing up-and-coming artists careers. Distinct from non-creative industries, the music industry is at the forefront of technological innovation where the ubiquitous adoption of music downloading, widespread use of personal music systems, and value chain disintermediation has shifted the focus of value delivery towards consumer control. This paper provides new insights into the effect of recent technological change on stakeholders within the music industry value chain, and of music information systems upon creative music products. The paper further explores the stakeholder perceptions of the value added or depleted from music by the technology, and examines the future expectations of information systems amidst the volatility and uncertainty of the music industry.

Community, commitment, and the ten 'commandments' : singing in the coro furlan

Successful ageing involves maintaining well-being and actively engaging with life through the making and sustaining of relationships within community. Membership of community music groups by older people can enhance quality of life, give a sense of fulfillment, offer the possibility for personal growth and create a platform through which they share and celebrate cultural identity and diversity. This study explores community and cultural engagement by members of the Coro Furlan, an Italian male community choir in Melbourne, Australia. This case study is part of a current wider research project, Well-being and ageing: community, diversity and the arts in Victoria (Australia), begun in 2008, which explores how the arts foster well-being in ageing communities. In this case study, members of the Coro Furlan volunteered to participate in a focus group interview in 2009. The transcript was analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis which seeks to explore the lived world of participants. Analysis of the data identified three broad themes: a sense of community, the maintenance of cultural identity and sustaining a sense of well-being through shared music making. The findings demonstrate the strength of the bonds formed by choir membership with high levels of commitment reflected in their ten ‘Commandments’ that were first documented in Italian in the 1970s. The choir members consider themselves to be the custodians of Friulian choral music in Australia, as well as performers of music from Italy and other countries. Singing in this choir has offered the predominantly older members an opportunity to value, learn, and share music in formal and informal settings. This paper identifies how music engagement can facilitate successful ageing through commitment to community, singing and following the ten ‘Commandments’ of the Coro Furlan.

Around the globe loop 03

Around the Globe Loop 03 is an instrumental piece featuring 5 different synths, two electric guitars, drums and piano. A cheerful, contemporary piece.

Internationalising the curriculum : building intercultural understandings through music

This article reports of the power (influence) of music to develop intercultural understandings to better internationalise the curriculum. It argues that through internationalisation, we learn more about other people’s cultures hence, by providing an international/intercultural dimension into the teaching unit of ‘Discovering Music A’, tertiary students at Deakin University have opportunities to experience, investigate and participate in a different music and culture. Using the metaphor of the ‘talking drum’, this article reports through anecdotal notes, observations, journaling and student evaluation, how a different music, like that of Africa, communicates and promotes intercultural dialogue in a social and learning environment. The 2011 cohort included both international and local students from the Faculty of Arts and Education, Health and Business and Law, opening up a broad range of international dialogue in which all students in the cohort had a voice for expressing themselves about another culture and its music. I contend that the inclusion of a new and different music in the Bachelor of Education (Primary) curriculum and as an elective unit across all faculties provides a pathway for intercultural dialogue and understanding. As tertiary educators by internationalising the curriculum and through the process of reflection, observation and student feedback, we are able to make meaning around our practice and adapt our practice. I argue that units like Discovering Music A are an effective and useful dais to address cultural diversity and build intercultural relations and understandings in our tertiary courses.

Three Australian community choirs : ageing, singing and well-being

The promotion of social engagement amongst older Australians is a national priority. Music is a powerful social mechanism that allows individuals and communities to affirm identity, gain a sense of belonging, and share history and culture. Community choir membership offers older people opportunities to connect with others and share a sense of purpose that can enhance their sense of well-being and potentially reduce their experience of social isolation. This paper explores the understandings of well-being, positive ageing and community music making held by members of three choirs in Victoria; Australia. The choirs selected for this discussion are the Coro Furlan, the Skylarkers and the Bosnian Behar Choir. Data have been collected via semi-structured interview with members of the three choirs and analyzed using interpretative Phenomenological Analysis which employs a phenomenological approach that explores personal experience in the participant's life-world. analysis of the combined data identified two broad common themes: First is the personal impact that choir membership has for the individual which includes the building of friendships and opportunities to learn and share music. The second theme concerns the contribution that the choir can make to others in their local community. Thus older singers are provided with a way to be both engaged, validated and appreciated by their contemporary society. Choir participation is an effective way for individuals to express themselves, engage with each other, improve their quality of life, transmit cultural heritage, and build community.

Community, commitment and the ten 'Commandments's : singing in the Coro Furlan, Melbourne, Australia

Membership of community music groups by older people can enhance quality of life, provide a sense fulfillment, and create a space through which cultural identity may be shared. This case study explores community and cultural engagement by members of the Coro Furlan, an Italian male community choir in Melbourne, Australia. Members were interviewed and data analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three broad themes were identified: sense of community, maintenance of cultural identity, and sustaining well-being through shared music making. The choir members perform music from Italy and elsewhere and consider themselves to be custodians of Friulan choral music. Singing in this choir has offered members an opportunity to value, learn, and share music in formal and informal settings. This paper identifies how music engagement can facilitate successful ageing through commitment to community, singing and following the ten ‘Commandments’ of the Coro Furlan.

Songs for community

Songs for community 2 is a series of piano and instrumental music recorded at Deakin University in 2012.

Celebrity and public persona

Research on celebrity and public persona derives from fundamentally interdisciplinary sources. Although at its core, the study of public personality has been the object of investigations by those more closely associated with media and communication, the key disciplines of sociology, cultural studies, literary studies, political science, social psychology, and even anthropology and history have been part of its analysis. Celebrity identifies the “extra-textual” dimensions of the famous, in which the lives of the renowned are followed, read, and reported. It is a public celebration of individuality that is (but not exclusively) connected to consumer culture and democratic capitalism. Through these larger cultural tropes celebrity has had its strongest affiliations with the contemporary entertainment industries, particularly in terms of how they are covered by the media and the press for further value beyond the cultural forms that are often the origins of stardom—the public individual’s performances in fields such as film, television, sport, and popular music. Celebrity is a site of celebration and derogation in any culture: these public individuals are truly exalted and given a status beyond others, but they are also ridiculed for their believed-to-be unearned credentials for having such a public platform and voice. Moreover, the study of celebrity and public persona is also an investigation into the connection between the populace and these public personalities, where parasocial relations most evident in fandom identify how celebrities embody audiences with an affective connection that is truly powerful in contemporary culture. That power of embodiment and connection that celebrities possess is subsequently exploited by the media industries to promote and sell new connected cultural products. Identifying celebrities as part of a spectrum of public personas links the study of celebrity to the investigation of the celebrated and famed in a variety of professions and fields well beyond entertainment. Thus, the term persona is used in these studies of public personalities to acknowledge the mask that is deployed to present a public version of the self for this external consumption and reading by an audience, a collective, a network, a nation, a citizenry, or a community. Research into public personas has led to related studies of political leadership, self-branding, notoriety in business, and reputation management, and research delves into the presentation of the public self by greater portions of the populace in online cultures. Celebrity and public persona is a field in which research aims to investigate the significance and meaning of various versions of the public self in both contemporary culture and historically.

Music in worship: making spiritual connections through sound

Music has played a significant role in religion and spiritual settings over the centuries and continues to be included throughout church history, forming an important aspect of worship, contributing to spiritual growth and wellbeing. This article situates itself within a wider study on Spirituality and Wellbeing: Music in the community. Drawing on narrative reflection, the authors discusstheir experiences across Melbourne (Australia) and Potchefstroom (South Africa) and include some interview data from church musicians from the wider study in Melbourne in relation to how church music contributes to spirituality and impacts on wellbeing. As church musicians they argue that music in church settings can offer parishioners the opportunity to experienceand express spirituality in their life through sound. They recognize and acknowledge that music through singing, playing, improvising and listening is an aspect of spiritual connection that is not confined to the institution of the church or to a religion but is concerned with the connection wefeel and sense in mysterious and unknown places and spacesThe findings of this study are limited as it only focuses on the experience of the authors, hence, generalizations to other musicians or church settings cannot be made. The authors argue that music in church settings can enliven andtransform worship through music in which spiritual connections can be fostered between God and man that positively engender wellbeing.

Using voice to make musical and social connections

Community music is a rich and ongoing activity-taking place in formal and informal settings around Australia. This small-scale phenomenological qualitative case study is part of my wider study Spirituality and Wellbeing: Music in the Community that began in 2013. This paper demonstrates that community music making in a regional district in Victoria (Australia) makes it possible for choirs to use their voice to make musical and social connections to self and community that enhances both personal and community wellbeing. In May 2014, I visited three choirs for a week in the city of Warnnambool. Drawing on observation, questionnaires and focus group semi-structured interviews, I analysed the data using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The findings include why people join choirs in regional towns, what they enjoyed that contributed to their wellbeing and why they want to sing about issues that make connections to social justice and sustainability. Though generalisations cannot be made to other towns or choirs, the findings show the need, importance and benefits of connecting to each other and the wider community. Using voice can serve as an effective platform to promote issues in the community such as social justice and the environment. It is hoped that the findings may provide a vehicle for further dialogue where choirs in other settings may experience similar connections to their community.

Interview with Louise "Lou" Trucks

In her December 2014 interview with Michelle Dubert-Bellrichard, Louise “Lou” Trucks detailed her thoughts and memories of her time at Winthrop. Trucks spoke of the time period from 1960-1964 as a music and music education double major. Trucks shared the benefits of being a music major, her involvement in campus traditions and organizations, and the rigor of her studies. Trucks concludes her interview detailing her life after Winthrop in Bloomington, IN and Rochester, NY. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program.