Experiencing and creating contrasts in music. Issue 1 (2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Is Part Of: International journal for lesson and learning studies. Volume 3:Issue 1(2014)
• Page Start: 46
• Page End: 65
• Publication Date: 2014
• Subjects: Education -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; Teaching -- Periodicals; Learning -- Periodicals; 370.7105
• DOI: 10.1108/IJLLS-06-2013-0036
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2046-8253

Abstract

<abstract> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p> <bold>Purpose</bold> – The purpose of this paper is to examine what are necessary conditions for learning the concept ABA form, a concept for analysing and composing music, and to discuss how the use of variation theory can contribute to the field of music education research. <bold>Design/methodology/approach</bold> – The method used is a form of lesson study, but with only one participating teacher. Three cycles are conducted with three small groups of children, aged eight to nine years old. <bold>Findings</bold> – The main findings are that the learning of ABA form requires first, awareness of the sequential form of the music, second, that the attitude to differences that appear between sequential parts of the music is consciously being re‐direct from seen as "failures" to being interesting musical contrasts and third, that attention is being paid to different features within one musical aspect, that sounds (not only looks) different. It is found that a main contribution of applying variation theory to studies in the domain of music is the consideration of a part‐whole relationship. When the teacher helps the children to create contrast and at the same time keeps focus on how it sounds, the children succeed in coming up with a composition in ABA form. To address the simultaneous relationship between acting and seeing, that is musical impressions and expressions, is crucial for learning. <bold>Originality/value</bold> – This study is pioneering since music teaching is studied with the point of departure in an intended object of learning.</p> <ack> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Acknowledgements</x> </title> <p>The work reported here is a part of a large‐scale international research project on children's technology‐transformed music learning entitled, Musical Interaction Relying on Reflection (MIROR), financed by the European Union FP7‐ICT (Grant 258338). The trans‐national project group is coordinated by Anna Rita Addessi (University of Bologna, Italy). The other partners and their national and technological project leaders are: Sony Computer Science Laboratory, Paris (Francois Pachet), University of Gothenburg, Sweden (Bengt Olsson), University of Exeter, UK (Susan Young), University of Genoa, Italy (Gualtiero Volpe) and University of Athens, Greece (Christina Anagnostopoilou).</p> </ack> </abstract>