Abstract:

A constant theme in education is the lack of creative development in the musical arts brought on by the insufficient education and practical training of standard educators in primary and secondary schools. The experience and insight into musical repertoire by community musician animaeur’s allows for an unprecedented classroom dialectic, which opens the gateway to broadening educational standards and student engagement in the curriculum for excellence. Beginning with music, topics of bio-psycho-social categories including social issues, economics, anthropology and new technologic innovation and more, are open for discussion.

The primary goal of the present study is to examine the affect of the outlining goals of The Silk Road project as presented by Dr. Nigel Osborne and the Scottish Government Tapestry Partnership in regards to educational reform in the Scottish Primary and Secondary school education standards. The Silk Road project, executed over the course of multiple placements spanning two years, posits a team of MSc Music in the Community animateurs from the University of Edinburgh into various local authorities to organize and execute music and creativity workshops that follow musical and cultural pedagogies adopted from the historic Silk Road.

The working hypothesis underlying the investigation is that through student exposure to differing cultures along the Silk Road route, unique topics for discussion via musical approaches emerge. This gateway allows for a truly interdisciplinary approach to the ideas, cultures and technologies of societies along The Silk Road, expanding upon student imagination, health and wellbeing ultimately creating relevant connections to the student’s own society. A secondary insight into musical education comes through contemporary discussions on popular music and subsequent new music technologies. Among these technologies include spectral analysis for harmonics analysis of non-native instruments, digital audio workstations for audio recording and computer music software programming for original composition and multimedia synthesis. The empirical research from personal placement and other animateurs/academic professionals placement in the pilot program indicate that the primary and secondary school students are being offered a surplus of cognitive material unseen in conventional education practice. Utilizing various techniques and strategies of Dr. Dylan William’s education theory in The Classroom Experiment, a design of Experiences and Outcomes have been adopted for content assessment and is currently showing full signs of success. Further placement and data are being collected.

References:
Ansdell, G. (2002). Community Music Therapy and the Winds of Change. Voices 2(2)ansdell.
Higgins, L. (2007). Acts of Hospitality: the community in Community Music. Music Education Research, 9(2): 281-292.
Leak, G. (2002). Performance Making: A Manual for Music Workshops. Currency Press Pty Ltd.
Matarasso, F. (1994). Regular Marvels: handbook for animateurs, practitioners and development workers in dance, mime, music and literature. Leicester: Community Dance and Mime Foundation.
Osborne, N. (2007). Music for Children in Zones of Conflict and Post Conflict. Open University Press
Stevens, J. (2007). Search and Reflect: a music workshop handbook. London: Rockschool

Keywords:

Community music animateur, music in the community, music education, music, mainstream education, The Silk Road, Tapestry Partnership.