Abstract
Where do our allegiances lie, in teaching, e.g., Javanese gamelan—a venerable tradition fraught with ritual, iconic, and performance conventions; or Mexican marimba music, which in its more traditional contexts is largely reproductive rather than improvisational? Should our allegiance be to the tradition, and does that tradition delineate our pedagogical goals? Many ethnomusicologists try to compensate for the perceived artificiality of the university environment by “faithfully” reproducing traditions. More recently some of us have found our pedagogic demands and personal predilections trumping reproductive “authenticity” for two reasons: First: we represent these traditions to our students, obliterating the performance and teaching hierarchies inherent in traditional learning. Since we must thus do it all (create the context, teach all the instruments, singing, dancing) we of necessity make compromises. Secondly: we feel that these compromises lead to fruitful creativity and insights. My own goals are now more oriented toward skill sets and my students’ personal growth (notably including their perceived freedom to improvise) than, necessarily, a soi-disant reproductive “correctness”; thus, I often “mix and match” pedagogies and skill competencies. In seeking improvisational freedom, and to suit my reflexive pedagogical goals, I have created somewhat non-traditional but vibrant Pan-Indonesianisms and Pan-Latinisms in my ensembles.
Presenters
Ted SolisProfessor of Musicology/Ethnomusicology, School of Music, Dance, and Theatre, Arizona State University, Arizona, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Improvisation, Authenticity, Tradition, Gamelan, Pan-Latinism
