© 2017 New York State School Music Association. Permission granted for re-publication by the author and NYSSMA Editor.
Introduction
A recent Pew Research study (April 9, 2015) states that ninety-two percent of teens report going online daily, with fifty-six percent saying that they go online several times a day. When the majority of users of mobile internet bandwith are children, this intersection of young minds with technology has never been more prevalent than now. And of those children without access to mobile devices, most have quick access to computers, either at home, or at school. This transformational way of connecting, which most of today’s educators did not have as children, is one in which students take for granted. Lines of communication between millions of people may now function instantaneously. Gone are many of the hierarchical ways of transmitting information, and consumers of information may now act to shape the information in real time. Online forums and social media work to shape the flow of news, which may then directly impact events as they happen.
Theoretical Basis
In his white paper, “Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century,” Henry Jenkins (et al) states that, “more than one-half of teens have created media content and roughly one-third of teens who use the internet have shared content they produced. In many cases, these teens are actively involved in what we are calling participatory cultures” (Jenkins, 2009). Teenagers are actively consuming and producing media content in cultures that do not have geographical, geopolitical, cultural, or age restrictions, and they are doing it on a daily basis. Jenkins further identifies four ways in which students are connecting:
1) Affiliations – online social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or gaming sites
2) Expressions – creating new forms, such as digital sampling, etc.
3) Collaborative Problem-Solving – working together in teams, formal and informal, to complete tasks and gain new knowledge
4) Circulations – shaping the flow of media, such as podcasting or blogging
Further, Jenkins states that participatory culture can be characterized by
relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, strong support for creating and sharing creations with others, some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices, members who believe their contributions matter, and members who feel some degree of social connection with one another (at least they care what other people think about what they have created)” (Jenkins, 2009).
Convergence
As Evan Tobias notes, “although not required for participatory culture to occur, technology and digital media play important roles in how people network, collaborate, create, and interact with music” (Tobias, 2013). Teenagers regularly download music tracks, and using mobile applications, create and share playlists (much like the old mix tapes) and comment on music found online. Sites like Sound Cloud and tools such as Facebook Live allow people to share musical performances, remixes, and musical compositions to virtual audiences. The intersection of different media systems, as first stated by Jenkins and discussed by Tobias is called “convergence.” This process allows for the intersection between different media systems, which are no longer bound by antiquated fixed relationships.
Participatory Culture and the Music Classroom
As music educators, we ought to be responsive to the ways in which students are interacting with music, and indeed all digital media. Although the ensemble rehearsal is still the primary place where students still regularly make music in schools, teachers should be concerned with making their art form relevant to new generations of students. When teachers embrace the idea of “convergence,” the intersections of media systems, new participatory models of learning can emerge. This does not mean that teachers lower standards of performance and the quality of literature, but instead embrace the lower barriers of a participatory culture. A participatory model of education does not mean that the role of the teacher disappears. In fact, David Elliot and Marissa Silverman write, “What some teachers fail to realize is that it’s possible for learners to learn when “the teacher” is not at the front of the room or directing an ensemble from a podium…Sharing responsibilities builds mutual respect and trust between learners and teachers. It engenders feelings of community, safety, pride, happiness, confidence, and motivated productivity” (Elliot & Silverman, 2015).
In non-traditional models, the role of the teacher can change depending on the learning situation: director, facilitator, leader, mentor, or coach. Instead of a top-down model, a zygotal-based, interconnected model can be employed. Digital media can facilitate this.
Using Jenkin’s ideas as a foundational basis for this facilitation, it is helpful then to explore ways in which educators might incorporate participatory models into their classrooms.
Affiliations
Students are using social media tools as a primary means of interaction. Facebook has been used for over a decade, and although it is a still a primary platform on which students interact, many other applications are in use as well. These include Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat, and Yik Yak, among others.
If students are interacting with each other on a regular basis using these platforms, educators should imagine scenarios in which they might integrate these affiliations into their regular lessons, and into their overall music programs.
Where there are no institutional barriers to utilizing these tools (i.e. school board social media policies), utilizing school- or program-based social media accounts to disseminate information, promote events, and connect with the community are obvious ways in which teachers can use these programs. Creating a classroom or pubic teacher profile (separate from a private, social account) can facilitate these digital interactions. Parents can feel connected to their child’s school music program, and teachers can connect with parents and the greater community.
Expressions
Teenagers are uploading digital media content at a dizzying rate. Since the majority of teens are creating media, much of it musical in nature, it makes sense that music teachers should embrace this. In fact the 2014 Core Arts Standards lend themselves to student creation of digital media. Examining the Music Ensemble strand, one can see many opportunities for the use of digital media in a participatory culture.
Examples:
MU:Cr1.1.E.8a — Compose and improvise ideas for melodies and rhythmic passages based on characteristic(s) based on music or text(s) studied in rehearsal.
MU:Cr2.1.E.11a — Select and develop arrangements, sections, and short compositions for specific purposes that demonstrate understanding of characteristic(s) of music from a variety of cultures studied in rehearsal.
Sites such as YouTube and Sound Cloud could serve as platforms for uploading media content created and developed by students. Readily-accessible programs such as Garage Band could also be employed.
Collaborative Problem-Solving
Collaborative Problem-Solving, or virtual collaboration, is a form of interaction that is by definition, participatory. One of the great online collaborations is Wikipedia, which is maintained solely by users, not by a company or institution.
Students, using an online format conducive to collaboration, such a Google document, can research independently, and then virtually work together to compose musical examples or lyrics, create concert publicity, or write a paper. So as not to waste valuable rehearsal time during the day, virtual student-moderated collaborations can be practical ways for students to problem solve, and develop interpersonal skills that are so valuable in music ensembles, as well as the workforce.
Eric Whitacre’s “Virtual Choirs” is one such virtual collaboration. Participants upload a video of themselves, singing a choral part to one of Whitacre’s choral works. The submissions are curated, and then combined to form an online ensemble of hundreds of singers who have never met. One can ask if this truly changes the nature of what an ensemble is, or heralds a new direction.
Circulations
Circulations are one of the most important ways in which students are interacting in the digital realm. Students are consuming media circulations such as blogs and podcasts at an incredible rate. Media is also being created specifically for that age group, and teachers ought to be aware of this huge virtual landscape. Students then, using a participatory model in which each voice is free of the strains of in-person prejudices, contribute to these circulations, and thus, change them, by virtue of the contributions.
Possible Application
One place that digital media and participatory culture can converge with the traditional school music ensemble is the concert hall. Concerts are traditional platforms where ensembles can present a finished product to parents, family members, and the community. What if, however, that the musical performance was not “finished.” What if audience members were allowed to participate and collaborate with the performers and conductor? Much like the idea of circulation, mentioned above, when people interact with media and comment or alter it, something new is formed.
Social media platforms such as Twitter can allow audience members to become a part of a concert. By tweeting, using a predetermined hashtag (e.g. #choirconcert), they can contribute to the event as it unfolds. By placing a screen in the lobby of a concert venue, the audience can, in effect, participate in the concert by commenting on it. As with other elements of a participatory culture, “curation” can come into play, as tweets are examined before they are posted onto the screen. Questions in the program, on-stage prompts from the conductor, and audience interaction can drive the virtual discussion. Encouraging tweeting a week before the concert can help build buzz, and tweeting would not need to end when the concert finishes. The participatory nature of the event has transformed the concert into something entirely new.
Conclusion
As educators of children who are being raised surrounded by technology, it is important that we take steps to familiarize ourselves with that are encountering on a day-to-day basis. And, by taking steps to incorporate digital media and reshape the classroom into a participatory model of learning, will continue to make our art form relevant to generations of budding musicians.
References
2014-Music-Ensemble-Strand.pdf [Chart] (2014, June). In National Association for Music Education. Retrieved February 01, 2017, from http://www.nafme.org/my-classroom/standards/core-music-standards.
Elliot, D. J., & Silverman, M. (2014). Music Matters: A Philosophy of Music Education. New York: Oxford University Press.
Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir. (n.d.) Retrieved February 01, 2017, from http://ericwhitacre.com/the-virtual-choir.
Lenhart, A. (2015, April 09). Teens, Social Media & Media Technology 2015. Retrieved February 01, 2017, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/
Jenkins, H. & Purushotma, R., et al. (2009). Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture; Media Education for the 21st Century. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Tobias, E. S. (2013). Towards Convergence: Adapting Music Education to Contemporary Society and Participatory Culture. Music Educators Journal, 99(4), 29-36.
