Author: Tania Cantallops Ortega
Edited by: Deborah Wanderley dos Santos
The Academy of Impact Through Music, in partnership with The Global Leaders Institute, are strengthening the global music education community by providing a platform for AIM Firebird alumni to share their impactful global case studies, aiming to foster knowledge exchange and inspire further innovation in music education worldwide.
AIM is proud to be a partner of the Global Leaders Institute.
INTRODUCTION
Established in 2012 in the Canary Islands, Spain, “Barrios Orquestados” is a vibrant music education initiative serving 600 students across 14 locations, including international centers in Honduras and Chile. This program focuses on peripheral neighborhoods with historically low access to cultural opportunities, providing music instruction and fostering community engagement. By forming string orchestras with children from the age of 6 and up, the program promotes social development alongside musical skills.
Community is the axis on which Barrios Orquestados is built, using a group teaching methodology and actively involving families to strengthen communal bonds. This includes parent choirs, music appreciation sessions, and organizing family-oriented activities. This integrates families into the project, enhancing social ties and extending the impact beyond individual students.
“Study Hours” is a notable intervention across the program, where there is no teacher, and students engage in self-guided group practice, supervised by a parent or caregiver; designed to promote practicing habits and teamwork skills. This enables students to take ownership over their own development, supported by their families, and increased both practice discipline and time spent rehearsing with each other.
This came from the students’ desire to achieve higher musical outcomes through more cohesive group interactions. I therefore began to experiment with ways to support their endeavors without diminishing their agency. I wanted to answer the question of “is it possible to improve musical results by focusing on the approaches used in autonomous group practice?”
IMPLEMENTATION
My seven-week experiment involved students aged 11 to 19 in Tenerife’s Ofra neighborhood. In our initial conversation, students expressed a desire to achieve better musical results. After some reflection, they agreed that significant improvements in their team dynamic could be achieved by strengthening personal bonds and increasing group cohesion. Facilitating their ideas, they developed a unique strategy: dividing into rotating smaller groups to collaborate using a structured routine. A practice schedule was developed to ensure that all members would have collaborated with one another by the end of the experiment.
This was a goal-oriented structure with reflective practice . At the beginning of sessions, each group defined their learning goals, which then guided the selection of exercises and activities they would undertake. At the end, they reflected on the efficacy of their efforts, explicitly noting successful and unsuccessful approaches. The findings from a day of practicing were presented to the whole group at the beginning of the next session. The group maintained high levels of motivation throughout the experiment. Undoubtedly, the fact that the experiment was based on the group’s own concerns made it easier for them to embrace it as a challenge. As a result, their level of involvement and growth exceeded my expectations.
As assessment tools, we utilised:
- Pre/Post Questionnaires: These gauged the students’ feelings about group work, including their comfort level, level of involvement, and their perceptions of how their contributions were received and valued by the rest of the group.
- Pre/Post Videos: Videos were taken of the musical piece being worked on at the start of the experiment and during the final concert, serving as an excellent comparative tool.
- Dot Graph: This allowed students to quickly log their impressions of how positive teamwork impacted musical improvement.
IMPACT
The outcomes of this experiment exceeded initial expectations, resulting in positive results across the initiative. Through comparison of baseline questionnaires and the final response we saw an overall positive shift in their attitudes towards teamwork and their own roles within it. This assessment was based on averaging the scores of responses, which were rated on a scale from 0 to 10:
- How important do you think working with your colleagues is to achieve musical goals? Initial average 8.62, final 8.4 = 2.5% decrease
- How fluid do you think teamwork is right now? Initial average 6.18, final 6.95 = 12.5% increase
- How involved do you feel in the group’s work to achieve the objectives? Initial average 6.93, final 7.35 = 6.1% increase
- Do you think you have things to contribute to the group to achieve the objectives? Initial average 6.06, final 6.2 = 2.3% increase
- Do you usually express yourself to make contributions? Initial average 5.56, final 5.6 = 0.7% increase
- Do you feel that your contributions are valued? Initial average 6.56, final 7.15 = 9% increase
To measure the improvement in musical skills, students underwent two assessments using a dot graph methodology. In the initial assessment, students relied on their subjective impressions to evaluate progress. However, in the second assessment, they compared a video of their first rehearsal with footage from the concert. Interestingly, the results of the second assessment indicated a significantly higher rating of performance improvement compared to the initial assessment. This discrepancy suggests that students’ initial assessments may not have been as precise, highlighting the importance of utilizing objective documentation to aid students in accurately measuring their own progress over time.
From a teacher’s perspective, I observed a notable improvement in both the quality and quantity of student interactions. Students greet and engage with each other with heightened enthusiasm upon entering and exiting the classroom. During group performances, there was a noticeable increase in visual contact and synchronicity in movements, creating a stronger sense of community within the group. Additionally, it’s intriguing to note that skills cultivated during Study Hours have transferred to regular music sessions. For instance, students demonstrate improved listening abilities, actively engaging with their peers’ performances and offering constructive feedback. Moreover, students have become more confident in taking the lead, not only in identifying challenges but also in proposing strategies for improvement. This shift towards a more student-centered and student-led approach has transformed the regular music class dynamic, with my role as a teacher evolving to one of a facilitator, fostering collaboration and empowerment among students in a non-hierarchical manner.
CONCLUSIONS
Over the course of seven weeks, I conducted an investigation to determine whether a group of students could enhance their musical outcomes by refining their team dynamic during autonomous group practice sessions. The results yielded promising outcomes. Students demonstrated increased capacity for shared leadership, active listening, problem recognition, organisational skills, teamwork, and respect for their peers’ ideas. These skills transcend the confines of the music classroom, offering valuable lessons for personal development and reflecting the significance of music as a tool for comprehensive growth among individuals.
This research has fundamentally challenged my views on the traditional role of the teacher as the sole authority in the classroom, highlighting the immense potential for student growth when supported with the necessary space and tools. What became evident through my research is that effectively supporting student agency requires teachers to embrace new approaches that prioritise dynamic adaptability to their students’ ideas and input. While this shift towards fostering student agency presents a significant challenge, it also brings immense satisfaction as it enables educators to empower students to take ownership of their learning experiences. By embracing this approach, teachers play a pivotal role in cultivating a culture of autonomy, creativity, and self-directed learning among their students.
I would like to thank the Barrios Orquestados project for their contributions and for allowing me to be part of this great family. I want to thank the students of the Ofra neighborhood who, in addition to being exemplary, have taught me a new way of learning by teaching. And finally, I want to thank AIM (Academy of Impact Through Music) for presenting new possibilities and goals through the dearing challenge of experimentation. My AIM colleagues have become traveling companions in the life-long learning journey.
AIM Firebird Case Study and more resources, go to artsinaction.org
