Secondary Instrumental Ensemble: A Shift Towards Non-Normative Learning Practices
Abstract
The reproduction of traditional repertoire has been at the forefront of secondary instrumental ensembles and instrumental teacher education programs since their inception (Allsup, 2016; Apfelstadt, 2000; Hopkins, 2013; Reynolds, 2000; Talbot & Mantie, 2015). Although there are instances of non-normative learning practices and wide-ranging, diverse musics being included in secondary instrumental ensembles and instrumental teacher education programs often they are not a core curricular component. When wide-ranging, diverse musics, are included, generally, they are approached through performance from Western standard musical notation. Although musics outside the Western classical tradition may be included, students are not experiencing those musics through the informal pedagogies which are idiomatic to those genres (Folkestad, 2006; Woody, 2007). The Western classical tradition has dominated secondary and tertiary music education since its fruition and only in recent years has incremental change occurred in these spaces (Talbot & Mantie, 2015; Kaschub & Smith, 2014). The influence of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) Handbook (2020) and Sarath, Myers, & Campbell (2016) are addressed, particularly, how ambiguous language and lack of specific suggestions makes it difficult for schools of music to approach curriculum restructuring. Stakeholders (music education professors) and graduates from three universities were interviewed to learn how curricular changes were experienced. Curricular change through the experiences of stakeholders (music education professors) details difficulties faced while navigating other music faculty who oppose restructuring curriculum to include a wider breadth of musics. Graduates experienced difficulty transferring knowledge from courses which emphasized non-normative learning practices and wide-ranging, diverse musics to their current classroom practices. When graduates include other musics into their classroom, activities are fragmented, siloed which mirrors the way in which the coursework was presented within the restructured undergraduate music education curriculum.
This study suggests a need for undergraduate music education programs to continue to work to restructure curriculum where non-normative learning practices and wide-ranging, diverse musics are weaved through the curriculum. A restructuring of this matter is challenging due to lack of models available along with other music faculty who prefer tertiary music to remain within the Western classical tradition.