How to and why teach counterpoint improvisation to children on the classical guitar
Dorner, Dario (2022)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202204064586
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202204064586
Tiivistelmä
How counterpoint improvisation can be taught to children on the classical guitar, by creating a first draft of a pedagogical and didactical teaching concept is explored as the main objective of this thesis.
Primarily literature-based research methods combined with the personal experience of the author in the field of (counterpoint-) improvisation, as well as in teaching children classical guitar and classical guitar performance are being used in this thesis.
Advise and help was received by Carlo Benzi, Tuukka Terho and Steven Bolarinwa. In this thesis it is argued for a progressive skill-based teaching curriculum based on play and group-based pedagogy to teach children systematically counterpoint improvisation on the classical guitar. The concept of a skill-based curricula is explained in the beginning together with the definition of the target group of children towards which this counterpoint improvisation teaching is aimed. A light is shone on the current state of improvisation studies at Finnish music institutions, whilst future plans of the ministry of education on the subject matter are being taken into account as well.
The reasons for early counterpoint improvisation studies are given and the concept behind counterpoint is explained. A number of historical counterpoint improvisation practices are selected as the main teaching goals for children to learn. They are analyzed, explained, broken down into skills needed and skills that are going to be learned whilst practicing them. For each counterpoint practice possible games and exercises are proposed, it is shown how and why the author intends to implement group and play based pedagogy to teach counterpoint improvisation to children on the classical guitar.
The thesis is intended as a theoretical foundation for future empiric studies with children on the subject of counterpoint improvisation to go on from, with the goal of creating a play-based method to teach counterpoint improvisation on the classical guitar.
Primarily literature-based research methods combined with the personal experience of the author in the field of (counterpoint-) improvisation, as well as in teaching children classical guitar and classical guitar performance are being used in this thesis.
Advise and help was received by Carlo Benzi, Tuukka Terho and Steven Bolarinwa. In this thesis it is argued for a progressive skill-based teaching curriculum based on play and group-based pedagogy to teach children systematically counterpoint improvisation on the classical guitar. The concept of a skill-based curricula is explained in the beginning together with the definition of the target group of children towards which this counterpoint improvisation teaching is aimed. A light is shone on the current state of improvisation studies at Finnish music institutions, whilst future plans of the ministry of education on the subject matter are being taken into account as well.
The reasons for early counterpoint improvisation studies are given and the concept behind counterpoint is explained. A number of historical counterpoint improvisation practices are selected as the main teaching goals for children to learn. They are analyzed, explained, broken down into skills needed and skills that are going to be learned whilst practicing them. For each counterpoint practice possible games and exercises are proposed, it is shown how and why the author intends to implement group and play based pedagogy to teach counterpoint improvisation to children on the classical guitar.
The thesis is intended as a theoretical foundation for future empiric studies with children on the subject of counterpoint improvisation to go on from, with the goal of creating a play-based method to teach counterpoint improvisation on the classical guitar.