Date: Sat, 15 Mar 1997 01:53:03 -0600 (CST)
To: satex@mail.ed.uiuc.edu
From: Mark Heidel <heidel@students.uiuc.edu>
Subject: Project Proposal: Music In Our World

Many cultures in our world are coming to be appreciated as but small parts
of a larger, more interrelated global community with common human needs and
desires. Music educators, like educators in other subject areas, have come
to realize that other cultures should not be ignored, but rather they
deserve to be experienced by their students. Many teachers accomplish this
by having their students learn about the geography, history, religion,
philosophy, dress, food, language, and customs of a particular culture. 

In music classes, students can learn about a culture through its songs,
dances, and instrumental compositions. Incorporating music from other
cultures into music education programs can provide opportunities for
students to learn musical concepts and reinforce their knowledge of musical
elements, improve critical thinking skills, and develop sensitivity to both
familiar and unfamiliar music. World music also provides a broader range of
musical materials for the students to study. Since every musical tradition
is unique in its history and materials, studying a single tradition may not
reveal the scope of musical possibilities that are available globally.

My project will provide a forum for students around the world to share
their thoughts and perceptions about music in their culture and in other
cultures. I plan on creating a website and calling it "MUSIC IN OUR WORLD".
The project will be open for participation by music students of any age
representing any culture in the world. I will gather the information by
posting a questionnaire on the website, but I will request only one
completed questionnaire per class. The project will last for approximately
three weeks, which will give me ample time to process the responses. 

I will begin by asking a few general questions such as the location of
their school, type of class they are in, grade level, native language, etc.
I will also ask them to share the title of one piece of music which best
represents THEIR culture. Since it is important for students to know the
diverse ways that music functions in other cultures, I will ask the
students to provide information about the role of the piece of music within
their culture. For example, the piece might be used for a special dance,
for a celebration, as a work song or lullaby, as part of a religious
ceremony, etc. I will also ask them to provide the subject matter of the
music, which could include love, heroism, death, crop harvest, hunting, etc. 

While it is important to identify pieces from specific cultures and present
their function within that culture, it is also important for students to be
aware of how cultures structure sound. For this, I will ask the students to
include information about basic musical features which are unique to that
particular composition. This discussion might include special rhythmic
and/or melodic characteristics, certain harmonic progressions, or even a
discussion about the form of the piece.  I will also ask the students to
discuss any special instruments or vocal techniques which are used to
perform the piece of music.This section will give students an opportunity
to compare music making processes throughout the world and to see what is
unique to each form of expression. 

I will then request the participants to undertake the same steps for a
piece of music which they consider best represents a culture OTHER than
their own. In this section, I think it will be interesting to note their
perceptions of another culture's musical tradition. 

I will also include a response section for teachers only. In this section,
teachers will have the opportunity to discuss any effective approaches they
might have used to incorporate the study of world music into their music
curriculum.  

All of the responses will be categorized by class types (Ex. general music,
instrumental, vocal) and listed in a "Participant Response" section on the
website. This section will provide an easy means for students and educators
to access the thoughts of music students from a large (HOPEFULLY) number of
diverse cultures. Students can use the information to gain a better
understanding of other cultures, while educators will have a resource they
can consult when incorporating world music into their curriculum. 

No culture is without music, and my goal is to provide an opportunity for
students and teachers around the world to increase their knowledge and
appreciation of the many musical cultures that exist in our global community. 

Well, that is the outline of my project proposal. It's rough and I need to
work through some issues, but at least it's underway! I am looking forward
to any comments and/or suggestions for improvement anyone in our class
might have. Thanks for your help, and have a nice weekend.


Mark