Music Analysis- Instruments and Songs
Scanning through the list of listenings, there are many instruments and songs that fascinated me because of how diverse their styles are. The first piece I will be examining is the Mongolian Long song or in other words the Urtiin Duu. The Urtiin Duu translates to “long song” and it is known for performing in weddings, celebrations, the birth of a child, and many other festivities. I chose this piece because of how different it is to classical voice training that I’ve been studying for my whole life. The tonality of the voices in these songs are piercing, more high pitched, and the undertone feels ice cold. I learned that the Urtiin Duu is a lyrical chant that features a lot of ornamentation, falsetto, and a bit of improvisation. I would say that the Mongolian Long song is a non-formal practice. The technique needed to perform this style of folk song is definitely systematic and deliberate, but there is no focused institutional aspect in this music. There are some similarities with classical singing and folk such as the importance of breath control, vocal range, and control.
When I first listened to the Urtiin Duu, I didn’t like it because the tone sounded very unsupported and throaty. I also found that the tempo was always at a moderately slow pace which can sometimes drag out the performance. What I did like and admire was the yodeling aspect in these performances. Sounding almost like dialogue, it makes it more interesting for the listener. What I learned about the Long song is that the scale they use to sing is a 5 note (pentatonic) scale with no semi-tones. I think that if I were ever to learn to sing like this, it may be a challenge to go against my second nature classical voice.
The second instrument I chose was the Armenian duduk. I chose this instrument because the sound of the duduk is enchanting and very soothing to my ears. It reminds me of storytelling through music. The little trills and ornaments that happen between notes are so fast and it sounds very warm and inviting. The duduk is a double-reeded wind instrument that dates back to 1200 BC. When I listen to these recordings, there’s usually 2 duduks and you can decipher them because one will be playing a long, steady note that barely changes (called dum) while the other person plays the melody.
I learned that the duduk is made exclusively from the apricot tree and that when others tried to make the duduk from other trees, it didn’t work. That is also why in Armenia, it’s also known as “tsiranapogh” which translates as “soul of the apricot tree”. Now, that sounds spooky and haunting and the name fits perfectly. The range of sounds the duduk can make is relatively smaller (around an octave) compared to for instance, an oboe. Overall, I think that the duduk is one of the most unique sounding instruments in the world that captures the beauty in music.
By: Joanne Choi
Response:
Thank you for your response and your reflection focused on the Urtiin Duu Mongolian Long song and the Armenian duduk instrument. Regarding the Urtiin Duu, I appreciate that you mentioned how difficult it would be to learn to sing in a different way against your “second nature classical voice”. Do you think that if you were introduced to this type of singing at an earlier age, in combination with your classical training, this would make a difference? Or would you suggest that it is not helpful to mix classical training with other genres? Why do we often separate them so much in formal music education? I also find it interesting in the second section of the post that the duduk is made only from the apricot tree, and when others have tried to use other trees to build it, it didn’t work. I wonder if we were able to replicate various traditional instruments from around the world in North America (with the necessary authentic resources) if that would lead to a greater openness to non “classical” instruments in our society and musical training. On the other hand, could it have to do more with what we value and place more emphasis on? Please be sure to add the bibliographic citation of the article in your post.
Thanks,
Laura
Adult Music Learning in Formal, Nonformal, and Informal Contexts
Adult Learning in Formal, Nonformal, and Informal Contexts - Response
Joanne Choi
Veblen, K. K. (2018). Adult music learning in formal, nonformal and informal contexts. In G. McPherson & G. Welsh (Eds.). Special Needs, Community Music, and Adult Learning: An Oxford Handbook of Music Education, Vol 4. Pp. 243-256. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN-10: 019067444X/ ISBN-13: 978-0190674441.
In this article, Kari K. Veblen explores music in adulthood. She talks about learning and playing music at an older age, and the different styles of these practices. It’s surprising to me how music learning in adulthood is generally self-initiated in various social environments. Because music cannot be placed in one category, it gives us so many branches to choose from. For example, when children take lessons outside of school, sometimes they do it just because their parents told them to. With adults, they learn to be responsible and motivate themselves to do the things they love.
Veblen talks about the three different styles of practices: formal, informal, and non-formal. Formal practices talk about a standard institutionalized environment like a university, how the student is informed of what to do and how to do it. I think it’s kind of sad to have to learn music like that, especially if music is something you’re strongly passionate about. Music is about imagination, creativity and endless mistakes. Veblen mentions that basic skills and concepts are systematically transferred, which sounds as if student are “empty vessels waiting to be filled with knowledge”. Many people aren’t aware of the natural talent and skill that they are born with. What if this theoretical style of teaching is ineffective to adults who can’t learn by paper? It’s shocking to me how so many “higher” up institutions focus heavily on theory, history, and papers hoping it will make someone a great musician. I’m not saying those things aren’t important, but I think that it should be flexible and balanced enough for more experimentation which brings me to my next point.
Informal learning is very community based, meaning most of this learning is experimental and taught within family, church, or even work places. It was interesting to learn that informal learning practices could be both conscious and unconscious. I thought to myself “How could someone not know if they’re practicing music?” But then again, I was always exposed to music since I was born and maybe I just wasn’t aware of it until now. My mom used to sing to me and teach me nursery rhymes in Cantonese which I still remember to this day. Even when I used to waitress, the music became familiar and soon I was singing along to the CD. The people you associate yourself with can often impact the way you learn, or even the environments around you.
I assumed non- formal practices were the same as informal practices because well, the labels sound so similar to each other. The difference I learned was how adult learner in non-formal practices had various learning modes such as oral, notational, experiential, and conserving approaches. What I found interesting was how this also included learning by ear, feel, or heart. I think we underestimate how complex the human body is, and how our senses are sometimes the only thing we need.
If I were to talk to Veblen and this article, I think I would say that I appreciate how in depth she was with all these learning styles and how she had so many examples to help me understand. I feel like people typically study children and how they react to musical environments, so it’s nice to learn about people who are my age because I can relate to so much. I would also ask her what she thought the best learning practice is in her opinion because I’m curious to hear some of her experiences. Overall, this was excellently written and very interesting to read.
Response:
I appreciate how you clearly articulated your own beliefs in music and what you believe music should be focused on throughout the response. You describe formal music education as a standard institutionalized environment where students are informed of what to do and how to do it, as described in the Veblen (2018) chapter. You then went on to mention that music is about imagination, creativity, and endless mistakes. While a formal music environment may not necessarily encourage those things or “highlight” them, do you think imagination, creativity, and engaging in mistakes can still be present in formal music education? Is it possible to emphasize these three things if music learning is still taking place in a formal environment? I like how you mentioned how you would respond to Dr. Veblen. Do you think there is a “better” learning style than others? Or is that very subjective? Think back to how this might relate to our class’s conversation regarding “good/effective” and “bad” teaching. Thanks very much!
Laura
Influential Teacher Synopsis
My life as a teacher started when I was about 4 years old in junior kindergarten. You see, there is no age in whom one can classify themselves as an artist, much less a teacher. I remember learning shapes, colours, seasons and the alphabet all through song. My teacher back then, Mrs. Phillips probably knew about my passion for music because she would always call on me to teach and echo her melodies in front of the whole class. I was never really the shy type of girl, so I remember when one of my classmates couldn’t remember the words to a song, I wrote them down on a piece of pink construction paper, embroidered with my artistic finger paintings of what I’d suppose were to be flowers.
As a young adult still learning about myself, I realized that I really do enjoy teaching and directing many types of formal and informal environments. Even from elementary school, I always knew I was a leader, who took responsibility very seriously and someone many of my classmates could rely on. Say for example someone had to lead a warm up for gym class, my hand would always be the first to shoot up in the air. Small acts of leadership and mentorship continued to develop all through middle school until high school came around and really amplified my love for teaching.
My music teacher, Jeffrey Newberry has definitely been the most influential person I have met in my whole life. I auditioned for Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts in hopes to follow my older sister’s footsteps and I was so excited when I got accepted into the musical theatre program. There I met Mr. Newberry and learned how he takes teaching to a whole new level, literally breaking a sweat to make sure everyone in the class is engaged. From being in his class, I really started to notice the different techniques he used to create a fun and inviting atmosphere. For example, he would always show us some random video he scrolled past Facebook, and shared how neat it was. Mr. Newberry would always bring in guest artists to have workshops to help us get into our bodies, or explore the world of jazz. Creativity and passion is definitely two of the best traits I’ve witnessed in my vocal class, and what I aspire to continue in my life.
Mr. Newberry used to teach at a regular high school and there the first production he ever put together was Grease. Now he explained how hard it was to recruit students to join some “lame musical”, so he remembers going to football games and picking out the hottest and bulkiest boy to attract more attention to his theatre group. Once that was accomplished, he moved on to the ‘popular’ girls who people looked up to. The dedication he has is astounding, and persevering even though they had no money, no costume, no set or anything. Mr. Newberry always used to tell me that there’s always a way to keep going, to keep doing what you love. I will always remember this story and how it touched my heart and that’s when I thought “Wow, I want to do that someday”.
In grade 10, I remember how the head of our program, Anne Merriam told us how we should all be training our voices outside of school to build and sustain the musical skills we already learned from school. Living with my dad and two older sisters, there was not a lot of extra money that could be spent on singing lessons so I just kind of started teaching myself. I picked up piano from my older sister Becky and I educated myself in the art of musical theatre, trying my best to mimic the tone in their voices. I remember this one day, Mr. Newberry approached me and asked me why I didn’t have a vocal coach. I explained to him my financial situation and he offered to teach me himself. That was the kindest thing someone has ever done for me.
From grade 10-12, I received musical theatre, classical, and operatic lessons from Mr. Newberry once a week after school, I developed solid technique and a very close relationship with him. I would consider him a father-like mentor in my life, someone I could confide in when I was going through difficult times. When I become a teacher, I want my students to be able to tell me if things are hard at home, to tell me if they’re being bullied, to be the ‘Mr. Newberry’ in their lives. Being a teacher, Mr. Newberry told me how hard it is not to cross the fine line of boundaries, whether it’s giving a student 5 dollars for lunch, or letting them cry in your office. Administration and tdsb law can be strict in some of these situations, and could potentially suspend your teaching license. I think that would also be my biggest challenge, to be respectful but always there for my students.
In grade 12, Mr. Newberry told me how one of my class mates were struggling with pitch and simple singing and asked if I would be interested in mentoring her. I agreed so I met up with her once a week for 30 mins. It was definitely hard at first, and I didn’t see much improvement until about 2 months in. First of all, I would always make her record the lesson so she could play it back when she was studying or something. Next, I would play intervals on the piano and ask her to sing it back using solfege and a “repeat after me”. When it got to music, I would play the melody very slow on the piano, and the second time she would hum or sing along. I loved watching her grow and felt happy and satisfied with how the lessons were going.
Overall, I would say teaching is a difficult thing to do, but it’s a beautiful thing to experience. Creativity and determination is mandatory to being successful and I cannot wait to continue my journey as a teacher. I learned so many things from my teacher Mr. .Newberry and hope I can one day be that mentor to somebody else.
By: Joanne Choi
Influential Peer interviews
Music is something so universal that everyone has come across some point in their life. You may not know it, but it is always present in our day to day lives. The peers I interviewed all came to the conclusion that they are influenced by the beauty of music in such a positive way, and how essential it is to appreciate in their personal lives. Some examples that were mentioned numerous times were listening to music to fall asleep, study, or a way to release emotions that words couldn’t express. It was interesting to me how non-music majors shared so many similarities with each other and also myself. They shared examples that were very personal and situations which I could relate to.
Sinan, a first year student in computer science talked about how culture and family amplified his passion for music. He talked about how growing up in Pakistan, music could always be heard from the streets, and how important is was in formal events. In relation to that, I know that at least back in my parent’s hometown in China, it was very similar in the aspect of the street music. So why do we use music in these events? Well, I think that music is used to bring happiness and people together. It’s a form of communication that includes people from all different races, genders, and age groups.
When I interviewed my peers, I learned that none of them had formal teaching, other than the instruments required to play in middle school and high school. Though many of them wanted to learn an instrument, they found that there was just no time to accommodate it into their schedules. Some of them picked up some informal learning such as Sinan when he learned to play the guitar on YouTube. When asked what his biggest challenge was, he replied that when he had a question, there was no one to seek for clarification. This reminded me of the article by Veblen, and the differences between Formal, informal, and non-formal music education. Veblen talked about how informal learning styles included videos, and learning by ear which some of my peers did.
I noticed that when asked what kind of teaching tactics they found most effective, three of the four of them replied with hands-on interactive activities. Emily, a first year student in computer science, believes that the best way to learn music would be to “play things and hear the sounds and feel the connection instead of seeing notes and rudiments on a page.” I found this interesting because I also agree with that statement and I have been studying music formally for most of my life. The type of learning style you receive does not affect your opinion on the actual foundations of music such as simple emotion or feeling. It’s intriguing to me how Emily is able to talk so candidly about her passion for music and how it has followed her daily since she was young.
It is evident how music can evoke certain emotions depending on what genre of music we are listening to. All four of my peers agree that music is used to set a specific tone or create a particular environment that is appropriate. For example, Sinan mentions how he listens to soothing indie music when he studies to make him feel more calm and relaxed. He believes that when he listens to upbeat pop or rap songs, it creates surges of adrenaline that makes him unfocused. On the other spectrum, I know that if I listen to soothing music, it makes me feel too relaxed, and I usually end up falling asleep. I find it interesting how we have complete opposite opinions, yet they both work in different ways to make our system function the way we’d like to.
Music is something so complex and everyone experiments with it differently for their own personal reasons. Ultimately, I learned so much about how different people react and think about music in various situations. Interviewing them, I think it made me a better teacher because I want to be able to understand why people think a certain way. Being a teacher, you have to see different points of views, and you should be open to listen to other student’s opinions. Overall, I enjoyed learning about music and how it affects other people’s daily lives.
By: Joanne Choi
Isolation in studio music Teaching
Burwell, K., Carey, G., & Bennett, D. (2017). Isolation in studio music teaching: The secret garden. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education,1474022217736581.
In this reading “Isolation in studio music teaching”, the focused theme is an analysis of how private studio lessons affects the student, teacher, and environments in which the teaching takes place. It’s interesting to me how private lessons can bring the student and teacher in a “businesslike intimacy” relationship. In my personal experience, I’ve found that it’s very difficult not to cross that boundary line between a friend and teacher because a level of professionalism is required during the lessons. For example, when my teacher used to ask me how I was feeling that day, sometimes I would just cry because I couldn’t sing due to so much emotional stress. We would spend the whole lesson talking about an action plan to make sure I was feeling okay before I could sing again.
I do believe that teachers need to develop a close relationship to their students because there’s a certain level of trust needed when trying to improve the instrument. I assumed that most teachers were like mine, but I remember when Torin Chiles came into class giving a presentation on studio teachings and he said that teachers should not be therapists, and how they should keep their distance on their personal life. That was interesting to me when reading this article because it explores the different opinions on this matter.
What surprised me was one of the benefits of studio teaching was tailoring lessons to fit different students learning styles. I would assume that most teachers would teach their students in all the same way that is the easiest for them to make all lessons equal. In the article it talks about how the teacher helps identify technical aspects that need to be developed and also choosing repertoire that is appropriate for the student. I do think that this is Important because all voices are different and I know from personal experience that I do not enjoy singing repertoire that doesn’t sit well on my voice.
It frustrates me how in the article, it mentions how students have many opportunities participating in group- based music educational training such as masterclasses, lectures, and workshops yet it continues to negotiate how group based training is being increasingly high demand. I think I was just confused because it talks about the pros and cons of studio teaching, yet it concludes that society believes that collaborative training is most effective especially in pop music.
My questions to the author would probably be about their personal experiences in both collaborative and studio teachings and whether it has all been positive. I would like to see the research they conducted, and how they were able to obtain all this information. I would also ask how they what kind of genre should be specifically used in studio teaching? If it was most effective in classical, jazz, pop ect.
By: Joanne Choi
Response:
It’s interesting how you mention your experience in terms of the level of professionalism with a private music lesson instructor. It’s wonderful to have a close relationship with your music instructor and I’m sure it’s so helpful to enter into a sort of “mentorship”/close friendship relationship. Can you think of any reasons, however, why this may also be cautioned against? How might this influence one’s music learning in a studio context? I would agree with you that certain genres of music are likely to be directed towards studio teaching rather than group-based musical education settings. Do you think this relates back to our culture’s traditions at all? For example, if we were not exposed to private music studio teaching at any point, do you think all of our music lessons would be group-based? Or do different genres automatically lead to private music teaching, regardless of the context?
Thanks,
Laura
Popular Music and Modern Band Principles
Powell, B. & Berstein, S. (2017). Popular Music and Modern Band Principles. Routledge Research Companion to Popular Music Education (2017).
Popular music is something that has been around my life for as long as I can remember. It’s just something that has surrounded me in the car, at home, at work, and even at school. I would say that I definitely learned popular music informally and independently as I taught myself to play the guitar. What surprised me is I didn’t even know popular music education was an actual stream that you could go into. When I was in grade 12, I thought the only 3 options I could pick was classical, jazz, and musical theatre. It’s interesting how this article talked about the different concepts of teaching styles that formed around popular music studies. First off, being in a program that is very student based and collaborative, I found it interesting how this affects the way students learn. Using modern technology in a classroom environment seems brilliant to me, just incorporating the use of engineering software systems and recording services is something I would definitely be in to. It is so unlike a classical program in which we rely heavily on music theory, history and one on one private teaching. I think this makes popular music education so enticing and really open for everyone to participate in.
Before I read this article, I did assume that large class sizes were something that was encouraged because of how collaborative this music style appears to be. But I did find out that larger class sizes were not ideal for conventional popular music ensembles. I feel like I would understand that, yes it may be difficult to organize so big of an ensemble, but I think that it would be nice to open it up for everyone. It’s kind of like the traditional choirs you would see, they range from very small quartets to a mass choir of 1200 people. It’s interesting how the genre of music affects the amount of people that are “ideal” for specific ensembles.
Modern band is something I personally have never heard of before I read this article. I think that the most unique thing about popular music is that it’s always changing, and never is a really “set” genre or style. It’s a creation of music that is currently trending and compiles a mixture of so many different styles of music.
If I could write to the author of this article, I would ask them why it has taken so long for popular music education to become known. I would also ask why it is almost always taught informally. Also, I noticed that there are many barriers preventing teachers to gain access to the proper equipment needed for these classes. I would ask if it was necessary for this, and if not how could they improvise using the tools that are already in a classroom environment.
Joanne Choi
Little Kids Rock - Reflection
During the Little Kids Rock workshop, I really enjoyed participating and learning modern band practices while still engaging my mind and body. I found that the modern band workshop really opened my eyes to another style of teaching. Instead of a teacher standing at the front of the room lecturing, Bryan Powell was very open and free to let us collaborate and learn from each other in a creative way. I noticed that his teaching style was very kid-friendly in which he engaged using music, humour, and slideshows. I liked that within the first 10 minutes, he already had us holding and learning one finger triad chords on the guitar. Bryan said that kids would be bored and wouldn’t find interest in learning theory and position holding first before actually playing the guitar. He also was very inclusive in which we all shared one guitar to every 2 or 3 people, making sure we were trading off every so often.
When Bryan was teaching us chords, he referred one of the strings to "The skinniest string, closest to your toes". I found that really helpful even though I already played guitar, it made it memorable in the sense where I'll probably remember this saying for a really long time. In addition to that, calling the frets "boxes" were a great idea, because like he said, kids would gradually learn and have a smoother transition to the terminology once they became familiar to the fingerings on the guitar. Another teaching technique Bryan used was taking a phrase that made sense: "Eddie Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddie" and turning that into a way of remembering the names of strings. This was similar to classical western music in the sense where we read staff paper and learned "Every Good Boy Deserves Fish" in elementary school.
Incorporating videos into the presentation was a great idea, because it was nice to see real life footage of kids learning modern band. Bryan told us about combining kids with different levels of skills and still being able to teach them all in one room. In the video, the kids were divided into 3 groups: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. He made sure to tell us that it was okay to play one finger triads on the first beat, or even go all out with bar chords and advanced strumming patterns. I like how modern band is so inclusive and also manages to give different musical challenges to kids who are more advanced so that they won't feel bored with the "easy" material.
My favorite part of the Little Kids Rock workshop was definitely recreating a song with vocals and body parts to mirror drums. It was really fun to mimic a bass guitar by singing in a low register with the words "Doom doom doom….". Even going as far as to teach us how to beatbox saying "Boots and Cats" without vowels was a really smart and engaging way to get us all to have fun and explore modern pop music. Overall, this experience is definitely something I would be interested in learning more about, and even conducting experiments with children and how they learn this way compared to a classical style of learning. I think that I would love to attend one of Bryans classes so I can observe children and how they engage with their peers and with Bryan. My questions to modern band is how informal learning is beneficial to kids, and whether it is a new and improved way of teaching children in the future. I want to know how children react to this kind of free and fun environment in comparison to the kinds of classical styles they teach in elementary school.
By: Joanne Choi