Communicating Musical “Performance Images” to Encourage Sharing Goals in Collaborative Musical Expression

―A Case Study of Guitar Unit Activities in High School Art (Music) Class―

Abstract

  This study aims to gain insight into the role of communicating musical performance images to encourage sharing goals in collaborative musical expression. To achieve this, I analyzed the interactions and goals shared among students as they collaboratively devised ways to perform in a high school music class. This research is a case study using a qualitative research method approach. It is based on the method of lesson analysis from verbatim records (Shigematsu 1961). The results are as follows. 1) Students communicate musical performance images through various interactions via communication with words and onomatopoeia, the act of playing alone or together, and the act of checking the movement of sounds and lyrics together. Such diverse interactions make students aware of the goal of being creative in how they play in order to express their performance image, and encourage them to share their goals. The communication of performance images through diverse interactions continuously generates segmentation and integration of goals, and becomes the driving force that sustains and develops the exploration of collaborative musical expression. 2) Open-ended questions relate performance images for expression and how to perform, serve as scaffolding for awareness and sharing of goals. 3) A learning environment that encourages student spontaneity and dialogue serves as scaffolding for diverse interactions among students.