Communities of practice in the conservatory: learning with a professional musician

Abstract

This article examines the sociocultural learning of popular and jazz music in communities of practice as part of secondary vocational music education in a Finnish conservatory. The research is based on performance workshops which were implemented as a joint effort between professional musicians and music students. These workshops are suggested as a method of utilising communities of practice. Research outcomes show that the workshops include opportunities for learning and developing musicianship on many levels. The potential of sociocultural learning should be recognised in music schools and teachers should develop learning environments which utilise it. Learning from playing experiences and from the evaluation of learning outcomes are largely the students' responsibility who require autonomy, initiative, the ability to solve problems and collaborate, and a readiness to reflect on experiences.

The value of collaborative learning for music practice in higher education

“…These informal group practices contrast with those of the conservatoire, where one-to-one tuition is the predominant educational model for music practice and performance (Bjøntegaard, 2015;Carey & Grant, 2015;Virkkula, 2016b;Gaunt, 2017). Informal pedagogies within communities of practice have much to recommend themselves in arts education (Virkkula, 2016a), and more specifically, it is argued in this paper, within HME (see also Westerlund & Partti, 2012). This article explores some of the ways in which collaborative learning might broadly inform pedagogies of music practice within HME (see also Hanken, 2016).…”

“…Collaborative learning for popular music practice and performance draws on informal learning processes ranging from the garage band (Westerlund, 2006) through to the practices of professional popular musicians (e.g. Virkkula, 2016a). When collaborative learning is used for music practice and performance, masters and apprentices become co-constructors of learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991;Lebler, 2007;Hanley, Baker, & Pavlidis, 2018).…”

“…A number of these studies investigate the masterclass environment, or instrumentally homogenous student groups such as singers and pianists. Virkkula (2016aVirkkula ( , 2016b examined communities of practice for jazz and popular music workshops within Finnish conservatories, which cater to the upper secondary, vocational level of music education (Music in Finland, 2017). Creech and Hallam (2017) discussed the facilitation of musical learning in small groups but noted that there is little research on 'promoting creativity and collaborative approaches' in small music groups (p. 72).…”

Evaluating motivational characteristics in vocational music education within the perspective of self-determination theory

“…This research is a continuation of an earlier workshop project from the perspective of sociocultural learning in communities of practice (Virkkula 2016a). The previous research results showed that the workshop corresponds to the features of community of practice.…”

Creative Collaboration and Collaborative Creativity: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Collaborative learning within intensive workshops has been explored. For example, situated and collaborative learning experienced within jazz and popular music conservatoire performance workshops was investigated by Virkkula ( 2016 ). Using a case study approach and gathering data via students' reflective journal entries, Virkkula investigated the processes of sociocultural learning within workshops structured as communities of musical practice comprising students and professional musicians.…”