Teddy’s CTCH604 Reading Log 04.11.2010
Posted by tferguso on April 12, 2010
Filed under Reading logs
Teddy’s Reading Log 04.11.2010
For class session 04.13.2010
As someone once said to me, there’s more than one way to do anything. I found this easily applicable to our selected methodologies used to complete music research. Reimer’s research award speech is to say the least an eye-opener. As stated by Bennett Reimer (2008), no matter the similarities and differences in how we do our work, we all share a bit of an outsider status among those devoted to the actual teachings and learnings in the domain of music that constitutes our profession’s fundamental reason for being. Our research across disciplines must must the current and fture standards or criteria n order for it’s validity to take hold as we reshape our thinking as to what is good research. From what other perspectives can we derive our best conclusions from current data and build upon that data to enhance our work as both researchers and teachers.
What methods are we mostly likely to choose? Some prefer the use of qualitative data and others quantitative data. Reimer goes on to suggest a third one, an arts-based approach that builds on the aesthetic nature of the arts. Like Reimer, I too believe this to be self-evidence enriched form of the research inquiry. The experiences of musical performances, art shows, sculpture and dance require an immediate response from participants. It is as natural as breathing air! Music education is food for our creative and critical thinking. Through experience it changes the nature of man’s spirit and muse.
Talent is too often portrayed as the main source of preparation to our profession. Similar to the clarinet/oboe student in this article, there are many varying goals and perspectives that are influenced from our earliest experienes as music participants. The clutching to one’s philosophy may somewhat mislead us as researchers/teachers about the career choices of young scholars. It is important that we apply theory to practice and not assume that our expectations will match those of our students. According to Heller, philosophy is a time honored scholarly activity upon which all research depends for its theoetical models that can then be tested by research. The role of all research is to minimize error. Regardless of our approach, we must keep in mind the human element as a major factor or deterninant. Whether artistic or scientific in nature, art is indeed a cognitive domain with its own ways to think, do and understand, quite different from science or philosophy or either quanitative or qualitative research.
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