1. What is the music educator's role when students engage with participatory culture?
I think one of the most important things to be aware of when it comes to integrating participatory culture in classrooms is what kind of classroom community you’re working with. Social connection is one of the fundamentals of participatory culture and if a positive and welcoming environment isn’t established, the students might not feel comfortable sharing their creations and interpretations. I understand that sometimes that’s something that’s out of the teacher’s control, but it is still important to try to create an environment where the students can explore their creativity without the fear of being made fun of for their artistic decisions. Another fundamental of participatory culture is that it has “low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement” (Tobias, p. 30), and I think it’s up to the teacher to ensure that the activity that they’ve chosen is accessible. That might mean providing all the technology required, as well as the time to use it, or being flexible in what a finished product might look like. I also think it is very important to listen to the students when trying to incorporate any of the activities suggested in the article. Having an open conversation is a great way to find out how your students engage with music outside of school, and it is likely that they already have experience with the technology and processes involved in any of these projects, so working with them to choose a project and develop a series of clear guidelines might ensure that it’s a project that everyone can engage with in a positive way. 2. How might ensembles and music classrooms be modified or restructured to allow for new and emerging contemporary musical practices? York University has something called a Media Music Concert. It’s all music done by student arrangers, and it is music that covers a wide variety of popular genres ("Media Music Concert", n.d.). You could incorporate this into different ensemble settings by opening student submissions for concerts. They could arrange any piece of music they like for any size ensemble and then perform them or vote on one to be played for a concert. Of course, this depends on the level of your students, but it might be fun for any budding composers. On a simpler level, engaging in contemporary music practices might look like choosing some mash-ups and popular pieces as part of the repertoire for the year. You could also open up the repertoire choice to a student vote. If there are any particularly technologically inclined students, you could work with them to develop a way to integrate electronic music into a live ensemble performance. This could mean playing an electronic beat over classical music or using electronic instruments to change something about a piece. Bibliography Tobias, E. S. (2013). Toward Convergence Adapting Music Education to Contemporary Society and Participatory Culture. Music Educators Journal, 99 (4), 29-36. Media Music Concert - MMC:VIII. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://events.ampd.yorku.ca/event/media-music-concert-mmcvii-2019/?instance_id=96830
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