Popular Music Learning Through Social and Co-constructed Collaborations
Academic Article
Overview
Overview
Abstract
The growth of music technology, including iPads, MIDI controllers, and laptops, has significantly transformed music creation, production, and performance in the 21st century. This evolution has led to the emergence of digital music ensembles (DMEs), such as laptop orchestras, which are increasingly common in Europe and North America. While researchers have noted how digitally mediated music-making can foster collaborative, socially constructed, and peer-directed learning, less is known about how these dynamics are experienced by student musicians learning to perform popular music on digital devices. This study explores the lived experiences of four undergraduate students who formed a digital controller ensemble called Dissonance, as they learned to use music technology to perform and record popular music. The research is framed using Bakhtin’s (1981) dialogical theory, particularly the concepts of polyphony, heteroglossia, and addresivity, which provide a lens for understanding the dialogic and socially constructed nature of participants learning. Using qualitative analysis procedures, five themes emerged from these data: (1) Performance, (2) Community and Belonging, (3) Self-directed and Ear-based Learning, (4) Creativity, and (5) Personal Growth, Confidence, and Identity. These findings may offer insights into the nature of music learning in DMEs for students in higher education. Curricular suggestions and implications for music education and higher education contexts are provided.
