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- Volume 4, Issue 1, 2020
Journal of Popular Music Education - Volume 4, Issue 1, 2020
Volume 4, Issue 1, 2020
- Introduction
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- Articles
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Examining effectiveness of modern band professional development for practising teachers
By Jay DorfmanModern band is a type of musical ensemble that typically uses rock band instruments (guitars, basses, drums, keyboards and vocals) and can also incorporate digital technologies to create music of recent, popular styles. Several models of professional development in modern band have surfaced in the United States over the last few years. Literature on professional development contains varied lists and descriptions of characteristics that make professional development more or less effective both for the participants and, in turn, for the students they teach. In this article, I summarize those characteristics, and draw on one particular model to assess the effectiveness of one model of modern band professional development. This model is a week-long class which has been taught over three summers at two universities. Analyses of open-ended survey responses from participants in the classes reveal characteristics of the class that were effective both for the participating teachers and for their students and improvements that can be made to increase effectiveness.
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Curriculum reform and policy considerations: A multiple case study of the inclusion of modern band into music teacher preparation programmes
Authors: Jocelyn Stevens Prendergast and Brittany Nixon MayMany music teacher education programmes in the United States are increasingly offering classes that fall within the scope of modern band. A number of policies impact music teacher education curricula in the United States. These include both hard policies, such as teacher certification and NASM accreditation requirements, as well as soft policies, such as institutional traditions. In this multiple case study, the researchers interviewed three music teacher educators from different universities to examine their individual experiences incorporating modern band into their music education curricula and identify any policy issues that arose as they proposed and instituted curricular changes. The themes identified with regard to implementing modern band into the music teacher education curriculum included time, support, curricular positioning, equity and access. Notably, the participants did not cite any specific policy issues as barriers to implementing modern band into music education coursework.
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Popular music in preservice music education: Preparedness, confidence and implementation
Authors: Sandra Hamilton and Jennifer Vannatta-HallThis study examined popular music in preservice music teacher training programmes in the United States. The researchers explored types of courses and programmes offered in undergraduate music education programmes to prepare future music teachers to teach popular music. Quantitative data revealed trends in the inclusion of popular music within undergraduate music education programmes, determined music teacher educators’ perceptions of their students’ attitudes towards using popular music in the general music classroom, and examined the types of popular music pedagogy needed for preservice music educators. Qualitative data ascertained perceived confidence levels of graduates to utilize popular music. Results revealed that western classical music is the focus for the majority of music educators’ undergraduate degree programmes and that often music teacher preparation programmes ignore popular music study. Bridging the gap between western classical and popular music would help prepare teachers to include and value all types of music in K-12 music education.
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Finding our way: The experiences of a rapper and his advisor in a bachelor of music programme
Authors: Frank Martignetti and Joshua M. BrewsterAspiring popular musicians, particularly rappers, often feel unwelcome in tertiary music study. While hip hop has entered the academy through other fields, it is still mostly absent from music departments. In 2014, a rapper began studies in a small, open Bachelor of Music programme that had no coursework or specialists in this area. His course of study ultimately looked somewhat similar to other students’ but also included a blend of coursework in music technology, poetry, literature, communications and business. This action research study examines the student’s experience and perspectives as he prepared to graduate in May 2018, as well as the researcher’s experience and perspectives as his advisor and teacher. It is hoped that this study will enable institutions to better serve future such students.
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Can they hear a difference? Professional digital composition and the ability of music students to discriminate deep-sampled vs. acoustic instrumental performance recordings
Authors: José Valentino Ruiz, Patrick K. Cooper and Jalil Najeeb MuhammedThe majority of popular music is produced utilizing deep-sampled instruments. This may be important for music educators to understand as the ability to expertly manipulate deep-samples to sound like live performance is an expected industry standard. The purpose of this exploratory study was to evaluate the ability of music students (n=96) and professors (n=9) to discriminate between deep-sampled and acoustic recordings and to explore why they believed recordings were composed with deep-samples or were live acoustic performances. Results indicate weak ability of participants to discriminate between deep-sampled and acoustic recordings. Essay responses indicate participants doubted such refined and expressive recordings were possible using deep-sampled instruments. Implications for music education include reconsidering skills that students and their teachers need to strive towards industry-standard production.
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Student voice and choice in modern band curriculum development
Authors: Matthew Clauhs and Radio CremataThe perspectives and experiences of students should be considered first in the process of any significant curriculum reform. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to music education, and educators have a responsibility to design experiences that meet the needs of learners in their classroom. After hearing the individual voices of students in one New York State school district in the United States, the music faculty and authors developed modern band electives designed to increase access to school music and attract a greater diversity of students by race, ethnicity and musical preference. District-level enrolment data demonstrate how these courses impacted the demographic profile of secondary school music by increasing participation rates among racialized student populations. These modern band music classes counterbalanced the disproportionately white and higher SES enrolment in the traditional band, orchestra and chorus, resulting in a school music programme that was more representative of the overall school population.
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- Practices and Perspectives
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Popular music education and American democracy: Why I coined the term ‘modern band’ and the road ahead
By Dave WishIn this article, the author, the founder and CEO of Little Kids Rock, describes how his early work as an elementary school teacher providing an extracurricular guitar club, evolved into him founding a music education non-profit organization. By inventing the term ‘modern band’ and joining nationwide leading efforts for systemic change in US American music education, the author tries to place popular music conceptually and pedagogically at the core of school music programmes. The author briefly describes the causes of the exclusion of popular music from school music programmes before arguing that modern band can help to democratize school music education by making it culturally relevant, student-centred and inclusive. The article concludes with the author’s hopes for the future of music education in the United States.
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Welcome to the journal
Authors: Gareth Dylan Smith and Bryan Powell
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