I entered the Music Education course with few preconceived notions besides a fervent love of music. The KIME unit has proved transformative for me, consolidating my passion into a philosophy of education and advocacy.

Composition and improvisation have always been part of my musical purview, but I considered them instinctual. Richard Gill’s philosophy – “imagination coupled with discipline” (Gill, 2003, 2:45) – effectively transposed these elements into a classroom setting, by using repetition to isolate simple rhythmic elements. Imitation and ostinati as bases for improvisation are hallmarks of Orff pedagogy (Humberstone, 2015). Having previously considered repetition as running counter to creativity, this convinced me of the opposite: its purpose in building a foundation of musical elements, upon which students can develop their own material.

Orff pedagogy also posits music as an inherently collaborative practice – a position I previously only agreed with when pertaining to an ensemble setting. However, collaborative education encourages students to take responsibility for their learning, through interaction with their peers (Burnard, 2017). Though I believe this is not foolproof – students with different musical backgrounds and levels of extroversion may retreat as others participate more actively – I am convinced of the principle’s truth. When approached collaboratively, creation and innovation become less daunting. In addition, collaborative music-making supports a sense of solidarity and belonging (Hallam, 2010), arising naturally as a result of shared focus and effort. This has led me to reframe my previous understanding of music: as collaborative not only in performance, but in education as well.

While previously I saw its repetitive techniques as somewhat mindless, I have come to realise that the Orff approach is not only an effective pedagogy, but embodies the main tenets of my developing philosophy of music education: craft, creativity, and collaboration. Thanks to the research studied in this unit, my love for music now has a voice.

Bibliography:
Burnard, P. (2017). Teaching music creatively. (R. Murphy, Ed.) (Second edition.). Abingdon, Oxon ; Routledge.
Gill, R. (2003). The Creative Classroom with Richard Gill. [DVD] Sydney: MLC School.
Hallam, S. (2010). The power of music: Its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people. International Journal of Music Education. 28. 269-289. DOI: 10.1177/0255761410370658.
Humberstone, J. H. B. (2015). Toward a pluralist music education. Creatively exploring the Creative Music Movement, the Orff approach, and new research on children’s musical identities and informal music learning. In NSW Orff Schulwerk State Conference. Sydney, Australia. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.11278.20807