Join us for the NAfME Biennial in St. Louis for the SRIG Philosophy Session:

Date: Friday, March 30, 2012

Time: 9:45-11:45 a.m.

“Music Education in the Age of YouTube:  Media Immediacy and Philosophical Thinking”

During our session attendees will consider the import of teacher preparation, leadership, curriculum development, production and distribution of music and musicing in all forms during this time of digital instantaneity.  This session is specifically designed to emphasize audience discussion – as such, our four presenters will address philosophical and conceptual considerations, practical demands and the ethical dimensions of such immediacy.  The “murkiness as to what YouTube “is” … and its potential epistemological value for music learning” (Waldron) is the starting point for one such discussion.  We will also be asked to consider how “19th-century” manifestations of musicianship do not recognize how “technology and the Internet have changed the ways that people perform, compose, arrange, share, and listen to music” (Kratus), as well as realize that “future music educators need competency in recording media” and “develop sensitivity to the construction and transformation of musical spaces as artifacts of musical growth” (Rodriguez).  And finally, we will be reminded that “recapturing the performance era is not possible” and left contemplating how to move forward and “meaningfully teach music in a postperformance world” (Thibeault).

Our Presenters:

John Kratus: Michigan State University

Carlos Rodriguez: University of Michigan

Matthew Thibeault: University of Illinois

Janice Waldron: University of Windsor

A word concerning the session format:

The Philosophy SRIG exists to facilitate conversation that might not otherwise happen given the constraints of typical conference sessions.  The traditional framing of back-to-back papers within a short time frame has not left space for in-depth engagement with issues.  Indeed, such a time frame practically necessitates presentations to be watered down from their written versions rendering them less substantial, or often impenetrable due to the sophistication of the argument.  While it is valuable to hear how those in our field are framing issues, the creation of space for dialogue remains at the heart of philosophical pursuit.  The challenge, of course, at any conference is to develop a framework that allows and encourages such engagements.  Consequently, rather than a presentation of four individual papers the presentation format for the 2nd MENC Biennial Conference will be as follows:

Each presenter will develop two 5 minute presentations:  the first 5 minute presentation will be connected to questions, frameworks and understanding of the topic and the second 5 minutes will be directed toward a personalized vision in addressing ways to think the topic today.

Each individual presentation will be followed by two minutes of questions from the audience.  After the 4th person has presented there will be 15 minutes of group and audience discussion.  This will be followed by a second 5 minute presentation by each person, followed again by 2 minutes of questions with a final group discussion of 15 minutes.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you all in St. Louis

Cathy Benedict – Current Chair

Deborah Bradley – Chair Elect

Roger Mantie – Chair Elect

Patrick Schmidt – Past Chair

Hope the beginning of this summer is finding everyone well and you are all finding time to read and rest.

Many of us just came back from Helsinki, Finland where the Eighth International Society for Philosophy of Music Education meeting took place with record numbers.  As we all know it is impossible to attend every conference in every place of the world so I thought you might be interested in some of the conference highlights.

While the conference was engaging because of the high level of presentations and discussions, this was a particularly exciting year.  A week previous to the conference in Helsinki a group came together at a compound outside of Helsinki that is run by the Sibelius Academy to think through, as students and professors, what it means to construct and develop philosophical papers.  Each day of the retreat was dedicated to focused presentations, guided discussions led by Professor Phillip Alperson and Professor Pentti Määttänen, as well as  small group working sessions on individual papers.  We came together for every meal and met each night for music and discussion and just a few beers!  We enjoyed glorious sun each day (that lasted long into the evening) and birds who felt the need to wake us each morning at 4:00 am!  It was a remarkable week and I believe I speak for everyone who was in attendance when I say we look forward to this kind of gathering a week before every ISPME conference.  Thank you  very much to Heidi Westerlund and Randall Allsup, and PhD students, Alexis Robertson and Andries Odendaa for making this a week none will forget.

This was also the 20th anniversary of this conference.  Twenty years ago Estelle Jorgenson saw the need for such a gathering and bought together an international community of music educator philosophers to meet and discuss these issues at Indiana University.  What began with few but committed scholars has now blossomed into a vibrant community of international scholars from (as represented during this past conference) India, Spain, Germany, Russia, Greece, Finland, USA, Costa Rica, Australia, Canada, Latvia, Estonia, South Africa, Taiwan, Denmark, Sweden, Norway.

A huge thanks to Heidi Westerlund, Randall Allsup, Werner Jenk, and the contact symposium person, Marja Heimonen for their hard work and dedication in making this a most successful conference.  I have no idea how this was ever done without email!  It was a wonderful conference.

During our business meeting it was decided that  the conference will return to years that do not conflict with the International Society for Music Education meeting.  So mark you calendars now for the 9th International meeting to be held in 2013 during the beginning of the northern hemisphere summer months at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City.

Have a great summer and great reading!
Cathy Benedict

For more information on this past conference and a look at the program:

http://www2.siba.fi/ispme_symposium/index.php?id=4&la=fi

Exciting news from the Anaheim conference.  We had a very strong session (for details go to the NEWS!! section of the website) with over 80 attending and very provocative papers.

We elected Deborah Bradley and Roger Mantie as our next co-chairs.  We discussed the website and technological possibilities – including on-line voting of our chairs. We also addressed the importance of thinking through the review process for submissions (in light of the presentations we heard) and spoke of the upcoming International Philosophy of Music Education Conference to be held in Helsinki in June.

And finally, but hardly finally at all, Patrick Jones called for the nomination of Estelle Jorgensen for the Senior Researcher Award – a call that was unanimously adopted!  We are very excited about this prospect and will be moving forward on the needed paper work.

Thanks to Patrick Schmidt for his leadership these past two years. If you remember at our last meeting in Milwaukee we weren’t even sure if there was going to be a next meeting, so thanks very much for seeing us through this transition and sending us into this next iteration of MENC.  We also have Patrick to thank for our website that links us to infinity and beyond!  Thanks for securing and passing on the institutional flame.

Let me know your thoughts about our session or any other ideas you may have.  It was lovely to have newcomers in the room and it’s always lovely to see those people we care so deeply about and only mange to see once every 2 years!

Hope to see many of you in Helsinki and check out that website when you get a chance!

http://www2.siba.fi/ispme_symposium/index.php?id=4&la=fi

Cathy

Chair Philosophy SRIG

Review and Critique: Philosophical and Ethical Challenges for Music Education Scholarship

Scheduled Session:  Friday March 26th, 11:00-12:50.  Room: Capistrano

Presenters: Estelle Jorgensen, Roger Mantie, Patrick Freer, Lee Higgins

Presider: Patrick Schmidt, SRIG Chair

Program Description:

A composite of voices in our field will address ethical and philosophical issues regarding the development of critique, the challenges of review process, and the needs for professional and scholarly development in the 21st century.

For more information go the NEWS! part of the web!

Hope to see you in Anaheim!!

Welcome to the new Philosophy SRIG Website!

This site will be a source of information and a way to easily exchange news for the music education philosophy community. We invite you to return to our site periodically and contribute with information, links and any other issues related to philosophical aspects of music education.

For any queries, contributions or further information please contact the current Chair Cathy Benedict

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