Digital Arenas in Music Education (DAME); Framing artistic and educational learning and practice?

Project summary

Multi year research project at Stord/Haugesund University College. Music education is currently facing a virtual world of music and technology to such an extent that this discipline within education can be described as entering a crossroad. Music as a cultural phenomenon (Blacking 1973) as well as a school genre and school subject (Orrff 1952, Bresler 1998, L- 97) has been described in terms of an artistic body- based praxial affair (Elliott 1995, Small 1998, Bowman 2006). The fact that this important aspect of human expression increasingly meets and is infused with technology in society and in schools creates dilemmas and questions about contents as well as the future development of music as a school subject. It is the intention of the present research project to address this situation. We ask: What are the unique contributions of ICT based music education in terms of musical learning, creativity and development? To what extent will an artistic and body-based musical practise in schools be influenced and framed by technology? What characterizes ICT based learning environments pertaining to enhance fundamental values in music education? How can such learning environments be designed and implemented to accommodate cultural and contextual challenges? The study will utilise a mixed method approach with design-based and qualitative methodologies as key elements. Comparisons will be made between trials and naturalistic music education learning environments with low-intensive or no use of ICT. Data will be collected by participant observation, video footage, interviews, and questionnaires. The musical outcomes of creative processes will be analysed and evaluated, and connections between the musical outcomes and the process of their creation will be investigated. Results will be published on websites and in Nordic and international journals, and discussions about curriculum development and design will be initiated.