With the new academic year comes renewed thinking and reflection on my practice; how my ideas and actions are embraced by my philosophies and ideals, and how I might seek to challenge my current ‘ways’ in considering new contexts and the influence of others. Such reflection has long characterised my approach to teaching and learning;…
Why Music?
Music is a moral law. It gives a soul to the Universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gaiety and life to everything. It is the essence of order, and leads to all that is good and just and beautiful. Plato (attributed, origin unknown) [i] Plato considered music as…
What music gives me (and what it gives education)
With the end of the academic year fast approaching, there have been a flurry of final examinations, the sharing of performances and creative work, and much celebration. It is a busy but rewarding time, and one often accompanied by much reflection as students in Year 12 move on into the next chapter of their lives…
More than just ‘analysis’: Strategies for preparing students to write/respond to music
This is a summary of my presentation for the ‘Preparing Students for the External Assessment (EA)’ hosted recently by ASME Qld. My thanks to ASME Qld for allowing me to share some ideas about preparing students for the approaching External Assessment (EA). There are many of us with ideas that effectively assist our students respond…
‘It takes a village…’
Omwana takulila jnu emoi – Bunyoro proverb Though you likely won’t be fluent in Nyoro, language of the Bunyoro people of Africa, you’d be familiar with the proverb above when translated… ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. This proverb proposes that an entire community of people – each offering something unique in terms…
‘Good places to go’ when away from home…
I recently shared some ideas about possible start-up practices for new teachers working with the Queensland General Music Syllabus[i] that I feel – given the current context in Queensland – might translate well to an online and/or asynchronous learning environment, whist remaining musically ‘good places to go’. We’ve all now had our experiences in working…
The window and the mirror: Reflection on creative practice
And since you know you cannot see yourself, so well as by reflection, I, your glass, will modestly discover to you yourself, that of yourself which you yet know not of. William Shakespeare – Julius Caesar, Act 1 Scene 2 In this scene from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Cassius suggests to Brutus that he knows things…
The music classroom is no ‘island’: BJME collective blogging project
There is some great discussion surrounding music education on Twitter emanating from the UK that I often engage with. It has been a constant source of reflection and I have gained many ideas and approaches that have found a home in my classroom in Australia. Recently, I noticed that the Music Teachers Association (MTA) have…
Music, society and music education
Music makes a profound contribution to personal, social and cultural identity; it shapes and is shaped by society and allows us to explore our own individuality as well as connect with others. We can ‘say’ things with music we cannot in any other way; it can challenge and provoke new ways of thinking and feeling,…
Music as the ‘silver lining’…
I think that music and music education have always held an important role for us individually and collectively, but that this has been brought to the foreground by current circumstances. Music is, potentially, a very powerful way in which we communicate meaning and explore the world and our place in it. It can be used…
Dr Cade Bonar 