Title - A research study examining the views of pupils and teachers,

concerning creativity and Informal teaching methods in

secondary school music education.

Name: Scott Brazil

Banner Number B00105047

Year 4th

Degree Programme B.A (Hons) Commercial Music

Module Title Commercial Music Research Project

Supervisor Gorgon Gibson

Word Count 10,994

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Contents
Acknowledgements Page 4
Introduction Page 5
Research Aims Page 6
Literature Review Page 8
- Informal Music Pedagogy Page 9
- Curricular Documents Page 14
- Creativity Page 18

Methodology Page 21

- Design Page 21
- Delivery Page 24
- Analysis of Data Page 26
- Ethical Considerations Page 27

Analysis Page 30
- Findings Page 30
- Observations Page 37

Discussion Page 38

Conclusion Page 42

Bibliography Page 45

Appendices:

Appendix 1 – Workshop Aims and Objectives/Planning Page 49

Appendix 2 – Interview Schedule Page 54
Appendix 3 – In depth interview analysis Page 62
Appendix 4 – Interview Transcripts Page 78

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Form 4 MUSC10008 Research Project
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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank all of my family, my fiancé Natalie, my Mum and Dad and
everyone else who has put up with me throughout my degree. It has been
your constant support and motivation which has seen me through all the hard
work.
I would also like to thank Ryan Currie and everyone at Reeltime Music for
guiding me in the right direction and helping me pursue a career in the
creative industries. Without it I may have never discovered my love for music.
Thanks must also go to everyone involved within the Commercial Music
degree for their help and support throughout the course. Particular thanks
must go to Gordon Gibson whose input, patience and advice was invaluable
when writing this dissertation, and to Jim Prime for giving me the incentive I
needed to complete this course.
Lastly I am sincerely grateful to everyone who took part in the study and made
the writing of this dissertation so enjoyable and interesting.

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Introduction

“Music is a more potent instrument than any other form of education”

(Plato 1930, H401)

This claim by Plato provokes many thoughts and opinions and also raises the
question of just how important music is to ones life and education. There have
been many works on how formal education and classical music can influence
both adults and primary school children, some of these will be discussed in
the review of literature. However there is still much debate about how
contemporary music, creativity and informal music learning, can influence the
behaviour of young adolescents. This study intends to further investigate the
subject of informal learning practices and focuses on a group of Secondary
school children, studying Higher Music, and how they perform in response to
the informal music pedagogy they will participate in.

According to Ken Robinson most of the worlds public education systems are
predicated on the idea of academic ability and in the 19th century there were
few public systems of education in the world. In Western Europe Public
Education was brought into being to meet the needs of Industrialism and as a
result the authorities decided that the most useful subjects for work were
predominantly; Languages and Mathematics, followed by the humanities,
Science and lastly the arts. This meant that in the early to mid 20th century
when people graduated from school, college or university, they had a much
greater chance of gaining full time employment. In the next thirty years
however according to UNESCO (Robinson.K, 2009) more people will be
educated to degree level than since the beginning of history. As a result
record levels of graduates are becoming unemployed or in jobs, where a
degree level of education was not required. (Robinson.K, 2009)

Music is an amazing and natural phenomenon that has the power, according
to Slodoba, to provoke emotion and encourage positive behaviour and
performance. (See Slodoba et al, 1985; George, 1970) As an addition to

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existing research this study plans to analyse how Secondary School pupils in
the selected research area, react to informal music pedagogy through the
encouragement of Creativity through Informal practices.

Research Aims

The overarching aim of this research study is to examine the views of pupils
and teachers, concerning creativity and Informal teaching methods in
secondary school education.

To establish the importance of such a broad conception, the study will be

conducted within one Secondary School in the North Lanarkshire area. The
study will have three specific aims;

1. It will aim to survey key theoretical and curricular writing looking at the
different approaches, in particular informal methods of music education
and survey the claims made for them.

2. Following a series of teaching sessions using Informal methodology

with secondary school music pupils, Interviews will take place involving
participating pupils and teachers, to establish their views, feelings,
responses and opinions to the informal teaching approach they have
experienced, and their opinions of Informal learning in general.

3. The study will analyse the Interviews and compare the teacher’s and
pupil’s perceptions with the claims, which are made in the Curricular
documents and other research, about what the experiences and
outcomes should be, and if the participants felt they were achieved in
this particular study.

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The study is not aiming to prove or disprove the importance of Formal music
education; its primary aim is to enhance research that already exists from an
angle, which has been scarcely researched previously.

This will be studied firstly through a review of literature; following this the
researcher will employ various research methods to examine the specific aims
of the project. The Data gathering and discussion will form the main chapter
body for the dissertation.

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Literature Review

This Literature review will examine existing research and curriculum guidance
to produce a theoretical basis for reference. At this point it is essential to
emphasise the inherent selective and subjective nature of this study. The
literature selected for this study was chosen from the wide range of possible
material, and the full range of documentation on this topic is so vast, that it is
beyond the scope of this study. What this literature review focuses on is a
sample of current documents on educational thinking. It would be extremely
unethical to induce the reader to believe that this study represents a
comprehensive account of music education, and it is not the study’s intention
for it to be regarded as such.

This Literature review will be divided into 3 key areas.

(1)Informal music pedagogy; Which will provide a brief history of

informal and formal teaching methods along with previous research
and relevant literature.

(2)Curricular Documents; This will be an analysis of up to date curricular

documents and their intended outcomes.

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 (3)Creativity; A brief exploration of creativity and various theoretical
definitions and literature.

INFORMAL MUSIC PEDAGOGY

The emergence of Informal Learning pedagogy in music education can be

traced back to the early 1970’s, when researchers (see Young, 1971) began
to explore the issues in education with regard to the sociology of knowledge.
In this era Vulliamy suggested that music education as a form of sociological
knowledge, often undermined ‘pop’ music and adhered to the formal tradition
of notated composition and a set of associated performance practices. It was
argued that some values as a result were prohibited to embrace varied
musical traditions and contemporary practices, but success in a music
classroom was dependant upon adherence to formal examination. (see
Vulliamy, 1977) It was then stated that as a result music was the most
unpopular class on the school curriculum, as it was said that pupils felt
alienated from music education, and yet music, according to Harland, was
often thought to be the most important to them outside of the school
environment. (Schools Council, 1971; Harland etal., 2000).

Since the 1970’s the music curriculum in Britain has reacted to this critique
and adapted accordingly. Upon researching curriculum documents from the
late 90’s (DfEE, 1999) it is clear that the modern music curriculum seeks to
embrace new opportunities and enable pupils to engage in a wide range of
musical styles and traditions, which include pop, technology and world music.
It would appear then that music education is now more inclusive than before

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and the curriculum is more relevant to their chosen culture. It has been
suggested by Vogt that the values of education are dependant on what
people in a particular culture regard to be important, and that successful
informal education must focus on these aspects. “It is perhaps possible that
Informal music learning is a means of making a culture they believe in, and
actively participate in, more relevant to their studies.” (Vogt 2003)

However the debate which surrounds music curricula is still a controversial

one, as it has been suggested by Vogt and others that the key to a successful
music curriculum, would be to ensure pupil engagement and ownership of
their education, which would allow them to have some input into the
curriculum design and delivery. Eva Georgii Hemming and Maria Westvall
suggest “Informal pedagogical strategies have been regarded as a tool for
students’ increased motivation, participation and inclusion with music in
schools.” (E.G Hemming and M.Westval, 2010, pg2)

Lucy Green’s book “Music, Informal Learning and the school” relates to Eva
Georgii Hemming and Maria Westvall’s work as it explores how popular music
culture and informal learning practices can benefit the music classroom. She
uses Informal education and popular music pedagogy to foster and develop
skills. It enables the participant to draw upon the world of popular music as a
learning practice, which enables the participant to gain a considerable range
of musical knowledge, and skills that are not readily available in formal music
education. (Green, pg 12 2008)

One question which was raised initially after discussion of the project with a
Secondary School Music teacher was that how can Informal music education
exist without Formal music education? After looking at Lucy Greens
theoretical approaches to her project work, it was interesting to see that she
drew similarities between her approach and Formal music education, in
particular “The music appreciation movement of the 20th century”. She
explains that this was essentially where pupils lined up in a classroom, and
passively listened to music through a Gramophone. On the surface, her
project seems to have little in common. However she then goes onto explain
“pupils listening skills can and should be enhanced by education” (ibid).

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Although in “The music appreciation movement of the 20th century” the music
was chosen by the teacher. Green’s approach enables the pupils to choose
their own music, enabling choice and creating a sense of importance. She
also enables the pupils to choose curriculum content to work on, rather than
not giving them any input into their education. She hopes that this approach
will “break down the reproductive effects of many previous music curricula,
which by ignoring the musical identities and tastes of vast numbers of pupils,
prevented many of them demonstrating or even discovering their musical
abilities.” (ibid pg 13) It is interesting how Green uses her informal
approaches, but in many ways draws influence and objectives from Formal
methods

Green concludes that;

“Playing music of one’s own choice, with which one identifies personally,
operating both as performer and composer with like minded friends, and
having fun doing it must be high priorities in the quest for increasing numbers
of young people who benefit from a music education which makes music not
merely available, but meaningful, worthwhile and participatory.” (ibid pg 216)

Green’s work is mainly based around making the participants feel a sense of
worth by encouraging both group and autonomous work. This is a view
shared by Schirrmacher, by the pupils having a say and acting autonomously,
it allows each pupils work to be seen and valued in it’s own right, which in turn
makes the work feel more special and unique for the pupil and can have an
effect on their personal and social development.

“Evidence of a finished Art product often justifies a Childs existence in

school.” (Schirrmacher 1997:08)

In C.Leung’s work “Building a New Music Curriculum: A Multi Faceted

Approach”, he suggests that the building of a new music curriculum must take
into consideration aspects of modern society, regardless what country the
curriculum is being Implemented. (Leung, 2004) In Hong Kong the MMC
Model (A Multifaceted Music Curriculum Model) has been used to create and
implement a new music curriculum. The primary aims of the MMC model are;

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“To lead stakeholders in music education to consider all relevant dimensions
necessary for planning an effective curriculum. Since the model incorporates
a multiplicity of variables, it may well be of use for curriculum planning in other
countries, even those where no single traditional music repertory exists. The
four dimensions emphasized in the Model are: (a) the importance of popular,
traditional (including folk and classical), and contemporary music; (b) music at
the local, national, and global level; (c) embedding academic studies in
appreciation, composition, and performance activities; and (d) integrating
elements of other cultural subjects in the teaching of music.” (Leung, 2004,
pg2)

This model was brought into being after research concerning Curriculum
design was conducted with various Music Educators, Professionals and
Lecturers. The Model was compiled with the hope that Music Educators
globally would take the following aspects into account when compiling new
music curriculums, and was intended to “Address relevant issues, criteria and
parameters typically involved or often overlooked”. (Leung 2004, pg 4)

(Leung 2004, pg 5)

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In the model, dimensions such as the importance of popular, traditional and
contemporary music, music at a local, national and global level, the
appreciation of composition and performance in an academic means and the
integration of other cultural and creative subjects, are emphasised and
encouraged in the MMC Model.

With the National Qualifications Review, which was conducted in 2004, some
changes were made to the music curriculum for the 2006/2007 academic
session, where modern music technology and performance courses were
introduced. However instrumentation and music genre’s such as dance music
and DJ decks are still not recognised for musical assessment or education,
and according to Allan Dumbreck it is essential to alter this, “Provision could
be improved by recognising DJ’ing and Decks as (both) performance (and)
instrument. Basic music programming software is now available and no more
complex than games technology. (Broad.S, Duffy.C, Price.D, 2003 pg 69)

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Curricular Documents

If we are to prepare successfully for the twenty-first century we will have to do

more than just improve literacy and numeracy skills. We will need a broad,
flexible and motivating education that recognises the different talents of
children and delivers excellence for everyone. (National Advisory Committee
on Creative and Cultural Education: 2001)

In initial discussions with several teachers they explained that a great number
school Curricula (including the research area) in Scotland were now based
around the “Curriculum for Excellence” guidelines. The Curriculum for
Excellence is a brand name for a new curriculum being phased into nursery,
primary and secondary schools by the Scottish Government. Some of the
reasons why the curriculum has been changed is because teachers felt they
were being asked to teach so much material, pupils were not benefitting from
it, Pupils in 4th 5th and 6th year of school were spending so much time doing
unit tests, prelims, coursework and exams, they were spending too little time
actually learning new things. Some lessons were out of date in the 21st
century and too little use is made of computers. (BBC, 2009 [Online])

The overarching aim of the Curriculum for Excellence is encapsulated in “The

four capacities”, and its intention is for each child or young person to leave
school as a successful learner, a confident individual, a responsible citizen
and an effective contributor. (LTS Scotland 2009; 4 capacities)

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 The Four Capacities

QuickTimeª and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

According to LTS Scotland, “The experiences and outcomes in the range of

15
curriculum areas (including music) build in the attributes and capabilities
which support the development of the four capacities. This means that, taken
together across curriculum areas, the experiences and outcomes contribute to
the attributes and capabilities leading to the four capacities.” (ibid)

With the intention of achieving the aims, some of the changes that will take
place are;

• Teachers having the freedom to teach fewer subjects.

• Teachers will be able to teach subjects in greater depth and in the

style they wish.

• The encouragement of autonomous and initiative driven learning for

pupils.

• Pupils using new technologies.

• Pupils receiving recognition for work previously considered out with the
formal curriculum such as first aid.

• Pupils spending more time learning than being assessed. (BBC, 2009
[online])

Music falls into the Expressive Arts strand of the Curriculum for Excellence
and is said to enable;

“Learners to have rich opportunities to be creative and to experience

inspiration and enjoyment. Performing and creating music will be the
prominent activities for all learners. Through these activities they develop their
vocal and instrumental skills, explore sounds and musical concepts, and use
their imagination and skills to create musical ideas and compositions. They
can further develop their understanding and capacity to enjoy music through
listening to musical performances and commenting on them. They use ICT to
realise or enhance their composition and performance, and to promote their
understanding of how music works.” (LTS Scotland, 2009, Expressive Arts >

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Music)

The experiences and outcomes for music in the Curriculum for Excellence are
divided into 5 categories, Early, First, Second, Third and Fourth. The Fourth
category contains the outcomes expected by the curriculum in 5th and 6th year
of secondary school (Higher Music). These are;

• I can give assured, expressive and imaginative performances of vocal

and/or instrumental music from a wide range of styles and cultures,
using performance directions, musical notation, and/or playing by ear.

• I can use my chosen vocal and/or instrumental skills to improvise and

compose, showing developing style and sophistication.

• I can use music technology to compose, record and produce music and
to enhance performance.

• Having developed my ideas from a range of stimuli, I can create and

present compositions using a broad range of musical concepts and
ideas.

• Having reflected on my personal experiences, including participation

and engagement with professionals, I can listen to a wide range of
music and identify and analyse technical aspects, make informed
judgments and express personal opinions on my own and others' work.

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CREATIVITY

The meaning of this word is mysterious and difficult to define. In Margeret A

Boden’s book The creative mind: Myths and mechanisms, she explains that;
“Human Creativity is something of a mystery, not to say a paradox. Creative
ideas are unpredictable. Sometimes they even seem to be impossible,
but they happen. How can that be explained.” (Boden M.A. 2004 pg1)

She goes on to theorise that “creativity is the ability to come up with

ideas that are, new, surprising and valuable.” (ibid) and that new ideas
are not necessarily creative, however she believes that a distinction has
to be made between Psychological Creativity and Historical Creativity.

“Psychological Creativity involves coming up with a surprising and

valuable idea that’s new to the person who comes up with it. It doesn’t
matter how many people have had the idea before. But if a new idea is
Historically Creative, that means that no one else has had it before: it
has arisen for the first time in human history” (ibid pg 3)

This theory leads me onto the work of Albert Rothenberg who

expresses with exasperation that creative as a term is used far to
loosely to describe the production of making objects or creating ideas.

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He believes that creation and production are two different processes
that overlap far too often.

“Productivity is the mere turning out of large quantities of things, this is

not the same as creativity.” (Rothenberg. A, 1990: pg4)

He also argues the point put across by Boden (Boden M.A. 2004 ), that
creativity and originality are often mistaken. While both terms may seem
similar, someone who is original may not be creative. He explains that
originality is merely producing something new and distinct, while
creativity is; “the process of producing something that is not only new,
but truly valuable. (ibid)

The DfEE define creativity as; "First, they [the characteristics of

creativity] always involve thinking or behaving imaginatively. Second,
overall this imaginative activity is purposeful: that is, it is directed to
achieving an objective. Third, these processes must generate
something original. Fourth, the outcome must be of value in relation to
the objective." (DfEE 1999)

When relating creativity to the research subject it is hard to ignore Ken

Robinsons work. He defines creativity as “The process of creating
original ideas which have value” (Robinson K 2006) He also believes
that schools make young people “grow out of creativity because
education is predicated on academic ability and discourages mistakes.”
(ibid) Following on from Robinson’s claims, Mathieson believes that all
people are creative and that they want to show their unique way of
interpreting the world.

“Any creative activity in any medium, involves using our emotions to express
the way we feel about the world around us.” (Mathieson 1993;52)

While Schirrmacher believes that all children are creative but it may be the
teacher or the facilitator’s duty to nurture this creativity and focus it on set
tasks and projects.

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“Although all children will act and think in creative ways without prompting,
adults can facilitate the process by providing time, space and resources, as
well as setting the stage.” (Schirrmacher1997 :29)

John Lancaster’s work is primarily aimed toward primary school children, but
some of his work and theoretical approaches are hard to ignore when looking
at this particular subject. He believes that the creative process is the art of
thinking, and is the process of taking unrelated concepts and assimilating
them to produce something new. (Lancaster, 1990) Creativity then could be
seen as a process of imagination where the creator produces something,
which has value and originality. Lancaster also believes that young people
should immerse themselves in an artistic journey purely for the positive
experience.

“Why must there always be a reason for drawing lines and shapes, making a
pattern, or producing a model?” (Lancaster 1990, pg 67)

He also goes on to state that; “I believe there are occasions when children will
do things in art which have no apparent purpose to them. He or She will
simply do to satisfy an urge. “ (Ibid)

However one statement, which in the author’s opinion defines the ability to be
creative, is summarised by Anne Stahl. She believes that creativity to an
extent must be subconscious because;

“The conscious mind seems to be to pedestrian, too focused on ordinary

reality and too unimaginative to provide the kind of unusual and extraordinary
information and experiences usually associated with art. “ (Stahl, 1994)

In the chapters which follow, the study will aim to evaluate the claims made by
the Curriculum for Excellence documents and previous research, and
investigate the pupils and teachers thoughts and opinions towards the claims
which are made by the curricular documents, through the informal music
workshops the researcher designed and delivered. Using information gained
from previous research and relevant literature, the study will strive to achieve

20
the aims and objectives highlighted earlier.

Methodology

With the intention of achieving the aims and objectives of the study, the most
appropriate methodologies would seem to be Qualitative methods. To obtain
an authentic account of subjective experience, this study will employ semi-
structured Interviews with the participants after they have taken part in the
informal teaching workshops, which have been designed and implemented by
the researcher. In doing so questions will be formulated to provide an
atmosphere conducive to open and undistorted communication. (Holstein and
Gubrium, 1997:pg 116) Interviews were conducted with observing teachers
with the intention of aiding the research by giving an alternative perspective.
Taking this ‘humanistic’ approach to interviewing will elicit a personal
response from the subjects showing their unique way of defining the world
while enabling the subjects to raise important issues, that might not have
been part of a structured interview schedule. It also assumes that no fixed
sequence of questions is suitable for all respondents/subjects. (Norman
Denzin, 1970, pg 125) The sample size will be one Secondary School class
based in North Lanarkshire, who are studying Higher music, and the
interviews were conducted with two pupils and two observing teachers. This
approach to research is intentional, and reflects the nature of the subject
being studied.

Design

Due to the complexity of music education on a global scale, it is important to

21
reiterate at this stage that this particular study intends to provide only a
tentative step towards further theorising informal music education, within this
particular locale. As a result this study is constrained by time and it would be
impractical to deliver the informal workshops over any more than a 6-week
period, as it would require substantial planning as well as producing
unmanageable volumes of data for analysis. After liaising with staff at the
particular secondary school the lessons would take place, both parties
decided upon a set of aims and objectives for the teaching and learning
activities that would benefit both the study and the participants. More detail of
these aims and objectives can be found in appendix 1.

As highlighted above this study will draw upon qualitative methods, which are
appropriate both practically and ethically to the study of Informal music
education. The main structure for this research will almost stem from
discourse analysis methodology which according to Philips and Hardy (2002)
is;

“an interrelated set of texts, and the practises of their production,

dissemination, and reception, that brings an object into being” (Philips and
Hardy, 2002. cited in Liamputtong and Ezzy, 2005).

Although the various techniques related to discourse analysis are profound,

the overwhelming assumption related to all of its meanings is that by using the
written or spoken word we are constructing personal meaning unique to us.
With relation to qualitative and semi structured interviews, and achieving the
overwhelming aim of the study, the construction of personal meaning is key.
By implementing these particular techniques in the interviews, it could be a
method of assessing if, in the opinions of the participants, informal pedagogy
is a way of making music ‘not merely available, but meaningful, worthwhile
and participatory. ‘(Green.L 2002, p. 216)

According to Drever and his book “Using semi structured interviews in small
scale research”, he believes that semi structured interviews should stem from
a general structure where the researcher will have Main Questions/topics
which are to be asked/covered, which enables the Interviewer/Interviewee to

22
construct a more detailed frame-work during the interview delivery. This
permits the respondent to answer in their own words and allows the
researcher to use prompts or follow up questions, which could clarify or
expand on the answers given. (Drever.E 2006 p. 1)

To enable the study to benefit from as valid results as possible the researcher
will ensure the questions asked in the semi structured interviews are
straightforward, clear, neutral and open ended. (Council, 8: pg6) The Semi-
structured interviews will be conducted with an open framework that will allow
conversational, two-way communication. The intention is for the interviews to
yield information, which unlike questionnaire framework, where detailed
Questions are formulated ahead of time, semi structured interviewing starts
with more general questions or topics. (See Mason J 1996) Relevant topics
are initially identified and the possible relationships between these topics
become the basis for more specific questions, which do not need to be
prepared in advance. Not all questions are designed and phrased ahead of
time. The majority of questions are created during the interview, allowing both
the interviewer and the respondent the flexibility to probe for details or discuss
issues. (Woods, Dr M p.1) During the interview process questions related to
the theory discussed in the literature review will be included.

When constructing the questions it is hard to ignore Drever’s work where he

suggests that when using the semi-structured interview technique, it is
beneficial to use subordinate questions, an interview schedule and think about
the differences between your research questions and main questions you
intend to ask. He explains that,

“The general aim of the semi structured interview is to encourage the

interviewee to talk at some length. Whether what they say is right or wrong is
not an issue. There are two main types of subordinate question. Prompts are
used to encourage interviewees to answer and to ensure that they say as
much as they can or wish to. Probes are used either to get the interviewee to
expand in detail, or explain further.” (Drever.E 2006 pg 11)

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To ensure the interviews benefit from prompts and probes, the development
of an interview schedule is essential. The interview schedule serves as a
guide and is usually a few sheets of paper on a clipboard, from this the
researcher is able to read out questions, take notes, guide the interview and
use prompts and probes which would benefit the answers. It is also important
as it guarantees to a certain extent, “the consistency of treatment across a set
of interviews, which allows you to compare peoples answers to questions you
have posed in the same way to everyone.” (ibid pg 18)

Drever also suggests that the Main Questions for the interview should not be
confused with the Research Questions. Both do have a relationship but to
answer the research questions the researcher must gather information, and
the mechanism for doing this are the main questions. (ibid pg 20) He goes on
to explain that by asking the research questions directly, “it is likely to
encourage people simply to rehearse their prejudices. Instead, you could ask
questions to lead people into talking about things they know about.” (ibid pg
21) So when designing the research schedule the researcher will ensure that
the questions derive from the research questions, but are not the same and
that prompts and probes will be included to encourage more information. The
research schedule can be found in appendix 2.

Thus far the focus of this study has not addressed the effect the researcher
will have on the study, otherwise known as the ‘Researcher Effect’. According
to Stanley and Wise all research is shaped to some extent by the position of
the researcher and objectivity and neutrality is impossible to achieve (Stanley
and Wise 1983). Although this may be true, this study will attempt to minimise
the researcher effect by encouraging the participants to be as honest as
possible as it will help the overall research, while affording them anonymity.

Delivery of Interviews

As the main aim of the research is to examine the views of pupils and
teachers, concerning creativity and Informal teaching methods in secondary
school music education, within this particular locale, the best approach was

24
considered to be delivering the interviews after the subjects have
completed/observed the informal music workshops. Interviews took place with
two participating pupils picked at random and the two observing teachers. The
data was then divided into categories and subcategories, which is explained
in more detail in the Analysis section. The interview questions were
formulated separately for each different category to ensure the subjects have
a better understanding of the main questions. Each Interview took place
separately on a one to one basis, and as the workshops were extremely
informal it is the intention of the study to keep the Interviews informal to an
extent, but the interviews will be formal in the context that it is an arranged
encounter on an agreed subject, which is recorded and on the record.
(Drever.E 2006 p 13.) To ensure the validity and authenticity of the interviews
with the pupils, they will be interviewed away from their peers, as this should
enable their answers to be honest and free of peer pressure. According to
Manik, “peer pressure may compel the subjects to blindly imitate the masses
and can actually lead to the subjects losing their original way of interpreting
the world.” (Manik.O 2008) As the study was restricted to time – it would be
impractical to consider all of the pupil’s feedback, as such the decision was
made to focus the analysis upon 4 interviews. This decision to narrow the
scope of research seemed rational in focusing the analysis and to make for an
orderly investigation.

The decision to interview both the pupils and teachers specifically arose from
the desire to gather data from an alternative standpoint. By considering the
observing teachers opinion, the study will benefit from a point of view taken
from individuals who have had years of teaching experience, and the vast
knowledge of curricular documents, both past and present, to a level that
would be unachievable by the researcher as a direct result of time constraints.
By considering both viewpoints submitted by pupils and teachers, drawing on
their own experiences and opinions of music education, it will enable the
study to gain a more holistic view of the setting (Sarantakos, 1998; Denzin &
Lincoln, 2000).

Once again the key format to this study is to develop an understanding of

25
informal music education from the perspective of pupils and teachers, who
subjectively participated in this particular delivery of informal music pedagogy.
An examination of informal music education with every music class in this
particular locale would provide enough scope for several books, and once
again word limits and time constraints mean that to consider all music classes
from this particular locale within the rational for this study, would result in a
piece of work which loosely examines informal music education without
offering any substantial findings. As such this study shall focus upon semi-
structured interviews within this particular locale in the interest of offering a
structured and focused account of informal music making within this particular
study.

Analysis of Data

Once the interviews took place the data was analysed in 3 stages, Data
Preparation, Data analysis and Summarising the results. Each individual
interview will be considered and analysed with regard to their opinions of the
informal music workshops they have participated in or observed.

Data Preparation

Each individual interview will be transcribed in full as this will provide a true
record of the interview, although this will prove time-consuming by doing so it
will provide a safeguard against any serious distortions, for example, the
interviewer leading the respondent. This would be obvious from the transcript.
Although Information will be lost such as facial expression etc, it is the
researchers aim to retain as much nuances of talk as possible. This will be
represented in the text by easily understandable comments and
abbreviations.

Data Analysis

The data for analysis from the interviews will be divided into four categories,
which are based on the original research questions/aims; the interview
questions have been designed specifically to gather the information needed to

26
answer/achieve the research questions/aims. The categories are;

• Their opinion of the informal pedagogy they have experienced.

• To what extent creativity is encouraged in school.

• Their opinions of Formal education, Informal education and the

“Curriculum for Excellence”.

• Did the informal music workshops they experienced meet any of

the outcomes stated in the curricular documents?

Each category will also be separated into subcategories of Pupil and Teacher
answers, this will ensure that each answer is clearly categorised and analysed
accordingly.

Summarising

Once all the interviews in each category have been analysed, all categories
shall be considered as a whole, with recurring themes noted. The final
discussion of the study will be based upon a discussion of these themes
within all of the categories, leading to a more in depth discussion of the links
and findings of the research, and a discussion of the results as a whole.

Ethical considerations

With any Social Research, the ethical considerations are vital to ensure that
no unreasonable, unsafe or thoughtless demands are made by researchers,
and it is generally a sign of respect to those who take part in the research.
(Green.R 2006) As this study involves direct interaction with secondary school
music pupils, it is essential to consider all of the ethical implications inherent
to this research. It is essential to acknowledge that, as with any form of
research, there are very real ethical considerations to be considered, and
these shall be addressed in this section.

It is very important to reiterate that this particular study was carried out in a

27
very concentrated locale, and that this inevitably will have a significant impact
upon the results. As a student researcher, the author’s scope for research,
and the resources available can only and will only reflect the environment of
that particular group. Any findings and generalisations made by this particular
study will only reflect this particular locale.

This study will comply with the British Psychological Society, British
Sociological Association and University ethical guidelines throughout the
research. Some of the key ethical issues are;

• Informed Consent

As stated in the British Psychological Society code, section 3, the researcher

will endeavour to inform all participants of the objectives of the instigation. It
will also be the researchers duty to inform the subjects of all other aspects of
the research or intervention and successfully answer any queries the subjects
have throughout the research. (See BPS code section 3.1 or Deacon. D 2007
pg 365.) As the subjects will be over the age of 16 and have no impairments,
which could limit their understanding of the research, they will be eligible to
give consent for themselves.

• Relationships

Research Audience – “One of the most acute ethical questions in social

research have arisen in considering what and whether to publish” (Deacon,
2007 Pg 371)

The researcher will strive to inform the audience as much as possible,

however this will be balanced by taking into account the consequences of
publishing names, locations and any other relevant information in the study.
When conducting the research, the researcher will assume that both the

28
identities of the location and the subjects will be discovered, and the
consequences for the subjects, the community and the School, (Johnson
1982 pg 87) will be discussed with teachers before the Informed Consent
process. Following this discussion, the researcher will make a decision
whether or not to give the subjects the option of disclosing their names or the
name of the School, or if this information shall remain undisclosed.

• Confidentiality

As mentioned previously in the ‘Relationships’ section, if the decision is made

to keep names, locations and other information confidential the researcher will
endeavour to keep this information secret. However, as the BSA code
suggests (see BSA code section 4 or Deacon, 2007 pg 368) research
participants should be fully aware of how far they will be afforded anonymity
and should be able to reject the use of data gathering devices such as tape-
recorders and video. (ibid) The researcher will not give unrealistic guarantees
of confidentiality. It should be disclosed that the data gathered will be shared
with an audience other than the research participants, such as dissertation
examiners and other academics. The decision was taken to grant the
respondents anonymity; this was agreed as the respondent’s believed they
would be able to be as honest as possible.

The studies methodological approach involves working in a High School

Environment. Although the study does not involve any direct research
interaction with children under the age of 16, and no data collection will
involve children under the age of 16, as a precaution the researcher has an
up to date Disclosure Scotland Certificate which has been presented to the
School where the research will take place. With the researchers previous
experience working in similar projects within the school, the teaching staff
have deemed the researcher responsible and experienced enough to partake
in this work.

29
Analysis

As described previously in the methodology chapter, time and resources limit

the overall study, and as a result the content analysed will take the form of
pupil and teacher interviews. The Interview schedule has been split into 5
sections for analysis, each section represents communication and questions
related directly to the research aims. Each category will then be considered as
a whole, with observations noted on recurring themes within the interviews.
Upon the completion of analysis the categories and their recurring themes will
be compared against each other with a view towards drawing generalisable
findings from these results. The researcher has decided that concepts are not
to be coded; they will be measured in a generalised or collapsed form.

An in-depth interview analysis can be found in appendix 3.

Findings

*At this point it must be noted that when the interviews were conducted
the Teachers gave their opinions of the Curriculum for Excellence in

30
various sections throughout the interviews. So their thoughts and
opinions on the Curriculum for Excellence will be raised at various
points in the findings and will not be restricted to Research Aim 3.

Research Aim 1 - “Their opinion of the informal pedagogy they have

experienced.”

In reaction to the first research aim, both teachers and pupils interviewed
reacted positively toward the informal music workshops they had experienced.
Both Teachers and Pupil A acknowledged the tangible outcome as an
enjoyable and integral part of the workshops. Both Teachers also agreed that,
in their opinion, a number of the outcomes specified in the Curriculum for
Excellence had been achieved in these particular workshops. Both Pupils
agreed that it would have been good if the workshops had lasted a little
longer.

“ Recording was cool and being able to take a CD home to play to my dad
was great, we listened to it in the car home from school and hearing me play
in the car was pretty cool.” (Pupil A)

“I thought they (the workshops) were fantastic, the kids loved it and the fact
that they left with something tangible that they could show to their parents,
friends etc was great. You could tell they were proud of what they achieved.”
(Teacher A)

“Well they definitely Used technology (Recording equipment and

computers) for learning when recording their songs. They were also
able to Create and develop their own composition and they definitely
Felt a sense of emotional, physical and mental well-being as they
were genuinely proud of what they had achieved. Erm, they had to
Work in partnerships and as a team to achieve their outcomes and
they Used literacy and communication skills to write and develop
their lyrics. (Teacher B in relation to the Curriculum for Excellence
outcomes)

31
“It would have been cool if we played live and done it for longer. I’d also have
liked to record some of my piano pieces that would have been fun.” (Pupil B)

Research Aim 2 – “To what extent creativity is encouraged in

school.”

Both teachers acknowledge and believe that the Curriculum for Excellence is
trying to encourage creativity, but both are a little unsure of how this can be
implemented and/or proven. Teacher A believes that primary schools can
benefit from the encouragement of creativity while Teacher B raises the point
that creativity can and should be encouraged out with school. Both Teachers
briefly touch on the point that formal education kills creativity. Both pupils
refer to song writing when asked about creativity and Pupil A and B mention
that they don’t often get the chance to write original material because they
have other material to learn.

“the whole point about the Curriculum for Excellence is about self expression
and creativity for both pupils and teachers in their delivery. Now that s what it
says on paper, but how you deliver that to the classroom in real terms well
[draws a deep sigh] I am sill a wee bit lost.” (Teacher A)

“I am a little confused by the Curriculum for Excellence and I feel as if, from
my point of view, its asking people to do things which I kind of already do …..
It is something I am familiar with but I still find it a little confusing, as how I will
be able to prove I have achieved these out comes in day to day education.”
(Teacher B)

“I think getting the chance to write a song with you was doing that because in
music we have to learn certain songs and stuff but we don’t really get the
chance to often to just jam and try and write songs.” (Pupil A)

“At home and in my lessons (Private piano lessons delivered at home) I get to
write my own music which is cool, we do do it in school but not to often,
there’s loads of stuff to do.” (Pupil B)

32
Research Aim 3 – “Their opinions of Formal education, Informal
education and the “Curriculum for Excellence”.”

Both Teachers agree that Informal Education and Formal Education are
important in education and that they can and should exist together. Teacher B
mentions that Formal Education is good for teaching academic skills required
for further education, as acknowledged by Teacher A. Teacher B raises the
point that she believes Informal Education teaches young people ‘life skills’
while Formal Education fosters intelligence in young people. Both Teachers
also agree that good Informal and Formal teaching are very much down to the
facilitator. Both Pupils recognise Formal Education as a structured program
with examined outcomes, and Informal education as more practical activities.
Both Pupils and Teachers acknowledge Formal exams as important. Teacher
B makes the point that the Curriculum for Excellence is good for making
young people reflect on what they have learned as young people struggle to
articulate what they have learned. Lastly Teacher A makes the valid point’s
that the Curriculum for Excellence makes no references to Behaviour and that
the encouragement of teachers designing and implementing their own lessons
is unwelcome.

“Well my thoughts are, there is a place for formal education, 100%, if you
ultimately want to get into university and get on a course which demands
qualifications you have to get them somehow, and the only way to get them is
by taking part in a structured course, with an exam based outcome.” (Teacher
A)

“I think the two (formal and informal teaching) co-exist well together in the
right hands, because informal education if it’s not in the right hands is chaos,
and nothing is learned then. So you can have an informal style where you are
respected and people learn or you can have one which is not beneficial to
anyone. So, it’s again down to personality and the skill of the facilitator. My
fellow teachers now believe that better behaviour equals better learning, but in
this whole thing (Curriculum for Excellence) there is nothing about behaviour.
Its strange, very strange and I think its because people don’t know the

33
answer. ” (Teacher A)

“In my opinion both are valuable as informal education is a way of actually

teaching life skills and formal education is a way of teaching academic skills
and intelligence. I think that an individual who has loads of life skills but no
intelligence will struggle in later life, and vice versa. It is so important for
young people to have a good mixture of both.” (Teacher B)

“I liked just being able to jam all the time and not get shouted at for playing
guitar loud, exams are hard man but I suppose you need them cause I want to
go to college and do music.” (Pupil A)

“They are hard (exams) but I need to pass them. I want to go to uni and study
Biology” (Pupil B)

“The Curriculum for Excellence wants young people to reflect and understand
what they have learned, because young people or the learner sometimes find
it difficult to understand what they have learned, and checks and measures
have to be put in place for the learner to understand what they have learned,
cause sometimes young people struggle to articulate what they have learned.”
(Teacher B)

“Every single department will be running things their own way, every teacher
will be encouraged to teach in their own way, every authority will be inspecting
their own way, no-one anywhere in Scotland will know what’s going on in any
classroom because everything will be so individualised, which will mean there
will be shit practice going on, and nobody will know, and there will be brilliant
practice going on, and nobody will know, and it means if teachers move or
pupils move it will be chaos.” (Teacher A)

Research Aim 4 - Did the informal music workshops they

experienced meet any of the outcomes stated in the curricular
documents?

*When conducting the interviews, questions related to this aim were

34
only asked to the Teachers as the Pupils would have little or limited
knowledge of the Curriculum for Excellence documents.

Both teachers did believe that the informal workshops conducted met a
number of aims and objectives stated in the curricular documents, both
general and specific. Teacher B raise the point however that the young people
are still a long way off however possessing the skills required for a Formal
music qualification.

“Well they definitely Used technology (Recording equipment and computers)

for learning when recording their songs. They were also able to Create and
develop their own composition and they definitely Felt a sense of emotional,
physical and mental well-being as they were genuinely proud of what they
had achieved. Erm, they had to Work in partnerships and as a team to
achieve their outcomes and they Used literacy and communication skills
to write and develop their lyrics. Yeah I do think all the outcomes (specific to
music) had been achieved but I do believe that the young people still have a
long way to get to a level where they will be able to achieve a formal music
qualification, but the workshops did help and were a welcome escape for the
kids and me. [Laugh] (Teacher B)

“Well in my opinion you definitely used Technology for learning, using all the
Professional Recording Equipment, cameras, state of the art Mac computers
etc, the kids learned about technology they wouldn’t normally get the chance
to work with. I dare say they also Linked and applied different types of
learning to new situations by using their written skills learned in English and
musical skills, they were able to link and apply these to writing their own
composition and again using artistic drawing skills in art to design their cd
cover. Erm, they definitely Felt a sense of emotional, physical and mental
well-being. By finishing their cd, I could tell they were genuinely proud of their
achievement because they were keen to take it home to show their friends
and families and in actually finishing the project they Worked in partnerships
and in teams. Lastly, they had to Make informed choices and decisions,

35
whether it was changing lyrics or the structure they had to, as a group and as
individuals, make choices throughout the workshops, and these choices were
made by the young people because the young people, not us, recognised that
something wasn’t right. I believe that you could clearly demonstrate
successfully, that all of the outcomes (specific to music) bar one had been
achieved, or are being worked towards successfully. The only outcome I
would say that hasn’t been achieved is that of listening to a wide range of
music and identifying technical aspects, making informed judgments and
expressing personal opinions on my own and others' work.” (Teacher A)

Other Research Findings worth noting.

Both teachers mention that they would love to tailor lessons to individual
pupils to get the most out of them, but time and resources would not allow it.
Teacher A also mentions that by not doing this encourages group work, which
is a good thing. Both pupils acknowledge that by, for instance, using music
they like to teach them about musical concepts would be “cool”. Pupil A
mentions however that he quite enjoys listening to music he wouldn’t normally
listen too.

“Yes I do believe in it (Tailoring lessons to individual pupils) and I have done it

a few times but it can’t be done for everything, basically time and resources
won’t allow it but I would love to tailor each lesson to each pupil in the class
so they would listen and actively participate, but again with time constraints
amongst other things it just wouldn’t happen.” (Teacher B)

“Yeah that would be awesome, (using music he loves to teach him about
musical concepts) but I’m not sure if the music I listen to would have the
concepts in it, like for something’s I think the music we use is cool and I like it
cause I get to hear like mad classical music that I wouldn’t have listened to

36
normally.” (Pupil A)

Both teachers also mention that if they could make any changes to the
Curriculum they would have more trips out with the school. This is a view
shared by the pupils, but the pupils also make references to up to date
equipment. Teacher A also mentions that it would be a good idea to introduce
the Curriculum for Excellence slowly

“More trips out with the school, I mean we’ve been out a few times, even one
example we took a group of kids up to the top of the Campsie hills on a hill
walk and some of these kids had only been up as high as their house or
tower, so they were blown away at how good it was.” (Teacher A)

“Er, take us to gigs, have Fender’s and Gibson’s, get you to come in and
teach us sometimes, yeah, pay us for coming to school [laughs]” (Pupil A)

“I would leave the curriculum as it is and ease in the Curriculum for

Excellence once the facilitator has further understanding, cause at the
moment we are drifting into unchartered territories without a compass, without
anything.” (Teacher A)

Observations

Predictably, a lot of the points raised within these interviews were focused
upon the subjects themselves – how they interpreted the curriculum, what
they perceived as its strengths and weaknesses, how they see creativity in
school. However as stated in the research outcomes this was the intention of
this particular study. As the subjects were awarded anonymity the result’s
offered a far more critical account of the subject area than thought.

Another observation worth noting is that one of the pupils was thinking of
doing a college course related to the workshops. Pupil A was hoping to enrol
in a sound engineering course, his decision to do this seems to have been

37
influenced by using recording equipment in class as a result of the Curriculum
for excellence, and using the state of the art equipment provided by the
researcher during the workshops. The study is not suggesting that the
informal workshops delivered by the researcher made this young person
make the informed choice of attending college, but his reference to the
equipment and the workshops delivered suggests that they may have played
a minimal part.

Discussion

The result of the analysis serve to strengthen the assertion’s made by

Schrimacher and Slodoba in the literature review section that “Evidence of a
finished Art product often justifies a Childs existence in school.” (Schirrmacher
1997:08) and that music has the power to “provoke emotion and encourage
positive behaviour and performance.” (See Slodoba et al, 1985; George,
1970). Both teachers spoke positively about the fact that the kids left the
workshops with something tangible that they could take home and show their
peers, parents etc; it was their finished work of art.

Both pupils who were interviewed mentioned that one of the things they most
enjoyed about the workshops was the fact that they were able to take a CD
home, Pupil A spoke positively to the researcher when narrating the story of
when him and his Dad listened to his CD on the way home from school one
afternoon. The teachers also mentioned that the young people in the class
were visibly pleased with what they had achieved, and as a result performed
better when working towards their goals.

Whilst achieving the goals that they had set for themselves, both teachers
believed that the pupils had worked towards a number of outcomes specified
in the 4 capacities of the Curriculum for Excellence. More details can be found

38
in both Teacher A and Teacher B’s interview transcripts in appendix 4 under
section’s 1 and 2. It was also interesting to discover that both teachers
believed that the pupils had achieved/ were working toward all of the
outcomes specified in music outcomes of the Curriculum for Excellence, bar
one. Teacher B however made the point that they were working towards these
outcomes but they still had a long way to go to achieve their final formal
qualification, but it was a welcome escape for the kids and her.

Although both teachers agreed that the workshops the researcher had
delivered were in some way working toward outcomes specified in the
Curriculum for Excellence, It was generally noted by both teachers that the
Curriculum for Excellence was a subject that was obscure in both its delivery
and evaluation. Both interviews carried out with the teachers did not contain a
great deal of positive feedback toward the Curriculum for Excellence. Both
teachers disclosed great confusion regarding evaluating or proving good work
with relation to the curriculum for excellence, one teacher even seemed to
imply that his fellow teachers were ignoring the Curriculum for Excellence as
they had not even bothered to read the teacher packs delivered to all staff. A
valid point mentioned by Teacher A is that on the national committee for the
Curriculum for Excellence there are two teachers, one of which has spoken to
Teacher A about the difficulties to discuss problems with the Curriculum at
committee meetings. One of these difficulties mentioned in Teacher A’s
interview was the fact that the Curriculum for Excellence may well be working
towards self expressive teaching for the facilitator, enabling teachers to teach
subject’s their own way. However Teacher A expresses great concern for the
pupils in the context that if one pupil were to move school half way through a
year, then their education will be in jeopardy as every department in every
school in Scotland will be teaching subjects their own way. One of the
problems the Curriculum for Excellence is trying to solve is that “Teachers
were being asked to teach so much material and pupils were simply skating
over the surface of issues.” (BBC 2009) However no teachers mention this
benefit in their interviews and pupil B even suggests that there is too much to
learn in Higher music. However a general conclusion drawn from both
teachers was that the Curriculum for Excellence was fantastic for primary

39
schools as, in the opinion of Teacher B, Primary schools are all about free
play and experimentation.

When discussing Formal education, which was generally noted by all the
respondents as a structured course with examined outcomes, a point noted
by all interviewees both pupils and teachers was the recognition of the
importance of exams. In the literature review Ken Robinson states that kids
“grow out of creativity because education is predicated on academic ability
and discourages mistakes.” (Robinson K 2006) One assumes that by
“academic ability” Robinson is referring to the equivalent of Formal
examination. Vulliamy also suggests in the literature review that success in a
music classroom was dependant upon adherence to formal examination and,
according to the Schools Council, 1971; and Harland et al., 2000, as a result
music was the most unpopular class on the school curriculum. This may be
true but the accounts analysed in this particular study do not whole heartedly
agree with these theorists, as a view shared by all (both teachers and pupils)
in this particular study is that if a young person wants to continue into further
education, then formal examined evidence is needed and valued. However
both teachers do believe that formal education “kills creativity” to a certain
extent, but both believe that formal exams are needed for further education.
Teacher B also makes the point that, in her opinion both formal and informal
education are valuable to a pupils development. She believes that formal
education develops “intelligence and academic skills” needed for further
education, and informal education nurtures life (people) skills, which are
needed for effective human interaction, both of which are vital to a pupils
development.

In relation to development, Schirrmacher believes that, “Although all children

will act and think in creative ways without prompting, adults can facilitate the
process by providing time, space and resources, as well as setting the stage.”
(Schirrmacher1997 :29) When discussing the delivery of education in general,
both teachers recognised that successful education and not just creative
development, was very much down to the skills of the facilitator. Teacher A

40
makes positive reference to the cookery class in his school. He explains that
the class is very popular with pupils because they respect the teachers and
they actually want to be there, where as the old cookery class was the
opposite, which was in his opinion down to the facilitator.

When discussing creativity related to the Curriculum for Excellence with the
teachers, both were clearly confused by how you measure or prove that
creativity is happening and is effective. Teacher A believes that it looks good
on paper but in terms of delivering it in the classroom, he is lost. When
describing creativity to both teachers and pupils the researcher decided to use
Ken Robinson’s definition that creativity is “The process of creating original
ideas which have value”. (Robinson K 2006) Teacher A believes that the
Curriculum for Excellence is trying to nurture and develop creativity but there
are no real mechanisms in place to do this, he believes that the main question
is how do you judge how things have improved with the Curriculum for
Excellence. Although both teachers agree that to a certain extent, secondary
school formal education kills creativity, Teacher B makes a fantastic point that
school isn’t and shouldn’t be the only learning experience in a pupils life,
surely the pupils and indeed their parents have a certain responsibility for their
own or their child’s learning. In Teacher B’s opinion there are far too many
principles being forced into the school agenda which should be happening in
other places, and the researcher believes she is implying creativity as well.
Keeping this point in mind, both pupils informed the researcher that out with
school they both engage in some form of music interaction, whether it be one
to one tuition, or playing in a band with friends. Both pupils recognised that
the only time they have been truly creative with music in school, was when the
researcher delivered the informal workshops, however out with school they
are creative when they are either playing music with friends or partaking in
their private music lessons. This act of playing or creating music for the sake
of it relates to Lancaster’s statement “that there are occasions when children
will do things in art which have no apparent purpose to them. He or she will
simply do to satisfy an urge. “ (Lancaster 1990, pg 67)

41
Conclusion

This study has served to provide an initial step towards further theorising and
informing music education in this particular locale using qualitative research
methodology. From the literature surveyed and interviews conducted it is clear
that many researchers along with the interview respondents, believe that
informal pedagogy and Formal music pedagogy have a place in the modern
higher music classroom. Working from this viewpoint, this study has
attempted to bridge a gap in literature, showing that informal music education
is not just a welcome escape from formal education, but together and with
proper planning and facilitation they can co-exist and benefit the participants.

However, in this particular study it was clear from the interviews that there are
many anxieties toward the Curriculum for Excellence. These anxieties exist in
relation to how successful the Curriculum for Excellence can be delivered,
proven and indeed evaluated. With new developments in education such as
the Curriculum for Excellence calling for the encouragement of self-
expression and creativity, it is clear that these elements and skills are valued
by both the pupils in this study and the members of the Curriculum for

42
Excellence committee, but how can these skills and method’s of education be
delivered successfully if the facilitators themselves do not fully understand
them, but more worryingly, not believe in them. Even within the very
concentrated sample size examined, this study has unearthed some fairly
unexpected and worrying results, such as the teachers’ negative attitudes
towards the Curriculum for Excellence. As such, more research is required
into the wider opinion of music teachers and pupils in order to help pinpoint
the positives and negatives associated with music education on a wider
geographical scale.

In this particular study it is clear that the teachers do believe that both informal
and formal pedagogy are vital to a young persons education, but they are
unsure of how to deliver, prove and evaluate informal education. Both
teachers agreed that the researchers informal music workshops achieved
many of the outcomes stated in the Curriculum for Excellence, and
acknowledged that some of these outcomes could be proved by the tangible
artefact the pupils created.

It is noted that the results yielded in this study are particularly interesting in
that both teachers and pupils value formal exams. This is surprising because
as a result of theoretical opinion such as K.Robinson; exams were expected
to be reacted negatively toward and be of little value to pupils, however this
was quite the opposite as both pupils and teachers agreed that exams are
needed and valued if one is to proceed into further education.

The key point to be taken from this study is that pupils and teachers in this
particular locale recognise formal education is needed, but Informal education
and creativity must also be encouraged. The Curriculum for Excellence is a
method of doing this but as stated earlier there is great debate about how this
could be done. Another point worth noting that has arisen from this study is
that school doesn’t and cannot provide all the learning required to ones
development, it is the young people and their parents/guardians duty to take
responsibility for their learning. In this particular study the pupils acknowledge
this as they participate in extracurricular activities such as one to one music
lessons and “Jams” with friends, as this desire to play music is not only for

43
academic purposes, but also for pure enjoyment and pleasure. One could say
then that this desire for extracurricular learning is down to the learner rather
than the teacher. This is a point that has been relatively ignored in texts
studied in this research referring to music education, with authors such as
Robinson looking to other aspects of creativity and education such as the
facilitator’s and the school system.

In addition to this, this research has found that, for the young people in this
particular study, leaving school with a tangible piece of art that has been
created by them is one that is valued and appreciated. The fact that the young
people took their CD home to their parents and were confident enough to let
them hear it proves to a certain extent that they were genuinely proud of what
they have created. The fact that both pupils expressed a desire for the
workshops to continue, in particular pupil B who wanted to record some of her
own compositions, it could be said that the informal music pedagogy
delivered, encouraged her desire to record her songs, thus encouraging her
to construct her own musical identity.

Another key point to be taken from this particular study is the role of the
workshops, the technology and the facilitator, in the broadening of the young
people’s horizons. In this particular study Pupil A expressed a desire to study
sound engineering at college, again the researcher wants to reiterate at this
stage that he is not saying this study is responsible for Pupil A making this
decision, but from his reaction to the technology used and methods
implemented in the workshops, they may just have helped him make up his
mind.

These results demonstrate that informal music pedagogy, in the opinions of

teachers and pupils in this particular study, can be part of a structured school
curriculum and work towards successfully achieving the outcomes specified in
the curricular documents. The results of this particular study could be seen to
be consistent with the theories of Schrimacher, Lancaster and Green

44
described in the Literature Review chapter of this study. These theoretical
approaches demonstrate that the tangible creative artefact that the young
people left the workshops with, was an example of a finished art product they
could be proud of. The pupils also mentioned the fact that they just wanted to
“jam” and record their own music, which could be seen to demonstrate the
fact that they just want to be artistic for arts sake and he or she does it simply
because they want to. The continuing positive references to the informal
music workshops which were delivered by the researcher, and the value of
formal qualifications demonstrate that in this particular study music education
both formal and informal, do have the ability to co-exist and be productive for
both the pupils, and the facilitators’ benefit.

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Stahl, Anne. (1994) Till death do us part: The marriage of art and
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Macmillan.

48
APPENDIX 1

*********** High Informal Music workshops

Project Plan

Aims & Objectives

The overarching aim of this study is to examine the views of pupils and
teachers, concerning creativity and Informal teaching methods in secondary
school education.

To establish the importance of such a broad conception, the study will be

conducted within one High School. Following a series of teaching sessions
using Informal methodology with secondary school Higher music pupils,
Interviews will take place involving participating pupils and teachers, to
establish their views, feelings, responses and opinions to the informal

49
teaching approach they have experienced, and their opinions of Informal
learning in general. The study will then analyse the Interviews and compare
the teachers and pupil’s perceptions with the claims, which are made in the
Curricular documents and other research, about what the experiences and
outcomes should be, and if they were achieved in this particular study.

Specific Outcomes

 To write and record an original piece of music which

represents the young people and has value to them.
 To manufacture a cd the young people can take home
 To design album artwork for their final cd
 To engage in 6x2 hour music workshop sessions in ****** High
School

Broader Outcomes

 To work towards the outcomes specified in the 4 capacities

of the curriculum for excellence.
 To work towards the out comes specified in the music
section of the curriculum for excellence.

Project Description

What?

The project aims to deliver 6, 2 hour music workshop sessions to

higher music students in the ******* area. With the support of the
project co-ordinator, the young people will embark on a programme
of creative and educational service delivery working towards
writing, recording and manufacturing an original piece of music,
whilst complimenting existing services and outcomes specified in
the curricular documents.

Who?

Young people studying higher music will have the creative freedom
to write a song their way, under the guidance of the project co-

50
ordinator while at the same time working towards outcomes
specified in the curricular documents. The project co-ordinator will
deliver the workshop sessions, engineer the recordings, provide all
the workshop equipment and manufacture the finished artefact.

When?

Beginning in December 2009, there will be initial meetings with the

project coordinator and teaching staff to discuss some of the finer
details of the workshops. In January 2010 6, 2 hour workshop
sessions will take place with the higher music class and the project
will be completed and signed off in mid February. In March the 4
Interviews will take place with the teachers and pupils for the study
to be completed in early April 2010.

Where?

The workshops will be delivered in house at ****** high school

before the final recording session will take place at ******** Studios.

Quality
The Researcher has built his reputation providing informal and fun music workshops
in the North Lanarkshire area over the past 7 years, he has also worked in
conjunction with ***** high school on a number of occasions. It is anticipated that
with his strength of experience in this field, the quality of workshops will be to a
level expected by staff.

Evaluation
The study will conduct semi-structured interviews with the two observing teachers
and two participating pupils. These interviews will then be analysed accordingly.
More information can be found in the methodology section of the research project.

The Project Coordinator will produce a final cd artefact for the project within two
weeks of the project end. Once final approval has been given by staff the
manufacturing of 50 cd’s for pupils and staff will be completed one week after the
final approval.

51
 RESEARCH PROJECT WORKSHOP PLANNING SHEET

Name of Group Research Project

Informal Higher music workshops

Anticipated number Male 8 Female 6 Total 14

of Students

Purpose of Project To compose and record an original piece of music which

represents the young people and has value to them. This
recording will then be placed on cd with artwork designed by the
pupils and manufactured professionally. The outcomes will be
achieved whilst using informal music pedagogy.

Purpose of Individual Sessions

52
Session 1 Introduction session. The young people will be introduced to the
project by the coordinator. The coordinator will then explain to the
pupils the purpose of the project and get an idea of what the pupils
play and what music they are into. From this session it is the
coordinator’s intention to get to know the pupils, giving them roles and
making them feel comfortable in the hiis presence.

Session 2 The session will be more tailored toward getting the song writing
started. The Coordinator will use the random word association song
writing technique to decide on a song subject and lyrics. Following this
the pupils will then suggest song genres and various riffs.

Session 3 By this session the group should have an idea of what style the song
will be, the subject and initial lyrics. This session is all about getting a
song structure and chord sequence. Through out this session the group
will work towards getting a final chord sequence and melody, and if
possible a final structure.

Session 4 The purpose of this session is to tie up any loose ends with regard to
structure, melodies, chord structure, lyrics etc.

Session 5 This session is all about preparation for the recording, rehearsing
individual parts, tidying up anything etc. In this session the group will
also be asked to come up with ideas for a cd cover. The cover design
will be done next week.

Session 6 The final session will be the recording session. The pupils will record
all their individual parts; they will also help the project coordinator
engineer the recordings. While individuals are recording the rest of
the group will be working towards finishing off their artwork and
rehearsing their individual parts.

53
APPENDIX 2

Interview schedule

PUPILS

The aim of this interview is to assess the subject’s perception (both teachers
and pupils) towards the informal music workshops they have participated in or
observed. It is the objective to interpret an understanding of the informal
music pedagogy that was delivered.

Would you mind if I recorded this interview and take notes?

I wish to understand that anything said today is in the strictest confidence and

54
anything that you do not which to be included in the research is completely at
your discretion.

This interview will last around 20 mins but you are free to adjourn whenever
appropriate.

Teacher’s Interview

Section 1.

General Questions

Ice-Breaker
(Brief catch up etc)

Question 1

So can you tell me a little about your background in music education ?

Section 2.

Research Question - Their opinion of the informal pedagogy they have

experienced?

Question 2

What did you think of the music workshops we did?

Prompt “ Be really honest”

55
Probe “Would you like to do this again?”
“Is there anything you would have changed?”

Section 3.

Research Question - To what extent is creativity encouraged

Question 4

If I said to you, that creativity is the way of making original things or ideas that
are important to you ? Do you think that Music in school does this.

Prompt - “ Ken Robinsons definition, “The process of creating original ideas

which have value”

Probe “ Have you noticed any changes in the past year or two ?
(Hoping to see if the curriculum for excellence has encouraged
this ?”

Section 4.

Research Question - Their opinions of Formal and Informal education.

Question 5

What do you think Formal and Informal education are?

Prompt – “There isn’t a right or wrong answer here, just what you think.”

Probe “What, do you like about both of them”

56
Section 5.

Question 6

Somehitng which keeps coming up in my work is that music education should

be meaningful, worthwhile and participatory, and a way of doing this would be
to make design education around each different person, what do you think
about that ?

Prompt - I.e using their favourite bands to teach them listening concepts or
piano pieces.

Probe “Does this happen ?”

“Would you enjoy that?”

Question 7

“If you could make any changes to the school curriculum what would you do?”

Question 8

Is there anything else you would like to say?

57
Interview schedule

TEACHERS

The aim of this interview is to assess the subject’s perception (both teachers
and pupils) towards the informal music workshops they have participated in or
observed. It is the objective to interpret an understanding of the informal
music pedagogy that was delivered.

Would you mind if I recorded this interview and take notes?

I wish to understand that anything said today is in the strictest confidence and
anything that you do not which to be included in the research is completely at
your discretion.

This interview will last around 20 mins but you are free to adjourn whenever
appropriate.

Teacher’s Interview

Section 1.

General Questions

Ice-Breaker
(Brief catch up etc)

Question 1

So can you tell me a little about your background and how you personally got
involved in music education ?

58
(From this question the researcher is hoping to discover what influenced their
decision to teach and gauge if informal learning was part of the process.)

Question 2

What is a typical day with your higher music pupils ?

Section 2.

Research Question - Their opinion of the informal pedagogy they have

experienced?

Question 3

What is your honest opinion of the music workshops I delivered to your class?

Prompt “ The critical the better, it will aid my research”

Probe “Do you believe we achieved the aims and objectives agreed.”
“Is this project something you would do again with your class?”
“Is there anything you would have changed?”

Section 3.

Research Question - To what extent is creativity encouraged

Question 4

How big a part does creativity play in Higher Music education?

59
Prompt - “ Ken Robinsons definition, “The process of creating original ideas
which have value”

Probe “ Has the curriculum for excellence encouraged this ?”

“ Whats you thoughts on the curriculum for excellence”
“ Ken Robinson believes that schools make young people grow
out of creativity because education is predicated on academic
ability and discourages mistakes, what’s your thoughts on
this?”

Section 4.

Research Question - Their opinions of Formal and Informal education.

Question 5

What are your thoughts on Formal and Informal education?

Prompt – “I don’t really know the answer and I am not looking for a right or
wrong one, I am just trying to gauge further understanding.”

Probe “Can one exist without the other”

“What, in your opinion, are the benefits of each of them”
“Can you tell me briefly your thoughts on the Curriculum for
excellence.”
“If you could make any changes to the curriculum what would
you do?”

Section 5.

60
Question 6

Lastly a reoccurring theme that features in a piece of literature I have read

when writing my dissertation, is that music education should be meaningful,
worthwhile and participatory, and a method of making this possible is tailoring
education to individuals, What is your thoughts on this ?

Prompt - I.e using their favourite bands to teach them listening concepts or
piano pieces.

Probe “Is this something that occurs already in formal education”

“Would this be beneficial and possible?”

Question 7

“If you could make any changes to the curriculum what would you do?”

Question 8

Is there anything else you would like to add that I have maybe missed?

61
APPENDIX 3

In-depth Analysis

Teacher Interviews.

After discussing the details of the interviews with the participating teachers,
we decided that the interviewee’s shall remain anonymous, however they
were comfortable sharing their age and educational background for the
benefit of the analysis. This approach was taken as the teachers being
interviewed felt more comfortable being honest and critical in their answer’s,
without worrying about repercussions.

62
Teacher A.

NOTES

Section 1

From this section the researcher hoped to discover what influenced their
decision to teach and get an insight into what they educational background
was. Teacher A is a 53 year old male who studied English and French at
university, before moving into teaching music. He also is heavily involved in
XL which is a behavioral support initiative In Lanarkshire, this was interesting
because after researching this area of education following the interviews this
type of teaching does seem to focus around informal learning. More about the
XL initiative can be found in appendix ……….

After using a probing question to gain further information the teacher explains
they wanted to be a teacher because it seemed like a steady career with new
challenges everyday. He describes teaching as, “as far from a nine to five as
you get”.

Section 2

• Research Question - Their opinion of the informal pedagogy they

have experienced, and did the informal music workshops I
delivered meet any of the outcomes stated in the curricular
documents?

Main Question 2 - What did you think of the informal workshops I (the
researcher) delivered?

The teacher seemed pleased with the way in which the informal music
workshops were delivered, he particularly liked how the kids were visibly
proud of what they had achieved, by the fact that they were looking forward to
showing their friends and families what they had done. Again after using
another probing question Teacher A suggests that the only thing he would

63
change would be to make the workshops a little more structured, however
from the interview it was clear that he was using this criticisms quite loosely
by saying, “It was a little manic at times, but in a good way, if that makes
sense?”

After using a probing question to try and ascertain whether or not our
workshops had achieved any outcomes highlighted in the curriculum, the
teacher believed that from the 4 capacities we had;

• Used technology for learning. – Professional Recording

Equipment, cameras, state of the art Mac computers.

• Linked and applied different types of learning to new

situations. – By using their written and skills learned in English
and music al skills, they were able to link and apply these to
writing their own musical composition and using artistic drawing
skills in art to design their cd cover.

• Felt a sense of emotional, physical and mental well-being. –

By finishing their cd Teacher A believed they were genuinely
proud of their achievement because they were keen to take it
home to show their friends and families.

• Made informed choices and decisions – A few times

throughout the workshops as a group and as individuals they had
to make choices such as change the structure of the song,
change lyrics etc, which were informed choices because they
were implemented because the young people, not the facilitator’s,
recognized that something wasn’t right.

• Work in partnerships and in teams. – Again to solve problems,

highlighted before, and to actually complete the project in the

64
 timescale given required excellent team work skills.

And when the teacher was asked about the outcomes specificied for music
teaching, he believed that all the outcomes had been achieved, or were being
worked towards bar one.

Section 3.

Research Question - To what extent is creativity encouraged

When asking the next question the researcher decided that when asking the
main question he would include 2 of the prompt and probing questions in the
delivery. This was the researcher believed the answer given would be of more
value.

Main Question 3

How big a part creativity plays in Higher Music education? In my research I

discovered a theorist called Ken Robinson who defines creativity [prompt
used] as “The process of creating original ideas which have value”. Do you
think that the ‘Curriculum for excellence has helped encourage creativity
then? [probe used]

At this point the teacher leans forward and from his tone of voice it was
clear that he was going to be highly critical. From his answer it is clear
that he is confused and unsure about the curriculum for excellence,

“the whole point about the curriculum for excellence is about self expression
and creativity for both pupils and teachers in their delivery. Now that s what it
says on paper, but how you deliver that to the classroom in real terms well
[draws a deep sigh] I am sill a wee bit lost.”

He also states that his feeling of “angst” toward the Curriculum for Excellence
is one shared by his fellow professionals. The researcher then asked Teacher
A “- So do you as a teacher have a lot of input into how you would deliver it
then”. In his answer he begins to speak about the HMI inspections, which are
yearly inspections of the school and its performance. Teacher A then refers to
the 4 capacities of the curriculum for excellence as the “four incapacities”,

65
from which the researcher assumes he is mocking the system which as a
teacher he has to adhere to. He then goes on to explain that in his opinion
there isn’t a great deal wrong with teaching, and from this the researcher must
assume he is referring to his own teaching style, and that in the whole
Curriculum for Excellence there is no reference to behavior.

At this point the researcher tries to navigate the interview back into a
discussion related to creativity. Teacher A then goes onto explain that in
theory the Curriculum for Excellence is trying to nurture creativity but there are
no real mechanisms in place to do this. An interesting point he makes is that
obviously millions of pounds have been spent on developing guidance folders
and some staff haven’t even broken the seal on them, so they clearly do not
care about the curriculum for excellence or are just choosing to ignore it.
Another two interesting points Teacher A rises is that one, there is no way of
evaluating work as there is no exam schedule and two, every department in
Lanarkshire will be delivering subjects their own way which will make it a huge
task for any pupil to move school.

From the teachers answers the researcher believes that the teacher is very
negative towards the Curriculum for Excellence and proceeds to ask if he
believes that the whole thing is just a waste of time ? The teacher responds
by saying that primary schools live for this stuff, he also states that he hates
how a brilliantly motivated primary school kid comes up to secondary and they
kill them dead. (Referring to their creative mindset) Teacher A believes that
learning through experience is key at secondary school, he explains that
cookery is one of the most popular subjects in the school, as they are learning
through experience by holding lunches for dignitaries nd staff, then speaking
at the lunches explaining how they prepared the food.

The researcher gets the feeling that this sort of practice may be down to the
facilitator, and poses this question to teacher A. He responds positively and
explains that the two teachers in the department are great with the kids and
are “respected” by the pupils. Teacher A then explains he took his 4th year out
on a field trip to do some hill walking and they loved it, he explains that some
of these kids had never been up any higher than their homes, and to take

66
them to the campsie’s was amazing. Teacher A also picked up some work
sheets and slammed them on the desk almost in anger, “I have a very difficult
4th year and we came up with the idea of trying to take them out on trips rather
than these fucking sheets here [picks up sheets and throws them onto the
desk] and eh, its completely changed them.”

Section 4.

Research Question - Their opinions of Formal and Informal education.

Main Question 4

Now this is something that we have kind of touched on already but, what are
your thoughts on Formal and Informal education, and how would you define
them?

Teacher A explains that in his opinion there is a place for formal education in
secondary schools because, if any pupils want to move onto further education
they have to gain qualifications which are only gained through a structured
formal course. But, he explains that learning practical or soft skills, are best
learned through informal methods. By reffereing to Loch Eil, which is a yearly
excursion for secondary school pupils where they take part in activities such
as raft building, he explains that the pupils are having fun building a raft, but
what they are actually doing is working as a team, delegating tasks and
working to deadlines. Teacher A then questions that why cant we encourage
this sort of learning mixed with formal learning, for example when building the
raft the fact that it floats could be related to some sort of physics class.

The researcher then probes that can one (Formal or Informal education) exist
without the other, or do they have to work together?

Teacher A responds positively by saying “definitely” and explaining that they

do and have for some time, work together but it is all down to the facilitator
who delivers the class. He explains that;

“You can have an informal style where you are respected and pupils learn, or

67
you can have one which is not beneficial to anyone. So again it’s down to the
personality and the skill of the facilitator.”

Section 5.

Main Question 5

Lastly a reoccurring theme that features in a piece of literature I have read

when writing my dissertation, is that music education should be meaningful,
worthwhile and participatory, and a method of making this possible is tailoring
education to individuals, Is this possible?

Teacher A believes that the Curriculum for Excellence is trying to do this but
in his opinion this is nearly impossible. He also believes that schoolwork
should be a group effort and by tailoring lessons to the individual, may stop
this.

I then asked the Teacher what changes he would make to the curriculum?

Teacher A believes that more money for more educational based trips out
with school are needed, he also states that he would leave the curriculum the
way it is for now and ease in the Curriculum for excellence over a few years
so the teachers have a better understanding. Another interesting fact that
Teacher A raises is the fact that on the National Committee for the curriculum
for excellence there are only 2 teachers, one of which he knows and when the
teacher confronts the committee with problems they don’t seem to be
listening.

Lastly I asked Teacher A is education always going to be chasing perfection?

He raises a few good points such as schools are always so far behind society
and teachers cant keep up. He also states an interesting point that;

“school has a moralistic objection and structure which society is losing, so you
are trying to impose things in a school which don’t exist out with school at so
many different levels. Should education resist changes in society because it is
so negative? I don’t know.”

68
Teacher B.

Section 1

Again from this section the researcher hoped to discover what influenced their
decision to teach and get an insight into what they educational background
was. Teacher B is a 27 year old female who studied Music at university. She
has been a Music teacher for 4 years and has been in this school for 3. She is
also involved in the XL Programme.

Section 2

• Research Question - Their opinion of the informal pedagogy they

have experienced, and did the informal music workshops I
delivered meet any of the outcomes stated in the curricular
documents?

Main Question 2 - What did you think of the informal workshops I (the
researcher) delivered?

Teacher B was positive towards the workshops, she liked the idea of the
pupils leaving with something tangible (Their CD) and, for this particular
group, she believed that the informality worked. She also noted that at the
start they weren’t particularly motivated, but the way in which the researcher
worked with the class by the end they loved it.

Similar to Teacher A, the researcher used a probing question to gauge their

opinion of whether or not our workshops had achieved any outcomes
highlighted in the curriculum. As with Teacher A Teacher B believed that from
the 4 capacities we had;

• Used technology for learning. – Using all the recording

69
 equipment and computers to record their song.

• Create and develop – By being creative and

composing/developing an original piece of music.

• Felt a sense of emotional, physical and mental well-being. –

They were genuinely proud of what they had achieved.

• Work in partnerships and in teams. – To achieve their

outcomes they had to work together.

• Used literacy and communication skills – To write and develop

their lyrics.

And when asked about the outcomes specific to music teaching, she believed
that all the outcomes had been achieved. Interestingly however, she did
believe that the young people still had a long way to go to achieve their formal
music qualification, but our workshops certainly helped and were a welcome
escape for the kids and the teacher.

Similar to Teacher A the researcher then asked if there are any changes she
would make? at first she was a little apprehensive so the researcher
reassured her that the honest the better. The only changes she would have
made was for the researcher to have kept a little tighter reign on the young
people. However she believed that they way the researcher worked with the
young people helped and by building rapport from the start helped the
workshops.

Section 3.

Research Question - To what extent is creativity encouraged

Again when asking the next question the researcher decided that when asking
the main question he would include 2 of the prompt and probing questions in

70
the delivery. This was down to the success of the question and value of the
answer given by Teacher A.

“So the next part is about how big a part creativity plays in Higher Music
education? In my research I discovered a theorist called Ken Robinson who
defines creativity [prompt used] as “The process of creating original ideas
which have value”. Do you think that the ‘Curriculum for excellence has
helped encourage creativity then ?”

Teacher B is confused by the curriculum for excellence because she feels she
does this already, and in her opinion all teachers should teach this way. She
raises some concerns of how she will be able to evaluate and prove success
however with the curriculum for excellence’s outcomes.

At this point the researcher uses another probing question related to Ken
Robinsons statement that “Schools make young people grow out of creativity”.
The teacher believes that to a certain extent this is true because primary
school’s are all about freedom and play, however coming into a formal system
this is not possible, but crucially she does believe that formal education “ does
do away with the ability to be creative”. Another good point she raises howeer
is that parents have a certain responsibility to help their kids be creative
outside of school and get involved in projects like Reeltime Music. (A
community music/creative project nearby that the researcher works for, that
provide informal arts services, specifically in music) She believes that to many
things are being forced into the school agenda which should be happening in
other places, she believes “parents should start to take responsibility for their
kids learning”.

Section 4.

Research Question - Their opinions of Formal and Informal education.

Main Question 4

What are your thoughts on Formal and Informal education, and how would
you define them?

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Teacher B believes that Formal Education is a structured system with exams
at the end and informal is the fun stuff, she also defines formal education as
the practice of teaching academic skills and intelligence, and Informal
education as teaching “Life Skills”. She believes both Informal education and
formal education are important as it is important for young people to have a
mixture of both skills. She also makes the point that the Curriculum for
Excellence is good for making young people reflect on what they have learned
as young people struggle to articulate what they have learned.

Section 5.

Main Question 5

Lastly a reoccurring theme that features in a piece of literature I have read

when writing my dissertation, is that music education should be meaningful,
worthwhile and participatory, and a method of making this possible is tailoring
education to individuals, Is this possible?

Teacher B wasn’t sure if this was possible, as resources and time constraints
would make it impossible.

Lastly the teacher was asked what changes she would make to the
curriculum? Her short answer suggested that more money is needed for more
trips.

Pupil Interviews.

Again, after discussing the details of the interviews with the pupils teachers,
we decided that the interviewee’s shall remain anonymous. This approach
was taken as the teachers felt it was in the pupils best interest. However the
teachers did agree that, if the pupils mentioned it, their age and gender could
be included in the study. When designing the Interview schedule for the pupils

72
(appendix …) the researcher decided to change the wording of the questions
to make the pupils feel more comfortable when answering, however the main
basis and aims of the questions are the same as the teachers. The questions
about the Curricular documents however have been left out as the researcher
believes that the pupils will find it difficult to answer them, which could make
them feel uncomfortable thus subjecting them to “unreasonable” demands,
which would be unethical.

NOTES

PUPIL A

Question 1

Section 1

Pupil A is a 17 year old music student who plays guitar and sings.

Section 2.

Research Question - Their opinion of the informal pedagogy they have

experienced?

Question 2

Nice one, so what did you think of the music workshops we did?

The researcher asks the young person to be really honest when answering
this question. The young person enjoyed playing in a band and writing his
own song, he also mentions getting to take home a cd to his dad and playing
it over the car stereo on his way home from schools was pretty cool. Pupil A
also mentions that he wished the workshops had lasted longer and after the
workshops him along with some of his class mates were starting a band and

73
they wanted to play the school talent show.

Section 3.

Research Question - To what extent is creativity encouraged

Question 4

If I said to you, that creativity is the way of making original things or ideas that
are important to you. Do you think that Music in school does this?

Pupil A responds positively when speaking about the workshops he did with
the researcher and the “jams” (playing as a band) they got to do. However he
then goes on to say that this is something they don’t really get the chance to
do everyday in music, but if they ask their teacher they sometimes get to “jam”
after school.

Section 4.

Research Question - Their opinions of Formal and Informal education.

Question 5

What do you think Formal and Informal education are? Again there isn’t a
right or wrong answer here, I just want to know what you think.” ?

It is interesting how pupil A firstly refers to Formal education being “normal

school” and informal being P.E and Art. He also goes on to discuss exams
and how he thinks they are important because he wants to get into college to
do “recording”, when speaking to the pupil it is clear he is referring to sound
engineering. He mentions briefly that taking part in our workshops and using
our equipment was minted.

74
Section 5.

Question 6

Nearly there, something which keeps coming up in my work is that music

education should be meaningful, worthwhile and participatory, and a way of
doing this would be to design education around each different person, what
do you think about that ?

At first the Pupil was not entirely sure what this meant, however after
explaining to him that by using music he listened to and relating this to his
learning might be a way of doing this, he thought it was “awesome”. But
interestingly he does say that he enjoys listening to the “mad classical” that he
wouldn’t normally hear.

Question 7

If you could make any changes to the school curriculum what would you do?

The pupils makes refrence to gigs, equipment and getting paid to go to

school. It is interesting how all of these “demands” are centered upon money.

PUPIL B

Question 1

Section 1

75
Pupil B is a 17 year old female music student who plays piano and sings.

Section 2.

Research Question - Their opinion of the informal pedagogy they have

experienced?

Question 2

Nice one, so what did you think of the music workshops we did?

Pupil B responds positively and explains that she enjoyed playing as a band
and using the computer technology to make unique sounds for her keyboard.
She mentions that the only changes she would make were to have maybe
played live as a band, done the workshops for longer and recorded some of
her own pieces.

Section 3.

Research Question - To what extent is creativity encouraged

Question 4

If I said to you, that creativity is the way of making original things or ideas that
are important to you. Do you think that Music in school does this?

Pupil B believes that she doesn’t get the chance to be creative, creative being
writing her own songs, however at home and in her private lessons this is
where she gets the chance.

Section 4.

76
Research Question - Their opinions of Formal and Informal education.

Question 5

What do you think Formal and Informal education are? Again there isn’t a
right or wrong answer here, I just want to know what you think.” ?

Pupil B believes that what they do everyday in music is formal and what the
researcher did with the class was informal. From an Informal learning
perspective she enjoyed writing a song and getting a cd to take home, and in
a formal sense she enjoys getting taught piano of her teacher. When asked
about exams she says she hates them but recognises the importance of them
because she wants to get into uni.

Section 5.

Question 6

Something which keeps coming up in my work is that music education should

be meaningful, worthwhile and participatory, and a way of doing this would be
to design education around each different person, what do you think about
that ?

Again at first Pupil B was not entirely sure what this meant, however after
using the same explanation used for pupil A where as by using music they
listened to and relating this to their learning might be a way of doing this. She
thinks this would be a good idea because some of the music they use is “A
thousand years old”, by this the researcher believes the Pupil is referring to
classical music.

Question 7

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If you could make any changes to the school curriculum what would you do?

Pupil B states that she would like good equipment and more time in music
because she believes it is difficult to do all the tasks they are required to do.

APPENDIX 4

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS

Teacher Interview’s

TEACHER A

Sections 1 & 2.

General Questions

78
Ice-Breaker
(Brief catch up etc)
Question 1

Researcher - As agreed before all the interviews will be anonymous so be as

critical and honest as possible, not just about my stuff but anything in general
Respondent - Don’t worry I will [laughs]
Researcher - So again if you don’t want to answer any questions just let me
know, you don’t have to
Respondent - Hurry up and stop making excuses man [Loud Laugh and
smile]

Researcher - So can you tell me a little about your background in education

and stuff ?
Respondent - Been a teacher for 14 years now started teaching English and I
have a degree in English and French, taught at (another school) before
teaching at******* , I have enjoyed it, I have also moved into XL and behavior
support, so I tend to be helping out with discipline problems and the support
base etc.
[Researcher explains why the interviews will be taken place.]
Researcher - So again the aim of this interview is to assess your opinion
towards the informal music workshops you observed, and your opinions of
Informal learning and the curriculum in general.
[At this point the Respondent begins to speak briefly about Informal music
and the service the researcher supplied]
Respondent - I think as you know we try to use this extensively whether it be
music or in dance, film etc, as far as teaching this sort of thing I tend to teach
it informally, infact I teach most things informally [laugh and smile] I think that
this approach reaches areas and pupils that your boring old curriculum can’t
and it makes a big difference to them, they tend to want to get involved a bit
more when it’s delivered informally, its not strictly structured, particularly the
type of pupils we deal with in this area, they are a little more difficult to engage
with, but if you bring something like music or indeed the arts in its some thing
different its unique it’s a different world.
[At this point the Interview is interrupted for 5 minutes as the teacher had to
attend to a computer problem with a mac computer. However one interesting
element which the researcher learned was when having a conversation and
assisting the teacher with the mac, was that primary schools are using a great
deal of mac computers, but when they come up to secondary school there are

79
none and they have to get used to PC.]
[Before beginning the next section of the interview the teacher briefly
mentions the curriculum for excellence and creativity, so the researcher
decides link both question 4 and the probing question relating the ‘Curriculum
for Excellence’ to creativity.]
Researcher - What did you think of the informal workshops I (the researcher)
delivered ?
Respondent - I thought they were fantastic, the kids loved it and the fact that
they left with something tangible that they could show to their parents, friends
etc was great. You could tell they were proud of what they achieved.
Researcher - Would you have changed anything ?
Respondent - The only thing is that its unstructured, but its structured enough
to engage how they are felling on that particular day, it was good as it was
informal enough to cater to the individual but a little manic at times, but kind of
in a good way, if that makes sense?
Researcher - Of course, I do agree, I think I was a little laid back at times, so
do you believe looking at the curriculum for excellence and the 4 capacities,
that our workshops achieved any of the outcomes ?

Respondent - Well in my opinion you definitely used Technology for

learning, using all the Professional Recording Equipment, cameras,
state of the art Mac computers etc, the kids learned about technology
they wouldn’t normally get the chance to work with. I dare say they also
Linked and applied different types of learning to new situations by
using their written skills learned in English and musical skills, they were
able to link and apply these to writing their own composition and again
using artistic drawing skills in art to design their cd cover. Erm, they
definitely Felt a sense of emotional, physical and mental well-being.
by finishing their cd, I could tell they were genuinely proud of their
achievement because they were keen to take it home to show their
friends and families and in actually finishing the project they Worked in
partnerships and in teams. Lastly, they had to Make informed
choices and decisions, whether it was changing lyrics or the structure
they had to, as a group and as individuals, make choices throughout the
workshops, and these choices were made by the young people
because the young people, not us, recognised that something wasn’t
right.

Researcher - And what about the outcomes specific to music ?

Respondent - I believe that you could clearly demonstrate successfully, that
all of the outcomes bar one for music have been achieved, or are being
worked towards successfully. The only outcome I would say that hasn’t been
achieved is that of listening to a wide range of music and identifying technical

80
aspects, making informed judgments and expressing personal opinions on my
own and others' work.

Section 3.
Question 4
Researcher - So the next part is about how big a part creativity plays in
Higher Music education? So in my research I discovered a theorist called Ken
Robinson who defines creativity [prompt used] as “The process of creating
original ideas which have value”. Do you think that the ‘Curriculum for
excellence has helped encourage creativity then?
Respondent - [leans forward] Well I am telling you this in confidence, the
curriculum for excellence as far as high schools are concerned is a non
thought out mess at the moment, right, there is a lot of angst and unhappiness
about it, a lot of folk haven’t got a clue what direction its going in, having said
that, the whole point about the curriculum for excellence is about self
expression and creativity for both pupils and teachers in their delivery. Now
that s what it says on paper, but how you deliver that to the classroom in real
terms well [draws a deep sigh] I am sill a wee bit lost.
Researcher - So do you as a teacher have a lot of input into how you would
deliver it then,
Respondent - Everybody come the next inspection with the HMI will be asked
‘how are you doing your work in relation to curriculum for excellence’, I will
have to say, we were looking at the four, eh
Researcher - The 4 capacities
Respondent - Or the 4 Incapacities as we call them [Laugh] and how we can
relate each of those to making the kids better in different areas. In my opinion
if stuff’s working, what you doing with kids, whether it’s a French class,
English class doesn’t matter, if your doing stuff that the kids want to be part of
and are learning based on whether that’s formal, informal etc its doesn’t
matter as long as their learning, the whole basis of the curriculum for
excellence is about self expression, I was reading stuff about 5th and 6th year
recently and they are being encouraged to do things their way, now what does
that actually mean? It says you do things your way, now I can’t figure out how
we are actually going to do that, I know I am dead negative there but….
Researcher - No, no, that’s what I am looking for, critical answers and
opinion; I can understand that as when I was looking at the curricular
documents it seemed a bit [pause] vague you know?
Respondent - This thing is now that people believe better behavior better
learning, and there is nothing in the WHOLE DOCUMENT about behavior,
and if you really want kids to learn in the classroom the kids have to shut their
traps so other kids can get on with learning, and there is nothing in this

81
document which addresses it. There is very little to do with guidance as well,
so why is this huge chunk of just the classroom being well behaved so kids
can learn then why is that not in there ? when the whole thing that my fellow
teachers believe now is that better behavior better learning, but in this whole
thing (curriculum for excellence) there is nothing about behavior. Its strange,
very strange and I think its because people don’t know the answer.
[At this point the interview is interrupted by another teacher, they then
proceed to discuss various things for 6 minutes]
Researcher - So, getting back to what you were saying earlier about the
curriculum for excellence, is it trying to nurture creativity but the behavioral
side of things is being missed?
Respondent - No, what it is trying to do is nurture it in theory but there is no
real mechanisms to allow it to actually flourish, which it could do, that’s the
way I see it, and it sickens me that millions (of pounds) have been spent on
paper work on folders that half of the staff haven’t event broken the celafane
on, telling you how wonderful this whole thing is, when on three levels, one,
an exam system doesn’t exist properly, two no one really knows how to
implement it and 3 how do you judge after all this is done how things have
improved, every single department will be running things their own way, every
teacher will be encouraged to teach in their own way, every authority will be
inspecting their own way, no-one anywhere in Scotland will know what’s going
on in any classroom because everything will be so individualized, which will
mean there will be shit practice going on, and nobody will know, and there will
be brilliant practice going on, and nobody will know, and it means if teachers
move or pupils move it will be chaos. Pupils particularly, will be moving from
one school to another with there different styles, different curriculums,
different timetables, it will be a total fuck up, do you know we had a wee girl
trying to move from (a school within 2 miles) and the school could only fit her
into two subjects because of the way it was taught, the timetable etc, so she
actually couldn’t move, well she could move and her whole education would
have been gubbed. People have no Idea the impact this is having.
Researcher - A lot of the research I have done has been really positive about
it, but its good to get an honest opinion from someone who is involved daily
with the curriculum for excellence, so do you think it’s a total waste of time ?
Respondent - No, Primary schools live for this stuff, have you ever noticed, I
feel guilty when a brilliantly motivated primary school pupil comes up here
(secondary school) and we just kill [claps his hands in anger] them dead.
They are put into regimented slots, get in , get out, there’s no fun, learning
through experience, I tell you cookery in here is amazing, they are really
trying to get involved in clubs, they are no teaching in a mainstream way they
are making enjoyment the first thing. I think the pupils are loving it. They’re will
be loads of them wanting to do and maybe make careers out of it, they are so
stimulated up there. They are having lunches for staff, inspectors, wined and
dined by the children and they (the children) are making speeches ‘thanks for
coming’ and stuff and explaining how they made the courses and doing the
whole deal. Its not just standing round the cooker, taking something hame to

82
you r mammy, it’s a real involvement now.

Researcher - Is that something more to do with the teachers who are

teaching the class more than anything else ?

Respondent - Definitely, of course that subject kind of lends itself more

towards that sort of stuff, however the woman who was there before, really
nice woman, but all she did was scream at the weans, scream scream
scream, and that was it, that was her teaching style. This woman doesn’t raise
her voice, the two of them (both teachers) have become a team, the kids
respect them, they want to be there, its brilliant, talk to any of them. The only
down side for us is, there will be a huge imbalance in the timetable next year
as millions of them are going to choose it and they wont be able to cope with
the numbers, and that is going to hit other subjects. That doesn’t really have
much to do, but it does in a sense as formal teaching in my estimations doest
do much, I think the things that we do works for the children we teach. I have
a very difficult 4th year and we came up with the idea of trying to take them out
on trips rather than these fucking sheets here [picks up sheets and throws
them onto the desk] and eh, its completely changed them. Even just from
watching you up at Reeltime (Music studio where the researcher works) I
asked you how did you learn this stuff, you said I just learned by working it, I
think when your not doing things every day or not even getting the opportunity
to do anything then you become de-skilled almost.

Section 4.

Question 5.

Researcher - Now this is something that we have kind of touched on already

but, What are your thoughts on Formal and Informal education, and how
would you define them?
Well my thoughts are, there is a place for formal education, 100%, if you
ultimately want to get into university and get on a course which demands
qualifications you have to get them somehow, and the only way to get them is
by taking part in a structured course, with an exam based outcome. I know
that sounds very cold, but that’s the truth of the matter, but, equally well, you’ll
learn practical skills, team work skills, better through informal stuff. For
example, we take kids to loch eill (an outward bound expedition for secondary
school pupils) and they build a raft, but the raft building is the least of it, it’s
the fact that they have to pull their wait with a group of 11 other people and
their clan has to not make an arse of themselves, and the only way to do that
is to plan the raft, work out the materials, everybody pulls they’re wait and

83
eventually everyone gets on board and they sail the bloody thing without
sinking it. Now, that to me is as valuable as in a classroom learning how to do
maths, or in physics, ie a barrel will displace its own wait, now you could build
all that into that raft building exercise in a fun enjoyable way. For me there is
absolutely a place for Informal and Formal education in school, and I am not
just saying that cause you’re here. But I do believe that.
Researcher - So (use of probe) do you think one can exist without the other,
or do they have to work together?
Respondent - Yes of course, I think they always have, for example one
teacher could be very formal and another, I had one guy who taught me
English who never, ever criticized anyone, never balled, but he just spoke to
you, but we all learned from him he had such a different approach to teaching,
he was discussing things and made you feel important, his style was
completely informal, and at the start of the term I would have said, no this is
not how you teach, but I learned and it was done through a style that was
unique to him. Now this isn’t informal in the sense that loch eill is, its got an
informal formal structure, I think the two (formal and informal teaching) co-
exist well together in the right hands, because informal education if its not in
the right hands is chaos, and nothing is learned then. So you can have an
informal style where you are respected and people learn or you can have one
which is not beneficial to anyone. So, it s again down to personality and the
skill of the facilitator.
[At this point the interview is interrupted by a phone call for the teacher]

Question 6
Researcher - Just two more questions, a reoccurring theme that I seem to
come across when writing my dissertation, is that music education should be
meaningful, worthwhile and participatory, and a method of making this
possible is tailoring education to individuals, Is this something that occurs
already in formal education and is this possible?
Respondent - I think the ‘curriculum for excellence’ is trying this but it is
impossible to tailor education for every individual, but saying that, there is no
reason why a teacher couldn’t use contemporary music or film to engage the
young people, but again lets face it, most young people are very individual,
which is a good thing, so if I played a Cheryl Cole song the young girls might
love it, but the guys might hate it so it is a catch twenty two. But saying that, I
believe that schoolwork should be as much a group effort rather than an
individual one.
Question 7
Researcher - Lastly, If you could make any changes to the curriculum what
would you do?
Respondent - More trips out with the school, I mean we’ve been out a few
times, even one example we took a group of kids up to the top of the campsie

84
hills on a hill walk and some of these kids had only been up as high as their
house or tower, so they were blown away at how good it was. That aside, I
would leave the curriculum as it is and ease in the curriculum for excellence
once the facilitator has further understanding, cause at the moment we are
drifting into unchartered territories without a compass, without anything,
seriously, high schools are different from primary schools. I mean we have
static exams at the end and to make assumptions by saying they will be better
people at the end of this and better learners at the end of that but that’s all
good in theory, but at the end of the day what’s gonna happen when they fail
their exams at the end of the year. Its like squeezing somebody through the
neck of a bottle so they feel comfortable inside it you know. I mean if you
interviewed primary teachers their answers would be completely different from
mine. They can do it justice and honour it for what it is, we are very different.
The pupils (at primary) are with one teacher every day, the teacher can make
sure they are fulfilling the 4 capacities, but we can’t. On the whole national
committee for the ‘curriculum for excellence’ there are 2 teachers, and one of
them is from our school and he is coming back saying no one is listening.
Researcher - Do you think that education, like many things is always going to
be chasing perfection ?
Respondent - I mean the world society is moving so fast that education cant
keep up, I mean computers, we’re (education) are still about 5 years behind
and when the teachers aren’t clued up how can the kids learn. In a way,
education and society are at odds with one another because school has a
moralistic objection and structure which society is losing, so you are trying to
impose things in a school which don’t exist out with school at so many
different levels. Should education resist changes in society because it is so
negative? I don’t know.
[At this point the interview had to be terminated as the teacher had to leave
for another appointment.]

Researcher - I can’t thank you enough for giving up your time to help me.

Respondent - No problem.

TEACHER B

85
Sections 1 & 2.

General Questions

Ice-Breaker
(Brief catch up etc)
Question 1

So can you tell me a little about your background and how you personally got
involved in music education ?

(From this question the researcher is hoping to discover what influenced their
decision to teach and gauge if informal learning was part of the process.)

Researcher - As agreed before all the interviews will be anonymous

so be as critical and honest as possible, not just about my stuff but
anything in general

Respondent - Okey Dokey !!! [laughs]

Researcher - So again if you don’t want to answer any questions just

let me know, you don’t have to

Respondent - No Problem [smile]

Researcher - So can you tell me a little about your background in

education and stuff ?

Respondent – I am 27 years old, been a Music teacher in this area

for the last 4 years after graduating and I have been in the school
for 3 years now. I teach, at the moment, a few classes including the
one you worked with and I really enjoy it. I am also involved in the
P7 transition programme and XL workshops.

[Researcher explains why the interviews will be taken place.]

Researcher - The aim of this interview is to assess your opinion towards the

86
informal music workshops you observed, and your opinions of Informal
learning and the curriculum in general.
[As similar with teacher A, teacher B was keen to begins to speak briefly
about the Informal music workshops the researcher delivered.]
Respondent - I think just from the work that you did it gave them something
tangible that they enjoyed listening to and looking at and it was something
they could show other people aswell and they were able to share their
achievements, they do want to hear they do want people to hear it, they do
want to take a copy home and they were definitely proud of it and what is
really interesting is that they are not proud of the idea at the start, they were
very difficult to get motivated but as you did, if you can just get them to do that
30 minutes of initial work and in this case that’s it, they were pretty much
hooked through out.
Researcher - So just stemming from that and the way in which I (the
researcher) delivered the lessons, is this something that you quite liked and
appreciated ?
Respondent - Aye definitely, definitely [nodding head in approval] put it this
way it’s the informality that works, it really works for the guys you were
teaching but I dare say in other more structured music lessons it might not
work as well, but for the kind of stuff we are doing informality is probably the
name of the game.
Researcher - Do you think the workshops achieved any of the outcomes
specified in the 4 capacities of the curriculum for excellence ?

Respondent - Well they definitely Used technology (Recording

equipment and computers) for learning when recording their songs.
They were also able to Create and develop their own composition and
they definitely Felt a sense of emotional, physical and mental well-
being as they were genuinely proud of what they had achieved. Erm,
they had to Work in partnerships and as a team to achieve their
outcomes and they Used literacy and communication skills to write
and develop their lyrics.

Researcher - What about the outcomes specific to music were they achieved
?
Respondent - Yeah I do think all the outcomes had been achieved but I do
believe that the young people still have a long way to get to a level where they
will be able to achieve a formal music qualification, but the workshops did help
and were a welcome escape for the kids and me. [Laugh]

Researcher - Is there anything about these particular workshops then that

you might have changed ???

87
[Long Pause]
Researcher - Again just be as honest as critical as possible as it will
definitely aid what I am doing

Respondent - The only thing I would say is a little tighter rein on them at
times, but having said that when it came to the recording you had a nice way
of talking to them and grabbing their attention, as I said our kids could be a lot
more bother than they were, and they weren’t that much bother were they ?
Researcher - Not at all

Respondent - Rapport is key for this class and if you don’t have that from the
start then it can affect the quality of what can be achieved with them.

Section 3.
Question 4
Researcher - So the next part is about how big a part creativity plays in
Higher Music education? In my research I discovered a theorist called Ken
Robinson who defines creativity [prompt used] as “The process of creating
original ideas which have value”. Do you think that the ‘Curriculum for
excellence has helped encourage creativity then ?
Respondent - I am a little confused by the curriculum for excellence and I feel
as if, from my point of view, its asking people to do things which I kind of
already do and in my opinion its what all teachers should be doing any way, in
my approach to learning to me the curriculum for excellence is something I
have always done, but it is just trying to really stamp its authority in the
classroom, from a community education point of view [something which the
teacher has also had experience in] it is something I am familiar with but I still
find it a little confusing for me as how I will be able to prove I have achieved
these out comes in day to day education.
Researcher - Ken Robinson believes that schools make young people grow
out of creativity because education is predicated on academic ability and
discourages mistakes, what’s your thoughts on this?” Whats your opinion of
this statement ?
Respondent - I think, with anything, if you push kids through a system that’s
not tailor made for them then ultimately, the majority are going to lose that
individuality, for example at nursery and primary its all about experimenting
and free play, you know its like that, but that just can’t happen in the school
system and as I say everyone just gets shoved through the system and it is
good for a small percent of them, but I think in my own opinion it just totally
does away with the ability to develop creativity. However that’s not to say,
school isn’t there whole life, families have a certain responsibility to
encourage that sort of thing and nurture that sort of thing and there is projects

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like Reeltime (A community music project nearby that the researcher works
for, that provide informal arts services, specifically in music) and get them to
go along there and other places that can develop creativity in other places,
everything in life doesn’t have to happen in school, and that’s a big problem
for us as they are trying to force too many things through the school agenda
which should be happening in other places and in other parts of your life, its
up to the pupils and their parents in a way to take responsibility for their own
learning.
Researcher - That’s a really good point by the way, well made.

Section 4.
Question 5

Researcher - What are your thoughts on Formal and Informal education, and
how would you define them?
Respondent - Well I think that, in my opinion, formal education is structured
with examinated outcomes, and informal as the fun [uses here fingers to
illustrated abbreviated commas] stuff. But, in my opinion both are valuable as
informal education is a way of actually teaching life skills and formal education
is a way of teaching academic skills and intelligence. I think that an individual
who has loads of life skills but no intelligence will struggle in later life, and vice
versa. It is so important for young people to have a good mixture of both. It is
becoming all the more important that using informal education is important,
hence the ‘Curriculum for Excellence’, so informal education in my opinion is
important but it is most valuable when evaluated and recorded correctly, and it
is still recordable, i.e the cd you made with the guys. I think its down to, how
the curriculum for excellence wants young people to reflect and understand
what they have learned, because young people or the learner sometimes find
it difficult to understand what they have learned, and checks and measures
have to be put in place for the learner to understand what they have learned,
cause sometimes young people struggle to articulate what they have learned.
Section 5
Question 6

Researcher - Now, a reoccurring theme that I seem to come across when

writing my dissertation, is that music education should be meaningful,
worthwhile and participatory, and a method of making this possible is tailoring
education to individuals, Is this something that occurs already in formal
education and is this possible?
Respondent - Erm [Respondant is thinking]
Researcher - So for instance, relating the education to individuals such as
using they’re favourite band to learn about musical concepts.

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In School ?
Researcher - Yeah

Respondent - I am not sure, well I suppose using examples to hook young

people in at the start, and I think that is down to the skill of the facilitator to
relate what they are learning to something they like.
Researcher - Is that something you do or believe in.

Respondent - Yes I do believe in it an I have done it a few time but cant be

done for everything, basically time and resources won’t allow it but I would
love to tailor each lesson to each pupil in the class so they would listen and
actively participate, but again with time constraints amongst other things it just
wouldn’t happen.
Question 7
Researcher - Lastly, If you could make any changes to the curriculum what
would you do? If you were in charge and could do anything what would it be ?
Respondent - Loads of money to go loads of trips [laugh] very experiential
outcomes.

Question 8

Researcher - Is there anything you think I have missed that you would like to
add ???

Respondent - I would just like to say thanks for the workshops I think the kids
enjoyed it and we would like to do something like this again.

Researcher - Thanks a lot.

Respondent - No Problem.

Pupil Interview’s

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Pupil A

Sections 1

General Questions

Ice-Breaker
(Brief catch up etc)
[Researcher explains why the interviews will be taken place.]

Question 1

Researcher – Again anything you say will be anonymous so be as

honest as possible, not just about my stuff but anything ok ?

Respondent – Cool
Researcher - But again if you don’t want to answer any questions
just let me know, you don’t have to, and if you don’t quite
understand anything just let me know to ok ?

Respondent – Cool
Researcher - So can you tell me a little about your background in
education and stuff ?

Respondent – I am 17 years old, and I study Music. I play the

guitar and sing and, eh, I love it [laughs]

Section 2.

Research Question - Their opinion of the informal pedagogy they have

experienced?

Question 2
Researcher – Nice one, so what did you think of the music workshops we
did?

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Researcher – Be really honest cause if you thought something was
bad that’s ok, means it will be better next time [laughs]

Respondent – [Laughs] I thought they were right good, getting to learn how
to write my own songs was cool and playing as a bands was cool too.
Researcher – Was there anything else you liked ?

Respondent – [Laughs] Everything, recording was cool and being able to

take a cd home to play to my dad was great, we listened to it in the car home
from school and hearing me play in the car was pretty cool.

Researcher – Would you have changed anything ???

Respondent – I would have made it last longer than it did, I want to do

another cd now [laughs] me and (names a few other young people in the
class) are going to start a band and try to play at the talent show (school show
held every year).
Researcher – Nice one, I’ll be there and when you make millions I better get
some [Laughs]
Respondent – No Chance [Laughs]

Section 3.
Research Question - To what extent is creativity encouraged

Question 4
Researcher - If I said to you, that creativity is the way of making original
things or ideas that are important to you ? Do you think that Music in school
does this.

Respondent – Kind of, but I think getting the chance to write a song with you
was doing that because in music we have to learn certain songs and stuff but
we don’t really get the chance to often to just jam and try and write songs.
Researcher – In the last year or two have you been able to jam more and
write songs ?
Respondent – I don’t know, not really, if we want to jam we have to ask
(Teacher A) to get in after school and if he is there its usually cool. We are
also allowed to come in at lunchtime and that.
Researcher – Cool stuff.

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Section 4.

Research Question - Their opinions of Formal and Informal education.

Question 5

Researcher – What do you think Formal and Informal education are? Again
there isn’t a right or wrong answer here, I just want to know what you think.”
Respondent – Erm, I think formal education is like normal school when we
have to do exams n that, and informal education is like P.E and Art.
Researcher – Do you think music is informal education ?

Respondent – I don’t know, is what you don informal education ?

Researcher – Yeah, what do you like about say the informal stuff we done
and the formal stuff like exams ?
Respondent – I liked just being able to jam all the time and not get shouted at
for playing guitar loud, exams are hard man but I suppose you need them
caue I want to go to college and do music.
Researcher – What do you want to do

Respondent – I’d like to do the recording stuff

Researcher – What made you want to do that

Respondent – Well we do like some of that in class but when we recorded

our songs with you with the cool mac’s n that I thought that was minted (slang
for great)
Researcher – But you think exams are important then to get into college

Respondent – Yeah I cant do the course without them

Section 5.

Question 6
Researcher – Nearly there, something which keeps coming up in my work is
that music education should be meaningful, worthwhile and participatory, and
a way of doing this would be to design education around each different
person, what do you think about that ?
Respondent – Er, Im not sure

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Researcher – So for instance if someone was teaching you about your
listening concepts and they used all your favourate bands to do this would you
like that, or is it cool the way it is ?
Respondent – Yeah that would be awesome, but im not sure if the music I
listen to would have the concepts in it, like for something’s I think the music
we use is cool and I like it cause I get to hear like mad classical music that I
wouldn’t have listened to normally.
Researcher – Cool

Question 7

Researcher – “So If you could make any changes to the school curriculum
what would you do?”
Respondent – Er, take us to gigs, have fender’s and gibson’s, get you to
come in and teach us sometimes, yeah, pay us for coming to school [laughs]
Researcher – Nice one so is there anything I have missed.

Respondent – Nope, I’m cool

Pupil B

Sections 1 & 2.

General Questions

Ice-Breaker
(Brief catch up etc)
[Researcher explains why the interviews will be taken place.]

Question 1

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Researcher – Again anything you say will be anonymous so be as
honest as possible, not just about my stuff but anything ok ?

Respondent – O.K
Researcher - But again if you don’t want to answer any questions
just let me know, you don’t have to, and if you don’t quite
understand anything just let me know to ok ?

Respondent – O.K
Researcher - So can you tell me a little about your background in
education and stuff ?

Respondent – I am 17 years old girl, and I study Music and I play

the piano and sing.

Section 2.

Research Question - Their opinion of the informal pedagogy they have

experienced?

Question 2
Researcher – Nice one, so what did you think of the music workshops we
did?
Respondent – They were cool
Researcher – What did you like about them?

Respondent – Erm, I liked playing in a band and using the computers with
my keyboards to make cool sounds and us the Steinway piano sounds (Midi
plug in for computer software) I really liked having my own cd aswell which I
could take home n that.
Researcher – Would you have changed anything ???

Respondent – It would have been cool if we played live and done it for
longer. I’d also have liked to record some of my piano pieces that would have
been fun.
Researcher – Nice one.

Section 3.
Research Question - To what extent is creativity encouraged

Question 4
Researcher - If I said to you, that creativity is the way of making original
things or ideas that are important to you ? Do you think that Music in school

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does this.
Respondent – Erm, not really, at home and in my lessons (Private piano
lessons delivered at home) I get to write my own music which is cool,
we do do it in school but not to often, theres loads of stuff to do.
Researcher – In the last year or two have you been able to write more songs
in school
Respondent – Not Really
Researcher – Cool

Section 4.

Research Question - Their opinions of Formal and Informal education.

Question 5

Researcher – What do you think Formal and Informal education are? There
isn’t a right or wrong answer here, I just want to know what you think.”
Respondent – Well I would say that what we do in music everyday in music
is formal and informal is what you were doing, writing songs and stuff.
Researcher – Cool, what do you like about both

Respondent – I liked writing and recording our own song and having our own
cool cd, but I like getting taught piano off (Teacher A) because he is really
good.
Researcher – Do you like exams

Respondent – NO ! [Luaghs]
Researcher – Why not ?

Respondent – They are hard but I need to pass them.

Researcher – Why

Respondent – I want to go to uni and do biology

Researcher – Nice one.

Section 5.

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Question 6
Researcher – So something which keeps coming up in my work is that music
education should be meaningful, worthwhile and participatory, and a way of
doing this would be to design education around each different person, what
do you think about that ?
Respondent – What do you mean
Researcher – So for instance if someone was teaching you about your
listening concepts and they used all your favourate acts to do this would you
like that ?

Respondent – Yeah that would be cool

Researcher – Why

Respondent – Cause the music we use is crap, its like a thousand years old.
Researcher – But do you not play some (researcher assusmes the
respndent is reffereing to classical music) classical music in your music
lessons ?
Respondent – Yeah but its good, that stuff is rubbish.
Researcher – Cool.

Question 7
Researcher – “So If you could make any changes to the school curriculum
what would you do?”
Respondent – Have big pianos and cool keyboards like you brought in. I’d
like to do music more as well because there is so much to learn and do.
Researcher – Is it to much sometimes?

Respondent – Yeah, all the listening while trying to learn instruments and do
the technical stuff its really hard.
Researcher – You’ll get there don’t worry, so is there anything I have
missed?
Respondent – No, don’t think so.

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