Lifelong Learning For Musicians (Rineke Smilde, 2005) - The Summary

Lifelong Learning For Musicians (Rineke Smilde, 2005)

- Proceedings of the NASM Annual Meeting 2005 in Boston (20, November 2005)

INTRODUCTION

Smilde, 2004

- Changes in Cultural Life and Music Profession

- How future professional musicians are going to deal with their future?

- How can they learn how to functions in new contexts?

- How can exploit opportunities

ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN THE CONCEPT OF LIFELONG LEARNING

- Lifelong Learning in Music

- Current Studies: North Netherlands Conservatory and Royal Conservatory, The Haque - 2 colleges

- Past Studies: Association of European Conservatory (AEC) - A Study on the Music Profession in Europe ==> "Trends and Changes in the Cultural Environment & Required Competency?"

Flow of Studies

Clarification of Lifelong Learning Study ==> Research Questions ==> Issues of Changing Musical and Cultural Landscape ==> Needs of Graduates ==> Conceptual Framework of Lifelong Learning ==> Preparing for Future Musicians for Future Profession & Impacts from their Vocational Training ==> Examples of Practice from the Netherlands Pilot Projects of Lifelong Learning Study ==> Conclusions

No. 1 - Lifelong Learning for Musicians

*Summary: The Study of Lifelong Learning in Music

*Issues in Lifelong Learning in Music

*The Study: Examines the Concept of Lifelong Learning 

*The Study: Its Consequences for Musicians

Purpose: To Create Adaptive Learning Environments in which Students of Music Colleges can be trained to Function Effectively in a Continuously Changing Professional Practice: Collect, Process and Generate Knowledge ==> to identify and apply a Conceptual Framework of Lifelong Learning ==> Test via Pilot Projects with external partners ==> Evaluate the projects before implementing in Teaching Programs or Modules

EXISTING STUDIES FOR THE CONCEPT OF LIFELONG LEARNING

1. Level of Educational Organization

2. Curriculum

3. Teachers

4. Students

5. Graduates

# The Conceptual Framework of Lifelong Learning ==> generate adequate Development of Teacher's Competency ==> culminate in a System of Continuing Professional Development ==> to Improving Skills & Increased Employability of Professional Musicians in the future

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. How do musicians actually learn?

2. Which Generic Skills are needed to function effectively as a contemporary musician committed to Self-Management?

3. What Knowledge, Attitude, Values and Artistic/Creative Skills are of importance?

4. What are the changes in the music profession and what are the implications for graduates?

5. How can their training and environment enable graduates to anticipate and respond to changes and what core competencies do they need?

6. What is the meaning of the Concept of Lifelong Learning for the contents and design of education for students and graduates?

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

1. THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE & THE NEEDS OF GRADUATES 

(The Research Group on the Music Profession of the AEC in Europe - 2 weeks feedback)

- The Challenges and Implications of these Changes and Trends for the Development of the Music Profession are numerous)

1.1 New Development in Technology

- New ways of Creating Arts

- New ways of Consuming Arts

- Big diversity of Delivery Arts

1.2 The Changing Nature of Consumers

- Leads to different Artistic Programming - shorter, more focused & cross-genres - to New Audience

- Require Knowledge & Understanding about different Art Forms & Multimedia, Communication Skills, Ability to Interact with the current and new audience 

- Change of Age Pyramid of People ==> need for Cultural Offerings for leisure time

1.3  Multicultural Society

- Political and Cultural Awareness

- New Artistic Opportunities

- The new type of audience

- Knowledge and Experience of others (including Oral) Music Traditions create New Challenges & Opportunities for Cross-Arts & Cross-Genre Collaboration 

- in Music Education - New & Different Learning Traditions and Styles

1.4 The Changing Nature of Musicians' Careers

- Musicians no longer have a job for life but Portfolio Career

- The importance of Entrepreneurship, Generic Skills i.e. Ability to interact with presenters/promoters

- The needs for Lifelong Learning Strategies for Transferable Skills & Personal Development & Professional Development

- Lifelong Learning becomes Imperative - for jobs and skills that have not been invented (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2000)

1.5 Standards of Excellence 

(AEC, 2000 & 2001)

- Required a Higher Artistic Quality, Higher Educational Quality, Leadership

- Graduates encountered various type of problems including using generic skills & finding jobs

- Current Vocational Training does not prepare enough for the real work/world

- Graduates need real-world/life skills e.g. Management, Health Issues, Marketing, Stage Presentation, Networking, Leadership Skills

(British Report "Creating A Land with Music" - Youth Music, 2002)

Research project on the Work, Education and Training of Present-Day Professional Musicians

- more than 50 multi-related roles/skills were identified

- 4 Central Roles: Composer, Performer, Leader and Teacher

- Overlapping roles & relevant in all Genres of Music

- Training needs to be provided; Quality, Accessibility, Diversity & Flexibility

- Recommendations: to encourage music colleges to provide wider Curriculum ==> to engage students with diverse music activities

2. THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF LIFELONG LEARNING: WHAT DOES THE CONCEPT OF LIFELONG LEARNING REALLY MEAN?

2.1 Definition of Lifelong Learning  (Jarvis, 2002)

A concept spanning an entire lifetime in a process of ... "transforming experience into knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, emotions, beliefs and the senses"

2.2. Definition of Lifelong Learning  (Fragoulis, 2002)

"The Lifelong Learning concept goes further than 'Continuing Education': It is an important Conceptual Framework for the improvement of people's employability and adaptability. The innovative dimension of the Lifelong Learning concept lies in a new approach of the process and context of learning."

2.3 Characteristics important to the Concept of Lifelong Learning include:

(i) A Distinction between Formal and Informal Learning

(ii) Emphasis on Learning as opposed to Training

(iii) Different approaches to Learning including, e.g. Learning on the Job, Learning applied to the setting

(iv) Personal and Professional Development

(v) Context-related Assessment through Work-Related Situations

2.4 Definitions of Formal, Informal & Non-Formal Learning

(i) Formal Learning 

- Learning within organised & structures context with formal recognition

- Learning is primarily Intentional

- Knowledge is primarily Explicit

- Formal Learning takes place in Music Colleges and University context (Mak, 2004)

(ii) Informal Learning

(Lucy Green, 2002)

- A variety of approaches to acquiring musical skills and knowledge outside formal education settings

- Informal Music Learning is a set of Practices, rather than Methods, which both can be conscious & unconscious

- Informal Learning experiences can include Interactions with other Musicians who do not act as teachers and/or by the Development of Self-Teaching Techniques

(iii) Non-Formal Learning/Education

(Rogers, 2004)

- Any organizes educational activity outside the established formal system

- Covering Flexible and Informal Education, highly contextualized and highly participatory

2.5 Links between Formal, Informal and Non-Formal Learning/Education

- Critical for the Conceptual Framework of Lifelong Learning

- Non-Formal Learning in principle can generate the same competency as Learning in Formal Learning Environment (Duvekot, 2002)

- Key Qualifications of Lifelong Learners lie in less in their knowledge of Facts, Theories and Rules (of Knowing That) than in their ability to apply this knowledge to a specific social, organizational and technological setting (Knowing How) (Bjornavold, 2002)

- There is a growing awareness that the Skills and Knowledge acquired in the course of Formal Education and Training are no longer sufficient to cope with the rapid of technological and economical changes (Fragoulis, 2002)

2.6 How Should Musicians Learn?

- A Musician ...
(a) has to Function with different roles for different contexts i.e. Performer, Composer, Teacher, Mentor, Coach, Leader, etc
(b) has to Learn to respond - accordingly - to variables in environmental contexts
(c) Student Musicians must be trained in the Creative Adaptive Learning Environments for them to function effectively (in continuously changing Professional Practice)
* Conceptual Framework is important to underpin curricula in the music college
*Conceptual Framework of Lifelong Learning for Musicians should be developed together with the Professional Organizations, Professional Musicians, Network of Musicians (Educational Practices)
#Educational Practice should be relevant to the current (and future) contexts - changing cultural landscape, different contexts, be intervention oriented, lead to relevant experiences & illuminate attitudes and values.
#central to the Educational Practice; "Life Skills" are the notion of Leadership of Musicians (personal, artistic, educational, business & community contexts)
- Therefore the "Roles for Future Musicians" can be explored and expanded; The Musicians as;
(1) Innovator - Explorer, Creator, Risk Taker
(2) Identifier of Missing Skills (must be refresh)
(3) Partner/Co-Operator (within Formal Partnership)
(4) Reflective Practitioner (engaged in Research & Evaluative Processes - able to contextualize experiences)
(5) Collaborator (dialoguing with Professional Arts Practitioners, Students, Teachers, etc)
(6) Connector - relation to Conceptual Frameworks - interconnection between different frames of References, Interrelationships, etc.)
(7) Entrepreneurship; Job Creator

~ therefore, the Roles of Musicians are Crucial/can be applied to all kinds of Practitioners in Music Profession.

3. What Does This Conceptual Framework Mean for Vocational Training?

All levels of educational settings & stakeholders need to be involved, organically connected & interwoven for the Concept of Lifelong Learning can be implemented successfully

(a) Educational Organization - Music Institutions & outside world to have Dynamic Synergy, Strategic Alliances, Partnership to help to reinforce the Learning Environment ==> has to Fine Tune & Adjust Constantly to suit the needs of the profession (vice-versa)

(b) Curriculum - emerging from the Conceptual Framework of Lifelong Learning - based on the acquiring Competences, requires Team-Teaching & received Feedback from the Partners (values tradition, change, reflective of the outside world, re-evaluates Existing Knowledge)
- Curriculum can be Individual, different Learning Paths (Portfolios, Context-Related Assessment & Peer Learning - What can be Assessed, Can be Learned! What can be Learned, Can be Assessed!
- Assessment in Lifelong Learning give students Confidence, Enthusiasm, Commitment to face New Challenges (New Form of Learning must be Mirrored in Examinations ?)
- Curriculum must be Flexible Curricula, Indvidualised/Personalised Learning Path & continuous exploring newest Technologies

(c) Teachers - Be the Lifelong Learner first (OECD, 2000) - need to change the nature of Teaching => High Quality Teaching (Competency as a Pro Musician, as a Teacher, a Game Changer, a Change Maker/Adapt to Change) = High Quality Learning (Curiosity, Discovery, Ability to Question)
- Teachers @ Professional Musicians need to Reflective Practice, Personal Development
- Teachers = Enabler (X transmitters of knowledge)

(d) Students - Conceptual Framework for their Personal Development (Student-Centred)
- ePortfolio development by the students, guided by the Teachers (the Mentors) i.e. Teachers "Questions of identity should be facilitated?"
- Self-Management for students to ask questions i.e. my contribution to society as a musician? where do my strengths lie'?

(e) Alumni - to have a solid alumni program to update the alumni about new/latest curricula & changes in the music industry

4. Examples of Practice of the LLL Framework (Teachers' & Students Professional Development - Pilot Projects in Netherland)

(a) 1st Project - Artistic/Reflective Practice

-  aims to help 1st-year students to have collaboration to create & perform composition - to have the realization and reflection (2 different contexts; primary schools & nursing home elderly & OKU)

- students & teachers reflect the LLL on journal writing @ eportfolio for evaluation & assessment

- positive works reflect on the improvisation and composing work @ their creative work

- students are more informed, open-minded, flexible, adaptable to both of LLL learning environment (conservatory environment - Gregory, 2005)

(b) 2nd Project - Mentoring

- A Professional Development for Mentors @ Coaches for future study-career 

- To guide the students for Personal Development, Study Path, Portfolio, Teaching, Entrepreneurship, Key Competencies Skills for LLL i.e. Self-Management, Reflective Thinking, Action, Self-Assessment Profiles, Career choices.

- Training centered around 4 key areas; Distinctive Roles, Menterong Process, Key Qualities of Mentors, Mentor & Mentee (Musician) Relationship, Dailoques (FAQ sessions), Artistic Potentials as Reflective Practice & Professional Development for the Teachers

(c) Animateurs @ "Opera in the Bus"@ A Practising Artist in any art form, uses their skills, talents, personality to enable others to compose, design, devise, create, perform, engage with works of art or any kind (Animarts, 2003) - vocal students (classical & jazz)

- Animateurship practices ==> presentation ==> engaging with audience, musical exploration, developing communication skills, working out ideas for lyrics and musical material for songs

- All activities were recorded/written in eportfolio

- Evaluation case study - monitoring the process, mapping the tactics & describing the skills and use of the animateurs' personalities.- Kind of Informal Learning and Non-Formal Learning contexts in the conservatory curriculum - broaden Professional Development for the singers

- Animateurship has impacted the students singers;

(a) renew personal motivation

(b) strengthening courage, confidence, self-esteem

(c) understanding the importance of teamwork, cooperation

(d) becoming more aware of roles and responsibilities in a team

(e) grasping the challenges of leadership & shared leadership

(f) building up trust in oneself & in the group

(g) thinking on one's feet & acting in the moment

(h) becoming aware of the need for quality

(i) seeing the need to create new forms of music-making

5. Conclusions

The LLL Concept of "Learning by Doing" is a critical component of LLL (Schon, 1987)

"“the paradox of learning a really new competence is this: that a student cannot at first understand what he needs to learn (….). He cannot make an informed choice yet, because he does not grasp the essential meanings; he needs experience first. He must jump in without knowing what he needs to learn.”

- "Reflecting in Action by the Jazz Musicians (Schon, 1983)

- reflection through “through a feel for music.” 

- Schön “in such processes reflection tends to focus interactively on the outcomes of the action, the action itself, and the intuitive knowing implicit in the action.” 

- Schön defines as a “reflective practicum”: learning by doing, coaching rather than teaching, a dialogue of reciprocal reflection-in-action between coach and student. 

- Eugene Wenger (1998) in his study of COP - “transformative practice of a learning community” "Experience of Identity 

“It is not just an accumulation of skills and information, but a process of becoming.”  - combination of engagement and imagination, or two ‘modes of belonging’, results in reflective practice. 

8 Challenges for the Future 

- New educational approaches and new learning environments

1. Collaboration with Shared Responsibility 

- Working on an artistic product - everyone is equally engaged in creating a composition - no  hierarchy. 

- The learning environment is non-judgmental & quality. 

2. Cross over within music disciplines using adaptive attitudes and communication skills 

- Cross-genre work by students from different courses and countries (which is often the case in Europe) is both artistically and socially valuable. 

- Adaptation to different audiences & educational contexts helps foster new communication skills 

3. Exploring and risk taking in a safe environment 

- Growing trust in groups - important process & leading to self-confidence. 

4. The music college as an artistic laboratory 

- Challenging learning environment, reflecting the workplace, encompassing informal learning in non-formal learning contexts & connecting to strategic partnerships - provides a living, experimental & experiential experience to its students. "Its ethos and culture are important contextual factors contributing to the motivation of students" (OECD, 2000)

5. Entrepreneurship is essential to musicians 

- Entrepreneurship means “transforming an idea into an enterprise that creates value.” Eastman School

- Many opportunities exist  - educators to make students aware of this and weave it organically into the curriculum. 

6. Personal development emerging from an awareness of one’s identity as a musician. 

- Lifelong Learning - enabe musicians to develop personal pathways & identity awareness for self exploration & reflection. 

7. Strategies for motivation 

- intrinsic motivation for lifelong learning - students need& to be effective, ambitious, innovative in terms of curricula, teaching &learning & partnerships. 

8. Continuing professional development is taken for granted. 

- "The implementation of a conceptual framework of Lifelong Learning in vocational training leads to the emergence of informed musicians who can interact in different professional contexts, whose attitudes are open-minded and sensitive, who can listen and respond, who can be flexible and adapt, and for whom a culture of continuing professional development is taken for granted." Rineke Smilde, 2005 

Note to myself: Thank you for taking the effort to read & summarize this beautiful article :) It took me 7 days from 18 May 20 to 3 June 2020, but I'm teaching myself to analyse, synthesize and rewrite the article. Nice try even though it takes this long to finish the summarization. And it is not even 50% accomplishment that I am supposed to achieve... keep going, keep doing, keep reading, keep writing my dear self ... Learning by doing, you gonna get through this process ... Thank you Universe :)

Dear Rineke Smilde, thank you for the article. My apology for not being able to do justice to your article, more of copy and paste as I am still learning to be a better writer but thank you for your sharing :)