Singing in Class: Analysis of Children Learning a New Song
Teaching and learning new songs in class is an integral cultural practice. This paper focuses on a singing lesson and studies the complex relations am.
- Pub. date: January 15, 2024
- Pages: 115-129
- 107 Downloads
- 138 Views
- 0 Citations
Teaching and learning new songs in class is an integral cultural practice. This paper focuses on a singing lesson and studies the complex relations among the target song, children’s song acquisition and the teacher’s instructions. However, instead of simply examining pitch accuracy or ratings, this paper proposes a novel methodology for analysing song learning in class. First, a transcription method is used to document a video-recorded lesson. Second, syllables are identified as both the essential components of the grammar of songs for children and the fundamental units for analysing singing in terms of pitch, timing and articulation. The individual singing of three children, divided into the syllables of the target song, is examined for these three properties. Third, a comparison between the song model and the children’s singing reveals how rule-breaking in the song corresponds to the children’s difficulties in singing. This detailed and subject-related analysis exemplifies the complex dynamic among the teacher, the object and the learner and is a contribution to the research of subject-related didactics.
Keywords: Didactics, grammar of songs for children, singing, singing analysis, song learning.
References
Aróstegui, J. L., & Kyakuwa, J. (2021). Generalist or specialist music teachers? Lessons from two continents. Arts Education Policy Review, 122(1), 19–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2020.1746715
Bond, A. (1998). Liedersammlung. Zimetschtern hani gern [Song collection. I like Cinnamon Cookies]. Grossengaden Verlag.
Chevallard, Y. (1991). La transposition didactique – Du savoir savant au savoir enseigné [From learned knowledge to taught knowledge] (2nd ed.). La Pensée sauvage.
Cuesta, H., Gómez, E., Martorell, A., & Loáiciga, F. (2018). Analysis of intonation in unison choir singing. In R. Parncutt, & S. Sattmann (Eds.), Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition. Zenodo. https://zenodo.org/record/1286570
Dalla Bella, S., Giguère, J.-F., & Peretz, I. (2007). Singing proficiency in the general population. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 121(2), 1182–1189. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.2427111
Devaney, J. (2020). An empirical evaluation of note segmentation and automatic pitch-extraction methods for the singing voice. In F. Russo, B. Ilari & A. Cohen (Eds.), The Routledge companion to interdisciplinary studies in singing, volume 1: Development (pp. 136–148). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315163734-10
Fündeling, O. (2022). On the conditions of music methods courses in the training of generalist music teachers (GMTs). In Swissuniversities (Eds.), Die entwicklung der fachdidaktiken als wissenschaftliche disziplinen in der schweiz: Bilanz und perspektiven [The development of subject didactics as scientific disciplines in switzerland: Review and perspectives] (pp. 295-300). Swissuniversities & SUPSI. https://doi.org/10.33683/dida.22.05.54
Hennessy, S. (2017). Approaches to increasing the competence and confidence of student teachers to teach music in primary schools. Education 3–13, 45(6), 689–700. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2017.1347130
Hürlimann, A. E. (2022). Das singen leiten im fokus musikdidaktischer forschung – einblicke in die unterrichtspraxis [Song leading in the focus of music didactic research – insights into teaching practice.] In Swissuniversities (Eds.), Die entwicklung der fachdidaktiken als wissenschaftliche disziplinen in der schweiz: Bilanz und perspektiven [The development of subject didactics as scientific disciplines in switzerland: Review and perspectives] (pp. 62-68). Swissuniversities & SUPSI. https://doi.org/10.33683/dida.22.05.14
Hürlimann, A., & Savona, A. (2022). Generalist teachers’ development in teaching songs in class. In T. Buchborn, T. de Baets, G. Brunner, & S. Schmid (Eds.), Music is what people do – Perspectives on music (education) as a praxis. European perspectives on music education (pp. 87–108). Helbling.
Hutchins, S. M., & Peretz, I. (2012). A frog in your throat or in your ear? Searching for the causes of poor singing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 141(1), 76-97. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025064
Knigge, J., Danbolt, I., Hagen, L. A., & Haukenes, S. (2021). The current status of singing in kindergartens in Norway. Nordic Research in Music Education, 2(2), 74–99. https://doi.org/10.23865/nrme.v2.2905
Larrouy-Maestri, P., & Morsomme, D. (2014). Criteria and tools for objectively analysing the vocal accuracy of a popular song. Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology, 39(1), 11–18. https://doi.org/10.3109/14015439.2012.696139
Liao, M.-Y., & Campbell, P. S. (2014). An analysis of song-leading by kindergarten teachers in Taiwan and the USA. Music Education Research, 16(2), 144–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2013.851661
Liao, M.-Y., & Campbell, P. S. (2016). Teaching children’s songs: A Taiwan–US comparison of approaches by kindergarten teachers. Music Education Research, 18(1), 20–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2015.1049256
Mauch, M., Cannam, C., Bittner, R., Fazekas, G., Salamon, J., Dai, J., Bello, J., & Dixon, S. (2015). Computer-aided melody note transcription using the Tony Software: Accuracy and efficiency. In M. Battier, J. Bresson, P. Couprie, C. Davy-Rigaux, D. Fober, Y. Geslin, H. Genevois, F. Picard, & A. Tacaille (Eds.), Proceedings of the First International Conference on Technologies for Music Notation and Representation (TENOR 2015). IReMus. https://rb.gy/oc8y0
Pfordresher, P. Q., & Demorest, S. M. (2020). Construction and validation of the Seattle Singing Accuracy Protocol (SSAP): An automated online measure of singing accuracy. In F. Russo, B. Ilari & A. Cohen (Eds.), The Routledge companion to interdisciplinary studies in singing, volume 1: Development (pp. 322–333). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315163734-24
Reusser, K. (2018). Allgemeine Didaktik - quo vadis? [General Didactics – quo vadis?]. BzL - Beiträge Zur Lehrerinnen- Und Lehrer-Bildung, 36(3), 311–328. https://doi.org/10.36950/bzl.36.2018.9420
Russo, F. A., Ilari, B., & Cohen, A. J. (Eds.). (2020). The Routledge companion to interdisciplinary studies in singing, Volume I: Development. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315163734
Savona, A. (2022). Song transmission and cultural tools. Pre-service generalist teachers develop song leading [Doctoral dissertation, University of Zurich]. University of Zurich. https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/233955/
Savona, A., Stadler Elmer, S., Hürlimann, A. E., Joliat, F., & Cavasino, G. (2021). The Lesson Activities Map: A domain-specific lesson transcription methodology. European Journal of Educational Research, 10(2), 705–717. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.10.2.705
Schneuwly, B. (2021). ‘Didactiques’ is not (entirely) ‘Didaktik’: The origin and atmosphere of a recent academic field. In E. Krogh, A. Qvortrup, & S. Graf (Eds.), Didaktik and curriculum in ongoing dialogue (1st ed., pp. 164–184). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003099390-11
Stadler Elmer, S. (2015). Kind und musik: Das entwicklungspotenzial erkennen und verstehen [Child and music: Recognising and understanding developmental potential]. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-41692-7
Stadler Elmer, S. (2021). Song transmission as a formal cultural practice. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 654282. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.654282
Stadler Elmer, S. (2022). How a young child sings a well-known song before she can speak. British Journal of Music Education, 39(3), 292–301. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0265051722000304
Stadler Elmer, S., & Elmer, F.-J. (2000). A new method for analysing and representing singing. Psychology of Music, 28(1), 23-42. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735600281003
Stadler Elmer, S., & Hoyningen-Huene, P. (2022). Zur Konstitution der Fachdidaktiken als Wissenschaft. [On the constitution of subject didactics as a science.] In Swissuniversities (Ed.), Die entwicklung der fachdidaktiken als wissenschaftliche disziplinen in der Schweiz: Bilanz und perspektiven [The development of subject didactics as scientific disciplines in Switzerland: Review and perspectives] (pp. 526–532). Swissuniversities & SUPSI. https://doi.org/10.33683/dida.22.05.85
Watts, C., Barnes-Burroughs, K., Andrianopoulos, M., & Carr, M. (2003). Potential factors related to untrained singing talent: A survey of singing pedagogues. Journal of Voice, 17(3), 298–307. https://doi.org/10.1067/S0892-1997(03)00068-7
Zadig, S. Folkestad, G., & Lyberg-Åhlander, G. (2016). Multi-track recordings of choral singers: Development and validation of a method to identify activities and interaction in the choral voice, based on recordings of the individual singers. Beiträge empirischer Musikpädagogik, 7(1), 1-20. https://bit.ly/44ovKTz