Papers by Shari Lindblom
It is now widely acknowledged that the diversity of sounds, rhythms, styles, techniques, and musi... more It is now widely acknowledged that the diversity of sounds, rhythms, styles, techniques, and musical structures that exists amongst the world’s musical traditions provides an opportunity for children to learn, experience, and develop a greater breadth of musical knowledge (Swanwick, 1988). For this “polymusicality” to develop, Anderson and Campbell (2011, p. 3) highlight the importance of early exposure to a large array of music practices. What has been explored less is how exposure to world music presents the opportunity for children to enhance their musical creativity as they expand musical understanding and abilities. This can take many forms, including improvisation that many of the world’s musical traditions feature as an important characteristic, providing a forum for imagination, experimentation, and association of new and often quite disparate musical ideas. All these aspects may contribute to enhance children’s musical and general creativity. This is highly relevant in clas...
Australian journal of music education, 2013
Cross-cultural music education can motivate children to look at music in fresh ways and awaken th... more Cross-cultural music education can motivate children to look at music in fresh ways and awaken their imagination to new possibilities and ways of thinking. This paper presents the voices of three practitioners experienced in, and passionate about the field of culturally diverse music education. Over the past 25 years the presenters have ignited an interest in world musics in their students from pre-school to higher education in North America, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. They have been committed to creating innovative programs which practically reflect the changing nature of contemporary classrooms within a global society. The paper provides a review of the current state of culturally diverse music education in North America and Australia - exploring underlying philosophical constructs, prevailing attitudes and current teacher training experiences - as a theoretical framework for a practical 'how to' guide for school teachers; tried and tested with a wide variety of ...
Audience connectivity in orchestral performances
With the general global decline in the popularity and profitability of traditional orchestras, wa... more With the general global decline in the popularity and profitability of traditional orchestras, ways to build new audiences, develop new repertoires and create new networks and business partnerships are being explored. The aim of this thesis is to analyse the various elements of a proposed Orchestral Sustainability Framework and determine if and how these elements contribute to an increased audience connection with the music performance experience. Three main elements are explored in this Orchestral Sustainability Framework: 1. Social aspects of audience connection such as performer/audience interaction and ways of emotional engagement 2. Artistic aspects of audience connection such as the impact of poly-stylistic genres, blend of instruments and sounds and the importance of inter-sensory perception using visuals, theatre and music 3. Economic aspects of audience connection such as networking with business partnerships, impact of branding and marketing and the importance of distribut...
Exploring Links Between Children’s Creativity Development and A World Music Education Program
Creativities in Arts Education, Research and Practice
Initiate, Create, Activate:Practical solutions for making culturally diverse music education a reality
International Journal of Music Education
Cross-cultural music education can motivate children to look at music in fresh ways and awaken th... more Cross-cultural music education can motivate children to look at music in fresh ways and awaken their imaginations to new possibilities and ways of thinking. This paper is presents the voices of three practitioners experienced in, and passionate about the field of culturally diverse music education. Over the past 25 years the presenters have ignited an interest in world musics in their students from pre-school to higher education in North America, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. They have been committed to creating innovative programs which practically reflect the changing nature of contemporary classrooms within a global society. The paper provides a review of the current state of culturally diverse music education in North American and Australia - exploring underlying philosophical constructs, prevailing attitudes and current teacher training experiences - as a theoretical framework for a practical ‘how to’ guide for school teachers; tried and tested with a wide variety of age...
International Journal of Music Education
Cross-cultural music education can motivate children to look at music in fresh ways and awaken th... more Cross-cultural music education can motivate children to look at music in fresh ways and awaken their imaginations to new possibilities and ways of thinking. This paper is presents the voices of three practitioners experienced in, and passionate about the field of culturally diverse music education. Over the past 25 years the presenters have ignited an interest in world musics in their students from pre-school to higher education in North America, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. They have been committed to creating innovative programs which practically reflect the changing nature of contemporary classrooms within a global society. The paper provides a review of the current state of culturally diverse music education in North American and Australia - exploring underlying philosophical constructs, prevailing attitudes and current teacher training experiences - as a theoretical framework for a practical ‘how to’ guide for school teachers; tried and tested with a wide variety of age...
Audience connectivity in orchestral performances
Creative Industries Faculty, 2009
Page 1. Audience connectivity in orchestral performances SHARI LINDBLOM FACULTY OF CREATIVE INDUS... more Page 1. Audience connectivity in orchestral performances SHARI LINDBLOM FACULTY OF CREATIVE INDUSTRIES, QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY MASTER OF ARTS (RESEARCH), 2009 Page 2. Shari Lindblom Masters of Arts (Research), 2008 Key Words ...
International Journal of Music Education
Cross-cultural music education can motivate children to look at music in fresh ways and awaken th... more Cross-cultural music education can motivate children to look at music in fresh ways and awaken their imaginations to new possibilities and ways of thinking. This paper is presents the voices of three practitioners experienced in, and passionate about the field of culturally diverse music education. Over the past 25 years the presenters have ignited an interest in world musics in their students from pre-school to higher education in North America, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. They have been committed to creating innovative programs which practically reflect the changing nature of contemporary classrooms within a global society. The paper provides a review of the current state of culturally diverse music education in North American and Australia - exploring underlying philosophical constructs, prevailing attitudes and current teacher training experiences - as a theoretical framework for a practical ‘how to’ guide for school teachers; tried and tested with a wide variety of age...
Books by Shari Lindblom
Exploring the links between creativity and world music education
Music education, in particular world music education, presents the opportunity for children to en... more Music education, in particular world music education, presents the opportunity for children to enhance their creativity as they expand musical understanding and abilities. This can take many forms, including the practice of improvisation that many of the world’s musical traditions feature as an important characteristic, providing a forum for imagination, experimentation, and the association of new and often quite disparate musical ideas. All these aspects can contribute to the enhancement of children’s musical and indeed general creativity (as defined by Beghetto and Kaufman (2007)), through the development of flexibility, fluency and originality in their thinking, and highlights the interdisciplinary nature of these skills.
In this chapter, I discuss how the qualitative data from a study of children's world music workshops indicated that a mix of factors contributed to children’s increased creativity, including story-telling and use of metaphor; familiarity and uncertainty; confidence and motivation; improvisation; group dynamics and individualism; enculturation and environmental influences; and musical knowledge and involvement.
The discussion of these findings reveals how these key factors that emerged in the world music workshops are closely linked to some important characteristics of creativity. The findings from this study result in the design and development of a ‘Creativity Framework’, which promotes pedagogical environments specifically geared to stimulate children’s creativity.
Thesis Chapters by Shari Lindblom
The Magic Tree of Music: Exploring the potential of world music workshops as a catalyst for creativity in children
It is now widely acknowledged that the diversity of sounds, rhythms, styles, techniques, and musi... more It is now widely acknowledged that the diversity of sounds, rhythms, styles, techniques, and musical structures that exists amongst the world’s musical traditions provides an opportunity for children to learn, experience, and develop a greater breadth of musical knowledge (Swanwick, 1988). For this “polymusicality” to develop, Anderson and Campbell (2011, p. 3) highlight the importance of early exposure to a large array of music practices. What has been explored less is how exposure to world music presents the opportunity for children to enhance their musical creativity as they expand musical understanding and abilities. This can take many forms, including improvisation that many of the world’s musical traditions feature as an important characteristic, providing a forum for imagination, experimentation, and association of new and often quite disparate musical ideas.
All these aspects may contribute to enhance children’s musical and general creativity. This is highly relevant in classrooms now that the development of creative thinking as a skill has recently gained a renewed focus in education (Kim, 2011; Sharp & Metais, 2000), as the benefits of creative thinking are recognised. However, there are only a few studies that investigate the effect music learning has on general creativity (Hallam, 2010, p. 278), and few studies that consider the success and outcomes from world music programs (Abril, 2006; Cain, 2011; Szego, 2002). This study aims to contribute to greater understanding of stimulating creativity in children, using musical diversity as a tool.
Through developing and examining The Magic Tree of Music, a pilot program of world music workshops—involving learning West African djembe, Hindustani classical music, and Javanese gamelan—aimed at primary-school aged children, this study explores the ways children engage with creativity as they acquire a level of polymusicality. Using qualitative and quantitative assessment via interviews, observation, and psychometric testing, the potential changes in participants’ musical and general creativity over the course of the program are analysed. The study is interdisciplinary to some extent, touching on aspects of music pedagogy, psychology of creativity, and ethnomusicology, but is primarily situated in music education.
The analysis of quantitative research data from the study shows substantial post-workshop increases in children’s musical fluency, some increases in their musical originality, and influences on their polymusicality. More significantly, the qualitative data indicate that a mix of elements contributes to children’s increased creativity, including well-considered inclusion of story-telling and use of metaphor; familiarity and uncertainty; confidence and motivation; improvisation; group dynamics and individualism; enculturation and environmental influences; and musical knowledge and involvement. While not statistically reliable due to the limited number of participants involved in the pilot program, the data certainly invites further research.
Exploring the correlation between qualitative and quantitative data, key factors influencing children’s creativity in the context of the world music workshop pilot are identified, along with their links to key characteristics of general creativity. This leads to a proposal for a pedagogical framework to understand, gauge, and apply factors influencing children’s creativity as they engage with new musical forms and idioms.
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Papers by Shari Lindblom
Books by Shari Lindblom
In this chapter, I discuss how the qualitative data from a study of children's world music workshops indicated that a mix of factors contributed to children’s increased creativity, including story-telling and use of metaphor; familiarity and uncertainty; confidence and motivation; improvisation; group dynamics and individualism; enculturation and environmental influences; and musical knowledge and involvement.
The discussion of these findings reveals how these key factors that emerged in the world music workshops are closely linked to some important characteristics of creativity. The findings from this study result in the design and development of a ‘Creativity Framework’, which promotes pedagogical environments specifically geared to stimulate children’s creativity.
Thesis Chapters by Shari Lindblom
All these aspects may contribute to enhance children’s musical and general creativity. This is highly relevant in classrooms now that the development of creative thinking as a skill has recently gained a renewed focus in education (Kim, 2011; Sharp & Metais, 2000), as the benefits of creative thinking are recognised. However, there are only a few studies that investigate the effect music learning has on general creativity (Hallam, 2010, p. 278), and few studies that consider the success and outcomes from world music programs (Abril, 2006; Cain, 2011; Szego, 2002). This study aims to contribute to greater understanding of stimulating creativity in children, using musical diversity as a tool.
Through developing and examining The Magic Tree of Music, a pilot program of world music workshops—involving learning West African djembe, Hindustani classical music, and Javanese gamelan—aimed at primary-school aged children, this study explores the ways children engage with creativity as they acquire a level of polymusicality. Using qualitative and quantitative assessment via interviews, observation, and psychometric testing, the potential changes in participants’ musical and general creativity over the course of the program are analysed. The study is interdisciplinary to some extent, touching on aspects of music pedagogy, psychology of creativity, and ethnomusicology, but is primarily situated in music education.
The analysis of quantitative research data from the study shows substantial post-workshop increases in children’s musical fluency, some increases in their musical originality, and influences on their polymusicality. More significantly, the qualitative data indicate that a mix of elements contributes to children’s increased creativity, including well-considered inclusion of story-telling and use of metaphor; familiarity and uncertainty; confidence and motivation; improvisation; group dynamics and individualism; enculturation and environmental influences; and musical knowledge and involvement. While not statistically reliable due to the limited number of participants involved in the pilot program, the data certainly invites further research.
Exploring the correlation between qualitative and quantitative data, key factors influencing children’s creativity in the context of the world music workshop pilot are identified, along with their links to key characteristics of general creativity. This leads to a proposal for a pedagogical framework to understand, gauge, and apply factors influencing children’s creativity as they engage with new musical forms and idioms.