Songwriting in adolescence : an ethnographic study in the Western Cape

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The main objective of this study is to describe the nature and function ofadolescent songwriting phenomenologically to ascertain the implications formusic education. Secondary aims and research questions include ascertaining ifand to what extent songwriting in adolescence serves as medium for emotionalexpression, self-therapy, socio-cultural cohesion and informal learning. Othersecondary research aims are establishing the quality of the creative product anddetermining the implications for music education curricula in keeping withcurrent curriculum development strategies.Adolescents' engagement in music is considered as a socio-culturalphenomenon. Individuals' interaction with music is thus considered on Doise's(1986:10-16) four levels of social explanation: the intra-personal, the interpersonal,the positional level and the ideological level. On the intra-personal levelmusic is viewed as a technology of the self (DeNora, 2000), a medium for selftherapyand mood control and technology of the body. On the inter-personallevel music is discussed as a form of self-expression serving as communicativeform. On the positional level music's role in bonding between individuals,namely social cohesion, is expounded. Lastly, on the ideological level, music isconsidered as part of youth, youth culture and cultural identity.The compositional (songwriting) process is analyzed. Compositional modes,individual and collaborative, are identified and described and the creative processnamely composing, is delineated according to creativity, creativity as socialformation, creativity as process and the role and nature of informal learning.Adolescents use the process of songwriting to establish and enhance socialcohesion, to further communication and expression with peers and to exertcreative and intellectual activity in an informal learning environment. The creative product, adolescents' songs, is analyzed and described. Generalperspectives and theories about musical analysis are addressed to include abroader, socio-cultural view of analysis to analyze adolescent music. The musicaland lyrical features are analyzed within the context of their socio-cultural setting.The SOLO Taxonomy (DeTurk, 1988) is adapted and applied to propose anevaluation procedure for the lyrics. Dunbar-Hall's (1999) five methods ofpopular music analysis are applied in combination with Goodwin's (1992) soundimagemodel, synaestesia, to expand on the socio-cultural context of popularmusic analysis. The implications of musicology namely 'formal musiceducation versus popular music styles and the effects of formal and informallearning strategies on songwriting are considered. A new understanding ofmusical analysis namely 'musical poetics (Krims, 2000) is adopted and the rolethat locality plays in this analysis is expounded. The role of notation and playingby ear is set out to validate the adolescents' creative product.The research methodology employed in this research include group discussion,observation, experience sampling method (adapted from Larson &Csikszentmihalyi, 1983) and individual interviews and are described according tomethodology, results and analysis of the results.General perspectives on music education curricula are considered in light of thepossible contribution songwriting, as an informal learning activity, could bring tomusic education as composition is currently a high priority in international musiceducation discourse and features prominently in current curricula.Recommendations and conclusions are made.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University