Final Thesis Document

THE BLOOM OF YOUTH Conceptualising a Theory of Educative Experience for Irish Traditional Music in Post-Primary Music Education in Ireland Thomas J. Johnston Ph.D. 2013 The Bloom of Youth Conceptualising a Theory of Educative Experience for Irish Traditional Music in Post-Primary Music Education in Ireland Thomas Joseph Johnston Submitted to the University of Limerick in satisfaction of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Supervisors: Dr. Sandra Joyce Jean Downey Professor Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin September 2013 © COPYRIGHT BY THOMAS JOSEPH JOHNSTON 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract vi Declaration vii Acknowledgments viii List of Tables x List of Figures xii List of Abbreviations xv Introduction Prologue: Reflections and Motivations 1 Background to the Research 4 Statement of the Problem 11 Purpose of the Investigation 12 Research Questions 13 Limitations of the Research 14 Structure of the Thesis 16 Chapter 1 A History of Irish Traditional Music in Post-Primary Music Education 19 Introduction 19 Irish Traditional Music in Music Education c. 1850 - c. 1950 20 Irish Traditional Music in Music Education c. 1950 - c. 1990 22 Irish Traditional Music in Music Education c. 1990s 26 Irish Traditional Music in the JC/LC Music Syllabi 29 The Music Education National Debate (MEND): 1994 - 2004 33 MEND and Irish traditional Music in Music Education 33 MEND and an Irish Philosophical Stance 37 Bennett Reimer, David Elliott, and the Irish Context 38 Conclusion 39 Chapter 2 Shaping a Discourse on Educative Experience and Irish Traditional Music 41 Introduction 41 Dewey’s Pragmatist Aesthetics, Experience, and Education 43 Continuity, Interaction, and Reflective Experience 44 Experience and Meaning 48 The Concept of Flow and Experience 48 The Concept of Flow, Meaning-Making, and Intrinsic Motivation 51 Ideology and the Construction of Value 52 Freire’s ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’ and Critical Pedagogy 55 ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’ and the Irish Context 56 i Liberation and Transformation through Conscientization 57 Intercommunication, Banking, and the Role of the Teacher 58 Informal Music Education: An Emerging Approach 61 A ‘Formal’ Paradigm 62 An ‘Informal’ Paradigm 63 Lucy Green’s ‘Music, Informal Learning and the School’ 63 Green’s Five Fundamental Principles of Informal Learning 65 Issues with Green’s Approach 66 Informal versus Formal Learning: Promotion of a False Dichotomy? 67 Informal versus Formal Learning and Irish Traditional Music 68 Recent Studies on Informal and Formal Learning 69 The Place and Role of Musical Enculturation 72 Musical Enculturation, Pedagogy, and Transmission 73 Enculturation amongst other ways of coming to ‘know’ music 77 Cross-Disciplinary Insights: Music Education/Ethnomusicology 78 Learning from Music-Learning in Cross-Cultural Perspectives 83 Transmission, Pedagogy, and the Concept of Learning Modalities 87 An Aural Awareness of Irish Traditional Music 88 Listening and the Philosophical Orientations of Reimer and Elliott 89 Reimer’s Aesthetic Philosophy and Listening 90 Elliott’s Praxial Music Education and Listening 91 Listening and the Irish Context 93 Towards a Pedagogy of Listening 95 An Obser-visual Awareness of Irish Traditional Music 98 A Kinesthetic Awareness of Irish Traditional Music 100 Considering a Tactile Awareness of Irish Traditional Music 104 Participatory and Presentational Performance 105 The Role of Print, Electronic, and New Media 109 Conclusion 113 Chapter 3 Methodological Design 114 Introduction 114 A Paradigm of Constructivist Research Inquiry 115 Reflexivity 117 Integrating Action Research and Grounded Theory 119 Action Research Methodology 120 Constructing Grounded Theory 124 Triangulation 129 Time Triangulation 130 Space Triangulation 131 Methodological Triangulation 132 The Unstructured and Informal Interview 133 Classroom Observation 136 The Roles of the Researcher during Observation 137 ii Lesson Observation Critical Incident Technique (LOCIT) 140 Supplementary Qualitative Instrument: Teacher’s Reflective Journal 142 The Quantitative Instrument and Initial Explorations 142 Phase 1 and pre-Phase 2 Questionnaires 143 Questionnaire Administration 145 Descriptive Analysis of Questionnaires 147 Ethical Considerations 148 Conclusion 150 Chapter 4 Exploring the Field: Post-Primary Music Teachers Phase 1 Survey 152 Introduction 152 Location and Distribution of the Represented Schools 152 Respondents’ Personal Experience of Irish Traditional Music 154 Listening to Irish Traditional Music in the Classroom 157 Enjoyment, Confidence, and Changes of Perception 161 Exposing the Primary/Post-Primary Continuum Fracture 164 Resources, Visiting Musicians, and Available Instruments 165 Continuous Professional Development (CPD) 168 Initial Teacher Training (ITT) 171 Conclusion: Irish Traditional Music as ‘Lived Experience’ 176 Chapter 5 Looking Back: Initial Insights into the Experience of Phase 2 Participants 177 Introduction 177 The Students’ Experience of Irish Traditional Music at Primary School 178 ‘School’ Music and Music in the Lives of the Students 179 The Students’ previous Experience of Other Musical Genres 181 The Students’ previous Experience of Irish Traditional Music 182 Irish Traditional Music and the Junior and/or Leaving Certificate 187 The Teachers’ Experience of Irish Traditional Music 188 Learning Irish Traditional Music 189 Teaching Irish Traditional Music 190 Formal Musical Knowledge and the Junior & Leaving Certificate 193 The Teachers’ Initial Concerns regarding Phase 2 197 Notation vs. Aural Learning 197 Aural Learning Abilities of the Students 199 Conclusion 200 Chapter 6 Conceptualising a Living Theory for a Living Tradition 201 Introduction 201 Principles of Transmission 205 Principle of Aural Awareness 207 Emergence of a Cyclical Continuum of Aural Progression (CCAP) 208 Aural Awareness Mode 1: Remote Listening 210 iii Aural Awareness Mode 2: Prefatory Listening 213 The Teachers’ Experience of Prefatory Listening 214 The Students’ Experience of Prefatory Listening 215 Aural Awareness Mode 3: Attentive Listening 216 The Teachers’ Experience of Attentive Listening 218 The Students’ Experience of Attentive Listening 220 Aural Awareness Mode 4: Responsive Listening 222 The Teachers’ Experience of Responsive Listening 223 The Students’ Experience of Responsive Listening 225 Aural Awareness Mode 5: Enactive Listening 226 Aural Awareness Mode 6: Reflective Listening 228 Principle of Obser-visual Awareness 232 The Teachers’ Experience of Obser-visual Awareness 233 The Students’ Experience of Obser-visual Awareness 235 Principle of Tactile Awareness 236 Principle of Kinesthetic Awareness and Kinesthetic-Aural Awareness 239 Exploring Irish Dance and ‘Body Rhythms’ as Kinesthetic Activity 241 The Intrinsic Nature of Kinesthetic Activity and Aural Awareness 243 Irish Dance and Aural Awareness 244 Body Rhythms and Aural Awareness 246 Disconnect between Kinesthetic Activity and Aural Awareness 249 Kinesthetic Awareness Mode 1: Remote Kinesis 250 Kinesthetic Awareness Mode 2: Prefatory Kinesis 251 Kinesthetic Awareness Mode 3: Attentive Kinesis 253 Kinesthetic Awareness Mode 4: Responsive Kinesis 254 Kinesthetic Awareness Mode 5: Enactive Kinesis 255 Kinesthetic Awareness Mode 6: Reflective Kinesis 258 Principles of Engagement 260 Principle of Transitioning Roles of MEP and LEP 261 Emergence of the Researcher as More Experienced Person 263 Teaching the Teachers How to Teach Whistle 263 Emergence of the Teacher as Less Experienced Person 266 Challenges arising from the Teacher-as-LEP Role 266 Evidence of the Teacher-as-LEP Role 267 Emergence of the Teacher as More Experienced Person 269 Emergence of the Student as More Experienced Person 270 Emergence of the Visiting Musician as More Experienced Person 272 Principle of Participatory Performance 275 Principle of Presentational Performance 281 Principle of Media Integration 284 Principles of Educative Experience and the Formal-Informal Position 286 Principle of Flow Experience 290 Csikszenmihalyi’s Flow, Enjoyment, and Kinesthetic Activity 292 Conclusion 295 iv Chapter 7 Irish traditional music, Experience, and Education 297 Revisiting the Research Questions 299 Theoretical Implications 303 Practical Implications 305 Epilogue 308 Appendices Appendix A Percentages allocated to each strand in the LC Music syllabus 310 Appendix B ‘Irish Music’ LC Guidelines for Teachers 311 Appendix C Sections of the LC Music syllabus which refer to ‘Irish music’ 312 Appendix D Mind map of Phase 2 free nodes, tree nodes, and conceptual categories 313 Appendix E Phase 1 Post-Primary Music Teachers’ Questionnaire 2007-8 314 Appendix F Pre-Phase 2 Group A and Group B Student Questionnaire 320 Appendix G Phase 2 Student Information Sheet 326 Appendix H Phase 2 Parent Information Sheet 328 Appendix I Phase 2 Visiting Musician Information Sheet 330 Appendix J Informed Consent Forms 333 Appendix K Transcriptions of informal interviews, observations, and LOCIT (samples) 334 Appendix L Schedule of Phase 1 & Phase 2 Music Classes and Events (School A) 350 Appendix M Schedule of Phase 1 & Phase 2 Music Classes and Events (School B) 351 Bibliography 352 v ABSTRACT Thomas J. Johnston The Bloom of Youth The world of Irish traditional music is one defined by its multiple, porous, and overlapping experiential contexts. This dynamic, living, and continuously evolving system of meanings, values, and intentions is sustained by its communities of individuals who engage in complex and adaptive processes of transmission. Moving from an overview of the broad historical

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