"Boom Chicka Boom"

My musical self...

I had been waiting eagerly throughout this course for the music tutorial, although I presumed it would be more than one session. Like Lina and Niki I too was a keen young musician. Music is what brings me the most joy in life, whether it be listening, playing, singing/vocalizing, composing/creating, dancing/moving. Unlike Lina I was lucky to have a positive experience with my piano teacher. I learned piano from a young age and when I wasn't practicing my scales I was composing grand masterpieces of improvisation, mainly thunderstorms complete with build up and post lightening raindrops. The choir I joined at my high school was most welcoming of anyone who wanted to join, despite their singing ability. Stories like Lina's and Niki's frustrate me and also motivate me towards giving the best positive experience possible for my students, I have already begun with my own children and encourage purposeful sound and silence on a daily basis.

Hobart tute with Gerard van de Geer

I found the tutorial most inspiring and filled with great ideas and resources.  

Music = The ordering of sound and silence into a meaningful sequence.

A nice example of this meaningful sound and silence was given with the following phrase:

"He fed her dog biscuits"

Who gets the biscuits here? Does the dog get biscuits or does she get to eat dog biscuits? 
 This is the same sentence with different meanings depending on where you place the silence

  - so it is with music!

A piece of music can have very different meaning for the compose and listener. Meaning and understanding or knowing what comes next in a musical phrase is also dependent on where we come from and our culture.  For example, if I say "Do re mi fa" most people I know would follow with  "so la ti do" (or at least those who grew up with the film 'The sound of Music').  This is known as Enculturation. We know the end of certain sounds or melodies because we have been enculturated into a tradition. Lina could hear part of a song from China and automatically know the following notes while Niki and I would have no idea what she is on about. 

Music Education = The socialisation and enculturation into a specific music culture through interaction and engagement with music. 

Music is a unique way of organising sound and silence, it is a sophisticated art form.

There are no known cultures that do not have music!

Excelent speak rhyme session - see "Speach Rhymes" in lesson ideas.