Interplaying Folk Songs: giving first year bachelor students the floor

Abstract

Abstract - How can we as teachers support our students in preparing for different practices in and with music? In this text we aim to explore this question by presenting and discussing the project Interplaying Folk Songs, taking place on the first-year bachelor programme at the Norwegian Academy of Music in 2018. The project is a part of a larger course module, and as teachers we wanted to explore methods for teaching together, inviting the students to share performative practices, knowledge and reflections. With activities ranging from traditional lectures to offering the floor to the first-year students, we aimed to create a process-oriented project with emphasis on discussion and musical interplay amongst the students, letting the voices of all students be heard. In addition, we wished to put ourselves in a situation where we got first-time experience, similar to the situation the students were exposed to. Interplaying Folk Songs takes Luciano Berio’s Folk Songs as a starting point. Through introductory lectures, group work, student presentations in plenary and discussions, we worked on songs from Berio’s collection. In this text we give examples from three of the student groups to illuminate experiences of cooperation, learning and teaching. The project has a pedagogical core reflecting on our practices and experiences as teachers.