Masters Degrees (Odeion School of Music)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Odeion School of Music) by Advisor "Thom Wium, Matildie"

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    The pathway of music acculturation: a duet between parent and infant
    (University of the Free State, 2013-11) Pretorius, Gerda Georgina; Thom Wium, Matildie; Van Niekerk, Caroline
    English: In designing a pathway model of music acculturation, it is proposed that infants are born musical, are ready at birth to process musical information and motivated to take part in musical communication. This position contests views that regard musical development as a matter of biological growth, or musical aptitude as an exclusive talent. My position also challenges the perception that organised music-educational settings offer a complete music acculturation process. Such views pay no attention to the fact that infants learn musics of their culture by way of adapted behaviour which emerges as a result of repeated, spontaneous and arousing stimulating experiences. Due recognition also needs to be given to the fact that the daily absorption of a variety of musical literature, the experience of being sung and chanted to, and the experience of being moved to music, are essential for processes of acculturation as the foundational phase of audiation. Thus, the thesis of this study is that acculturation takes place in an intimate reciprocal relationship. The mother-infant dyad express their emotional bond by means of a non-verbal, musical duet. In experiences of primary intersubjectivity, infants display their inherent musical sensitivity when adapting to the prosodic contour and temporal structure of the mother’s sing-song conversation and multi-modal movement. The intuitive conversation is described as infant-directed speech and identified as a musicalemotional narrative. A secondary form of psychological intersubjectivity (companionship) emerges as a result of the dyad’s growing reciprocal confidence when attuning to subjective experiences of the other by way of intuitive musical behaviour. It is argued that musical aptitude develops by way of early and experience-driven reorganisation of neuronal networks. These networks are activated by way of frequent absorption of and interactive response to music of different musical contexts in the home environment. This situation indicates the parental role in unstructured musical guidance of infants. Applying a bioecological systems approach, this pathway model determines that early competencies, cultural influences and social relations all play roles in foundational processes of music acculturation. Parents should be informed accordingly; therefore basic principles for an appropriate approach towards musical parental guidance (MPG) are extrapolated.
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    The value and effectiveness of contemporary commercial music syllabi in the development of vocal technique
    (University of the Free State, 2019-06) Ludwig, Christine Ann; Thom Wium, Matildie; De Villiers, Frelet
    Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) vocal training has become increasingly popular since I began teaching in the early 2000s. In general, my clients; comprising of high school students and adults from my private teaching practice, have a preference for CCM voice training over Classical training. For the Further Education and Training (FET) phase in the South African school system, there are currently two primary syllabi available for teachers of CCM practical instruments; these are the Trinity Rock & Pop syllabus and the Rockschool syllabus. Since CCM vocal instructors are compelled to use the syllabi mentioned above, they have naturally become a guideline for voice teachers in the development of CCM vocal technique. Previous studies of CCM syllabi and vocal technique for the CCM singer are incomplete and do not definitively address the developmental value of the CCM syllabi for singers of CCM genres. The dissertation investigates vocal requirements for the CCM singer, focusing on CCM vocal development, vocal idioms, styles, pedagogy and pedagogues, and the use of these elements in the syllabi. The study uses a descriptive qualitative research design, and recruits for interviews ten FET phase vocal instructors familiar with Trinity Rock & Pop and Rockschool syllabi. Interview data collection uses semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. Alongside this, an in-depth analysis of both syllabi is conducted. The syllabi investigation measures each syllabus against their own criteria in conjunction with CCM vocal idiomatic requirements and the physical capabilities of the adolescent singer. The study found that both syllabi have areas of value, but these are not sufficient for the development of vocal technical ability. Vocal instructors prefer the Rockschool syllabus, feeling that it has more substance. However, the research shows that the Trinity Rock & Pop syllabus is more systematic in its progression of difficulty and graded content. The study established that the syllabi alone are not effectual in developing the technical abilities of the CCM singer, and the education and experience of the vocal trainer must be reasonably advanced to implement the requirements of the syllabi.