‘Empfindsamer Stil’ And Its Literary Connections: A Cue To Music Instruction

Empfindsamer Stil is a German expression whose meaning has historically been debated as either a “human emotional disposition” or “a musical style”. This descriptive bibliographic study seeks to investigate the historical development of Empfindsamer Stil, its application in musical contexts, as well as its nexus with literacy works, to inform music instruction. Given the COVID-19 pandemic research environment, most of the data were collected virtually and reported thematically. Findings indicate that Empfindsamer Stil is characterized by an emphasis on the expression of a variety of deeply felt emotions within a musical work, with Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach being the principal exponent. The study also reveals that historians of philosophy across time failed to agree on the meaning of the term Empfindsamer Stil. It was therefore concluded that language is dynamic and evolving. Music educators must ensure to explore the history-contextual significance of musical terminologies, especially those that may be alien within the specific musico-cultural milieu of the learner. Also, in teaching, applying, and assessing lessons involving terminologies, music teachers must take a cue from specific historical epochs and cultures to maximize relevance and fairness. Future studies in music history, in correlation with modern psychology and literary works, will therefore help clarify further whether the term Empfindsamer Stil is best explained as a phenomenon of human emotional disposition or a musical style. Also, more research will better explain the interdependent coexistence of music and various literary works.

Developing 21st-Century Musicianship: Tablet-based Music Production in the General Music Classroom

Increased availability of tablets at home and in classrooms provides educators access to a powerful tool for music instruction. Music production lessons on tablets offer alternate approaches to developing music literacies while teaching valuable technology skills. These activities are ideal for general music education because they align with contemporary music practices and are adaptable to a variety of learning environments (in person, remote, and hybrid). This article will present a model for tablet-based music production instruction in the general music classroom that aligns with the National Core Arts Standards and accompanying process components grounded in five essential skills: sequencing, recording, editing, effects processing, and mixing.

“Play with me”: Student perspectives on collaborative chamber music instruction

This article reports on a pilot project conducted in Australia and Norway evaluating new approaches to collaborative chamber music instruction in higher education settings. Following suggestions from the literature on collaborative and group learning in music, chamber music tuition was chosen as a suitable context to examine the possibility of teaching-through-playing and the impact of such an approach on students’ collaborative learning and their induction into the professional music community. Two groups of staff and students in each institution volunteered to participate in the project and implemented their own rehearsal schedule. Student focus group interviews were conducted after the final performance of rehearsed repertoire, and transcripts were analyzed by two researchers independently for the emerging themes and refined through iterative discussions. Key findings include students being inspired by working with experienced staff in a professional setting, learning the skills of ensemble playing such as effective rehearsal techniques, understanding of stylistic conventions, specific technical, musical and co-ordination skills, greater experimentation, positive impact of group discussions, and a more collaborative atmosphere. Students found it challenging to alter power roles, as the ingrained attitudes of teacher-led approaches prevailed. This project has shown that teaching-through-playing chamber music is a viable approach for developing students’ musical and social skills by providing them with authentic professional experiences. We propose an alternative model of higher education performance teaching that is more collaborative and participatory.

Caring For, About, and With: Exploring Musical Meaningfulness Among Suzuki Students and Parents

An investigation of the relationships between empathy, music learning, and shared music values may provide new insights into the ways that musical meaningfulness and the symbiotic eudaimonic ideal – “flourishing of oneself and of others” – might be cultivated. We investigated the relationships between parent perceptions of children’s empathy, parent beliefs and values about music, and formal Suzuki training over a period of 6 months, to understand ways in which shared music learning experiences might relate to emotional and musical connections between parents and children. Participants were parents of 48 Suzuki students at a structured Suzuki school in the Midwestern United States. We designed a survey containing an adapted version of the Griffith Empathy Measure for children with additional questions regarding family demographics and values regarding music education. Participants completed the survey at the start of the lesson year, and again 6 months later. Children who persisted in group lessons throughout the study began with significantly higher empathy scores, compared to those children who did not participate in group lessons. Children’s initial empathy scores were significantly positively correlated with parents’ ratings of the importance of music instruction generally, and of Suzuki instruction particularly, to their family. A significant but moderate correlation was found between initial empathy scores and the belief that music would help the child succeed in other areas. This exploratory study highlights potential relationships between family music values, children’s empathy, and participation in group music-making. Our findings are consistent with research demonstrating that child and parent personalities predict the duration of formal music training for children. They also support the philosophy of musical meaningfulness, by suggesting ways in which meaningful connections may be forged simultaneously between people who care for one another, and between people and the activities they care about. Our results point to the importance of providing a variety of music learning activities and structures that reflect the personality, needs, and interests of children and parents. We offer specific recommendations for future research to draw further insights and implications about these relationships.

Academy of Music and Arts for Special Education (AMASE): An Ethnography of an Individual Music Instruction Program for Students With Disabilities

This 3-year ethnography explored the culture of the Academy of Music and Arts for Special Education (AMASE), a university undergraduate volunteer organization offering music instruction for individuals with disabilities. We examined the organization and its impact on students, parents, and volunteers through the lens of the social relational model of disability. Findings clustered around three pillars of organizational values: ability, community, and service. The organization’s philosophy of ability cultivated a community that acknowledged the impairments of the students while actively seeking ways to break down the socially imposed barriers to musical learning that were disabling to them. The program filled a need where access to music education had previously been limited or denied. Undergraduate volunteers’ experiences raised their awareness of inequity for people with disabilities and motivated them to consider ways to serve this community in their future careers. Findings illustrate the potential impact of a social relational model on music education philosophy and practice, suggesting a need for music educators to challenge implicit beliefs about students’ capabilities and actively inquire into the ways in which music education contexts may be inherently disabling.