Using Cohorts and Podcasts for Learning Global Music

Abstract

The aim of this autoethnographic account follows the journey of an instructor’s pedagogical shifts to illustrate the importance of engaged learning. Even for music majors, examining and understanding cultural concepts outside of Western traditions is challenging. Studying global music-cultures requires, at minimum, a patchwork of basic knowledge of a culture’s musical practice, geography, political structure, history, and religion or belief systems. These challenges can stalemate learning resulting in either a teacher who teaches with an ethnomusicological approach beyond students’ abilities or a broad survey course void of academic rigor that leaves students occupied with dreaded busy work. To sidestep these seemingly unavoidable pathways, the author developed a student-focused learning approach to exploring world music through engaging and creative projects for a better learning experience. Questions raised include the validity of traditional training in music school, challenging the notion of lecturing from a textbook, and seeking to collect data to better understand how deeply students are engaged in cooperative learning.