The Musical Playground as a Vehicle for Community-Building by Riccardo Marsella A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education Graduate Department of Music University of Toronto © Copyright 2021 by Riccardo Marsella ii The Musical Playground as a Vehicle for Community-Building Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education, 2021 Riccardo Marsella Faculty of Music, University of Toronto Abstract This study hovers around one central problem: the struggle between structured and unstructured learning models in education, the creative arts and community building. In this research study, I sought to outline how an alternative music education site, such as a musical playground can positively impact creative expression, music education, and community. An instrumental case study was conducted on the Music Box Village (MBV) in New Orleans, Louisiana as run by the collective and not-for-profit organization, The New Orleans Airlift. Through interviewing over 20 related stakeholders, observing grade four students playing for three consecutive days in the space, and analysis of secondary data, I learned that a musical playground itself can act as a co- composer (Morgan, 1980), a third teacher (Gandini, 1998), and a conduit for social change. The MBV is a stage for creative expression, supporting exploration, improvisation and composition through its aesthetics and design. The post-modern space celebrates rebellion in music, while honouring New Orleans tradition at the same time. As a music education environment, the MBV celebrates free play, physical and musical risk, and unstructured learning models. MBV embraces the tenets of community music (Higgins, 2012) in that it is a space outside of traditional music education which coalesces the New Orleans Bywater neighbourhood in the Upper Ninth Ward. A meta-theme of radical collaboration emerged, which was prevalent in many of the working relationships fostered by the New Orleans Airlift organization, who founded and run the MBV. iii An exemplar for this model is explored, as well as educational curricular development ideas. Keywords: architecture, community, community music, design, experiential learning, experimental music, free play, mechanical music, music, music education. iv Acknowledgments I would like to offer my deepest thanks to Dr. Lee Bartel, my supervisor, who convinced me to take on this challenge six years ago. Dr. Bartel has been a major influence on my career in music education from the early days of my undergraduate work, through; without his ongoing guidance, and belief in my work, my path would be drab and boring. Lee, thanks for your patience, leadership, and continued understanding. Dr. Linda Cameron, special thanks for being that off-camera voice of support through many a Skype call, offering your extended love and guidance. Your graduate course on play helped validate my thinking around the importance of playgrounds in the development of children. Secondly, I’d like to thank my advisory committee, Dr. Benjamin Bolden and Dr. Lori Dolloff, who have been such a great support and helped me navigate these uncharted waters with a calm and steady hand that helped keep me on track. Your belief in my work over the last two decades is so genuinely appreciated. To my new family at the Music Box Village, each of you made me feel so welcome, from the first email I sent Delaney Martin, right through to the end of this process. Thank you for your incredible spirit, as a collective, you embody the surrealism, the warmth and uniqueness of New Orleans. For experts in outsider music, you sure embody the welcoming spirit of Southern comfort. To the Board of Directors at the Regent Park School of Music in Toronto, who saw this work as a benefit to the greater community: thanks for your growing support with every year of collaboration. To all of my fellow colleagues and especially the students at Regent Park School of Music: thank you for the inspiration you provide in every note, every smile. v To R. Murray Schafer, a role model for clearing the path for future generations of weird, and who has always supported me without question. To Henk De Graauw for accepting my random friendship, introducing me to the eternal beauty in mechanical music and the art of tinkering. To my mother and father, for always providing the means, guidance and support, no matter how strange my ideas sound. Thank you to my entire family for always accepting me for who I am, and making the weird stuff just seem normal. Finally, to Lyne, the love of my life and keeper of all the right answers: thank you for the decades of adventure, I’m so honoured and lucky to spend every day I am gifted with your presence – je t’aime. vi Dedication Dedicated to the noise makers, the misfits, the tinkerers, the weirdos, those who never fit in on the traditional playground…build your own. vii Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... iv Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... vi List of Images and Videos ........................................................................................................... xvi List of Tables ............................................................................................................................. xviii Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 The Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................................ 5 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 5 Principal Question ................................................................................................................... 5 Sub-Questions ......................................................................................................................... 5 Situating Myself with a Musical Playground .............................................................................. 6 Situating the Case Study: A New Orleans Story ........................................................................ 8 Overview of Thesis Structure ................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature .............................................................................................. 12 Section One: Music ................................................................................................................... 12 Noise and musical rebellion through the 20th century ......................................................... 13 Music and social change. ...................................................................................................... 16 Section Two: Free Play and Music Education .......................................................................... 20 Free play ............................................................................................................................... 24 viii The importance of risk in play. ............................................................................................. 28 Section Three: Playgrounds and Playground Learning ............................................................ 29 Music and architecture .......................................................................................................... 33 Section Four: Community ......................................................................................................... 36 Chapter 3: Methodology ............................................................................................................... 40 Overview ................................................................................................................................... 40 Case Study Methodology .......................................................................................................... 41 Instrumental Case Study ........................................................................................................... 42 Criticisms .................................................................................................................................. 43 Narrowing My Research Questions .......................................................................................... 43 My Research Questions ........................................................................................................ 45 Principal Question .......................................................................................................... 45 Sub-Questions ................................................................................................................. 45 Rationale ................................................................................................................................... 45 Dependability and Credibility ................................................................................................... 48 Ethical Considerations .............................................................................................................