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Unit of study_

MUED4603: Cultural Diversity in Music Education

Semester 1, 2022 [Normal day] - Sydney

This unit of study prepares students to teach music in a culturally diverse society. Music of a range of cultures is investigated in relation to its structure and cultural context and varied approaches to teaching this music in a classroom context are explored. Provision is made for the collection, evaluation and development of music resources appropriate for teaching in culturally diverse educational settings.

Unit details and rules

Unit code MUED4603
Academic unit Music Education
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

It is recommended that students have successfully completed MUED2605 and MUED3605 prior to undertaking this unit

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Thomas Fienberg, thomas.fienberg@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Thomas Fienberg, thomas.fienberg@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Presentation group assignment Fieldwork assignment seminar presentation
Field-to-classroom presentation
20% Multiple weeks 30 minutes, 3-4 pages
Outcomes assessed: LO5
Assignment group assignment Field collection, documentation and unit of work
Assignment
30% STUVAC ca. 3000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO4 LO5
Assignment group assignment Harmony Week: Share the song (10%) and Rationale for employment as a music teacher in a culturally and linguistically diverse school (20%)
See CANVAS LMS For Details and Rubric
30% Week 04 10 minutes; 800 Words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO3 LO2
Assignment Gamelan Blog (15%) and Participation (5%)
See Canvas for more details
20% Week 09 Three daily blogs following workshops
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO4 LO3 LO5
group assignment = group assignment ?
Group assignment with individually assessed component = group assignment with individually assessed component ?

Assessment summary

  • Harmony Week: Share the Song: In pairs students learn about each other’s cultural heartiage and/or exposure to cultures other than their own. Select a song/instrumental that draws upon the heritage/experience of a member of your group and arrange a version to be performed furing Harmony Week’s class. Personal rationale for employment as a music teacher in a culturally and linguistically diverse school Individually, students will select 4 to 6 publications relating to cultural diversity in music education and write a justification for why they should be employed as a music teacher in a culturally and linguistically diverse school.

  • Gamelan Intensive: Students write three blog entries in which the experiences of learning Balinese gamelan music are discussed. Students are also rewarded a mark for full attendance and participation.  

 

  • Field collection, documentation and related program: Students will collect two musical items from a non-Anglo-Australian member of the community, transcribe one of the collected songs, conduct a comprehensive interview and provide a reflection. Students will then devise a unit of work incorporating the collected music items.
     
  • Field-to-classroom presentation: Students will present a 30 minute seminar related to materials and associated issues. Students will also distribute a handout to members of the class group during the seminar.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The following assessment criteria are used for written work in this unit of study:

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

Demonstrates high level of initiative in research and reading; sophisticated critical analysis of evidence; high level engagement with theoretical issues, innovative use of reading/research material and impressive command of underlying debates and assumptions; properly documented and written with style, originality and precision.

Distinction

75 - 84

Demonstrates initiative in research and wide, appropriate reading; complex understanding of question and ability to critically review material in relation to underlying assumptions and values; analyses material in relation to empirical and theoretical contexts; properly documented; clear, well-developed structure and argument with some signs of literary style.

Credit

65 - 74

Evidence of broader understanding than pass level; offers synthesis with some critical evaluation of material; coherent argument using a range of relevant evidence; some evidence of independent thought, good referencing. A high credit (70-74) shows some evidence of ability to problematise and think conceptually.

Pass

50 - 64

Written work meets basic requirements in terms of reading/research; relevant material; tendency to descriptive summary rather than critical argument; makes a reasonable attempt to avoid paraphrasing; reasonably coherent structure; often has weaknesses in particular areas, especially in terms of narrow or underdeveloped treatment of question; acceptable documentation.

Fail

0 - 49

Work may fail for any or all of the following reasons: Unacceptable paraphrasing; irrelevance of content; poor spelling; poor presentation; grammar or structure so sloppy it cannot be understood; failure to demonstrate understanding of content; insufficient or overlong word length.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Mid-semester break Gamelan Intensive with Peter Dunbar Hall. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 10-12 and 1-3. Classes are combined for the intensive. Workshop (12 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 01 Welcome to Cultural Diversity in Music Education: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music; Introduction to cultural diversity in Australia and Educational responses; Rationales and Protocols for multicultural music education and recapping the "culturals"; Representing diverse voices in Sydney. Workshop (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 02 Pedagogical considerations for culturally diverse musics: Concept vs Context: Problematising the study of Music of a Culture in the NSW Curriculum; Is authenticity possible? Teaching with integrity; World Music Pedagogy: Five Dimensions; WMP in action – Hindustani Classical Music. Workshop (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Week 03 Case Study of Music in Culture: Chinese Music. Masterclass featuring staff from the Chinese Music Ensemble; More strategies for integrating WMP. Culture Bearers: Lu Liu and Nicholas Ng, Chinese Music Ensemble. Workshop (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 04 Harmony Week: Share the song performances; Culturally Responsive Pedagogy; The place and power of music in celebrating culture through whole school events; The multicultural classroom and performance strategies for Stages 5 and 6. Workshop (2 hr) LO1
Week 05 Learning from culture bearers and developing lesson materials: Issues in the collection of resource materials: fieldwork, the study of cultures, ethical issues; Preparation for fieldwork presentations; Sample interview and Fieldwork Presentation: Music of Tonga. Workshop (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 06 Intercultural musicking through drumming and getting the most out of djembes: Drumming programs in schools; Teaching “African” Drumming; Artist Profile: Mamady Keita (1950-2021). Local Artist Profile: Yaw and Friends. Workshop (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Week 07 Case study of music in culture: Intercultural musicking in Western Sydney via Baghdad. Masterclass in Arabic Music; Jazz Fusions; Songs from Northam Avenue. Culture Bearers: Mohammed Lelo and James Tawadros. Workshop (2 hr) LO1 LO4
Week 08 Sharing culture through the voices and dances of my students: Music in Afghanistan and the Taliban Takeover; Music in the Philippines; K-Pop in the classroom - Why it MUST be represented. Workshop (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 09 Case Study of Music in Culture: Diverse music making from Chile via Sydney. Andean Music; Cumbia; Reggaeton; The multicultural classroom and composition strategies for senior music students. Culture Bearers: Luis and Chris Soto Workshop (2 hr) LO1 LO4
Week 11 Sound Circle Workshop with Nardi Simpson: Yuwaalaraay storytelling; Connecting to place and culture through musicking. Workshop (2 hr) LO1 LO4
Week 12 Seminar Presentations Presentation (2 hr) LO4 LO5
Week 13 Seminar Presentations Presentation (2 hr) LO4 LO5

Attendance and class requirements

  • Lecture recording: Lectures for this unit of study will be recorded and made available to students via Canvas.
  • Attendance: Students are expected to attend a minimum of 90% of timetabled activities for a unit of study, unless granted exemption by the Dean, Head of School or professor most concerned. The Dean, Head of School or professor most concerned may determine that a student fails a unit of study because of inadequate attendance. Alternatively, at their discretion, they may set additional assessment items where attendance is lower than 90%.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Howard, K. and Kelley, J. (2018).  World music pedagogy: secondary school innovations (volume 3), New York: Routledge [excerpts – TBA]

Locke, T. and Prentice, L. (2016). Facing the Indigenous ‘Other’: Culturally Responsive Research and Pedagogy in Music Education. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 45(2), 139-151.

Shehan Campbell, P. (2018). Music Education in a Time of Tradition and Transformation, Min-Ad: Israel Studies in Musicology Online, Vol. 15, 2018 (2), 12 pp. [available online]

For a complete list, check the MUED4603 Canvas site.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. demonstrate an understanding of notions of culturally responsive music education
  • LO2. identify, understand and apply a range of pedagogical approaches to culturally inclusive music education
  • LO3. critically evaluate information from online and published sources relating to music education and cultural diversity
  • LO4. demonstrate cultural competence through interpersonal and organisational skills related to field collection of music and contextual information from culture-bearers
  • LO5. formulate and document teaching/learning experiences utilising both field-collected and published materials for use in a classroom context.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Every year after this unit is delivered, thoughtful suggestions for improvement made through the USS and other channels are considered and incorporated into future versions of the unit.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.