Open Journals at Memorial University
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Researchers’ Positioning: Insider or Outsider?
Get PDFThe researcher’s role as an insider or outsider has been a controversial issue over the last few decades. There has been a heated debate about how researchers position themselves in the relationship to the groups they are studying. Taking an outsider position is believed to be able to offer a more objective view of the realities, while a researcher with insider insight may better understand a group of people that may not be accessible to an outsider. Post-structuralists and post-modernists, however, argue that researchers are never fully outside or inside the studied community, but rather hold ever-shifting positions. Since the theoretical and empirical perspectives on the insider/outsider issue are closely intertwined, this paper examines the issue by presenting some key theoretical concerns regarding the insider/outsider status and illustrating some of the methodological and ethical issues facing insider and outsider researchers
Collaboration, Technology and Affordances
Get PDFAt Horton High School, there are approximately 150 music students and 80 Grade 10 drama students. I teach all these students, in bands, choirs, orchestras, classes, and small ensembles. It is my hope that, before leaving my department, these students all understand the importance of collaboration and creative problem solving and therefore I strive to find for them every opportunity to hone their collaboration skills, and to be creative, collaborative problem solvers. I do this because I firmly believe that if they can creatively problem-solve, within a productive, collaborative group, then they can succeed at whatever they wish. I also know that collaborative work encourages critical thinking (King, 2008; Gokhale, 2008; Vygotsky et al., 2004). Rather than simply relying on the natural tendency for musical groups to be collaborative, I assign work that puts students in a position to collaborate. With the integration of technology into education, I have been able to use collaboration in new and exciting ways. Google Apps for Education (GAfE) has supplied many free and accessible ways to allow both synchronous and asynchronous collaboration between and among students. This work can be done face-to-face, or over a distance; there are more options available than I have ever experienced before. Faced with the prospects of an exciting new frontier, I find I must keep my enthusiasm in check and pace the introductions of new technology to my students. After having presented the classes with a few of the new possibilities, I noticed some students shutting down, or getting overly frustrated, or becoming very stressed and anxious. Does the integration of technology create too steep a learning curve for some students? Can I continue to share collaborative opportunities with my students using our newly implemented technology, without causing undo stress and anxiety? With the right pacing, a thorough understanding of the learning curve associated with technology integration, and knowledge of how the user interface and platform effect the perception of affordances, I believe that specific collaboration projects can continue in my program, with the inclusion of technological integration
Singing and Song: A Biophysical and Evolutionary Perspective
Get PDFThe periodicity of natural signals from our environment since the dawn of life on earth has provided the foundation for development of rhythmic responses innate to living organisms, ranging from ancient bacteria to modern humans. The evolution of organs tuned to auditory signals – especially since the colonization of terrestrial environments by early vertebrates – has been matched by the coevolution of vocalization from the production of simple warnings and alarms to complex patterns communicating sophisticated messages. The need to interpret and produce auditory information is essential for a diverse spectrum of animals. At what point does complex vocalization become “song”, and what is it that we regard as “singing”?We recognize “songs” and “singing” in the spring chorus of amphibians, the humming and chirping of insects, the species-specific songs of birds, and the complex communication of humpback whales and other cetaceans. These terms vary in meaning when describing such vocalizations compared to humans. For human singers, the act of singing and the meaning of song have strong emotional and physical components that are profound and personal, with demonstrated effects on brain activity and development, health and well-being. Is this uniquely human?This paper reviews the biophysics of hearing and the concept of singing from the perspective of evolution within the natural rhythmic soundscape of our world
Effective communication with patients, families & colleagues: Evaluation of an online program for international medical graduates (IMGS) in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL)
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Authenticating our Students' Work
Get PDFWhen I was thinking about the idea for this special issue of The Morning Watch, a number of things were percolating in my mind. First, I had just transitioned from the K-12 public school system into the Faculty of Education and was searching for ways to contribute. Second, I was also looking for ways to continue my work in student engagement –albeit, now to a much different audience. And finally, I was in the middle of finishing some graduate work of my own. Having guest editing a past issue of The Morning Watch, I thought that this could be an avenue to consolidate my converging thoughts into a workable project. So, from these three simple streams of thought came the idea to develop a special issue of The Morning Watch that would focus on the work of our graduate students
Engaging with Songs: Transforming Singing in the Singapore Music Classroom
Get PDFThis presentation describes how singing is re-ignited in Singapore primary schools through the professional development initiative by Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts (STAR). Singing brings joy to the child and often, the lack of teacher confidence puts a lid on the capacity of how singing can be a transformative experience to the child. As a national academy with the mandate to improve the quality of art and music teaching-learning in Singapore schools, STAR connects teacher networks to bringing singing into the music classrooms in a more transformative way. Engaging with Songs (EWS) is conceived to deepen Music teachers’ professional and pedagogical understanding in leading singing in the music classroom. It consolidates a growing repertoire of songs, including those from Singapore’s diverse multi-cultural heritage, to support singing pedagogies in the music classrooms. This professional development programme is also designed to support the implementation of the General Music syllabus at the primary school years. The presentation focuses on two key features of EWS: i) its professional development design and curriculum; and ii) the professional learning journeys of the 61 music teachers and 2 school leaders from the 25 schools who embarked on the programme’s first two phases since 2014. Comprising music specialists and generalists, these teachers come together as a community of learners within their schools and across schools, to increase their confidence in singing, and strengthen their music classroom practices in singing
Interpreting folk humour and wisdom, Estonian style: Lepo Sumera's vocal cycle as a window to the language and tradition
Get PDFAlthough contemporary Estonian composer Lepo Sumera (1950-2000) is mostly known in North America as a symphonist, he has contributed to the development of the world-famous choral and vocal music culture of his homeland. Mushroom Cantata and Songs from Estonian Matrimonial Lyrics are, perhaps, the two most curious compositions from Sumera's vocal/choral oevre. In these works the composer uses a non-artistic texts that, he believes, may be more suited for the use in a musical composition than a poem, which already is a complete work of art. In such texts, “some casual words with a suggestive sound” may offer a deeper meaning and allow for a musical reading (Vaitmaa 2005). Specifically, in Mushroom Cantata, Sumera utilizes Latin names of mushrooms growing in Estonia, and in his Songs from Estonian Matrimonial Lyrics – texts from Estonian folk anthology full of sounds of ancient dialects. In the latter work, Sumera sets five texts, structured in a continuum, progressing from a humorous depiction of a folk-style dating scene to a vulgar self-reflection, to a glance into gender roles in a traditional family, a recipe of how to get to heaven, and finally a song about death. And while folk texts are sequenced to intensify the emotion and darken the mood, the composer creates an aura of lightness, humor, and tenderness through the use of eclectic musical language. The spoken phrase “My dear my darling,” positioned between songs, creates a type of a rondo form, where the songs function as episodes. In his setting, the composer capitalizes on the idiosyncrasies of Estonian language phonetics, rich in vowels, and unique prosody known as the quantity system (Lippus 1993). This paper advocates exploration of contemporary vocal literature written by composers of different traditions in order to offer a meaningful musical and linguistic journey to performers and listeners