Heikki Ruismäki

Early childhood musical experiences: Contributing to pre-service elementary teachers's self-concept in music and success in music education (during student age)

SUMMARY This article studies early childhood musical experiences of Finnish pre-service elementary teachers (N=590). The article also analyses their connections between musical self-concept at student age and musical progress in teacher education. Research material was gathered by a questionnaire, which posed retrospective questions about childhood as well as questions about musical self-concept in real time. The musical self-concept of student teachers was analysed through factor analysis within a field of six sectors: the general concept of ones own musicality, music conducting, musical taste, playing, singing and listening to music. The highest correlations between self-concept in music and the variables of early childhood experiences were the following: the pleasure of singing, the amount of singing, inventing ones own songs and appreciation of music in the home. The most important impulses encouraging the playing of musical instruments proved to be the amount of playing of family members, the number of musical instruments in the home and the existence of a piano or other keyboard instrument at home. As mentioned before, early childhood musical experiences were also connected with the scores given for singing and piano playing in teacher education. The research results proved the importance of early childhood musical experiences, because they even at an adult age they still significantly correlate with the individuals musical progress and his or her self-concept in music. At the same time they are part of his or her total personality.

Does Arts Education Develop School Readiness? Teachers’ and Artists’ Points of View on an Art Education Project

More than 98 percent of children in Finland attend preschool, where different kinds of projects are carried out in order to strengthen the childrens abilities. This article focuses on the effects of one arts education project from a school readiness point of view. The main question was, How did the Helsinki arts education project affect the childrens learning skills and attitudes? The target groups were children aged three to nine years who participated in the arts project in day care centers and schools. A multidimensional evaluation method was used for the analyses. The research data consisted of interviews of the program artists and educators (n = 23), follow-up reports (n = 9), and other materials. The results show that the program motivated children and aroused their interest in thinking, problem-solving, practicing, and learning. It offered children opportunities to experience success, which increased their self-confidence and skills. The project also strengthened their abilities in listening, goal-oriented work, evaluating others’ work, and receiving feedback, which are all abilities required for school entrance. The subject matter of their school courses was also integrated into their achievements.

Awakening students’ entrepreneurial selves: case music in basic education

Purpose – Entrepreneurship education is recommended for implementation throughout the entire educational path. However, there have been challenges in implementing entrepreneurship education for many kinds of students, especially in non-business education. The purpose of this paper is to ask how 15-year-old students in Finnish basic education are able to find their “entrepreneurial selves” by looking at their musical activities through an “entrepreneurial lens”. Design/methodology/approach – This case study examines an intervention carried out among music students in basic education. The music teacher interpreted the enterprise approach as guiding the students to experiment with different styles in singing and playing instruments, to seek various opportunities to sing and play both individually and as a group, and to reflect upon their activities. To awaken their entrepreneurial selves, the students were guided to assess their musical activity using 12 enterprise concepts. Findings – The study shows that s...

Music behind scores: case study of learning improvisation with Playback Orchestra method

For music students in the early stages of learning, the music may seem to be hidden behind the scores. To support home practising, Juntunen has created the Playback Orchestra method with which the students can practise with the support of the notation program playback of the full orchestra. The results of testing the method with first-grade string instrument students showed that the group who used the playback method learned faster than the group who did not. The clear and expressive body movements that are developed effectively by the playback method also provide support for leading a group by playing. The aim of this recent pilot study was to discover if improvisation benefits from an audio learning component. The research is a qualitative case study combined with quasi-experimental tests and quantitative analyses. The improvisation task was to describe a storm in a long musical tale, Mickey Mouse in a Storm, which had several episodes in different atmospheres. The results showed that the playback group was clearly better in terms of ‘joy of playing’, ‘concentrating’, ‘finding ones own improvising ideas’ and ‘understanding the overall picture’. The most crucial finding was that ‘intensive continuity’ improved faster in the playback group.

The Finnish Five-String Kantele: Sustainably Designed for Musical Joy.

Abstract This article discusses the five-string kantele as an example of the Finnish national heritage, a school instrument and an example of sustainable design. A qualitative case study was made by collecting the data from the Finnish students – prospective teachers – and the sixth form pupils, who had designed and carved their own five-string kanteles. The purpose of this research was to find out which aspects of five-string kantele design are considered the most important for sustainable principles and design among these youngsters. As results, the elements and principles of designing the five-string kantele are discussed and its relevance to five sustainable characteristics (creative, ecological, economic, aesthetic and socio-environmental) is presented. The sustainable values of the kantele and the purpose for which it is made are also considered.

Enhancing Primary School Student Teachers’ Psychological Ownership in Teaching Music

Despite the recent growing research interest in psychological ownership (PO) in various organisations, research on PO in the educational sciences remains scarce. This study attempts to fill this gap in the context of primary school teacher education. In many countries, e.g. Australia, England, Finland, Spain and Wales, primary school teachers as ‘generalists’ are supposed to teach various subjects including music. Although primary school teachers cannot be high-level experts in every subject, they should feel sufficient PO towards these subjects. The impacts of musical experiences in early childhood modify student teachers’ attitudes towards teaching music. This study focused on one intervention carried out in a music course under a Finnish primary school teacher education programme. Focusing on the students’ feelings of PO towards teaching music, the study found that 18 student teachers increased their PO towards teaching music while 19 maintained a low PO level. The strength of PO seemed connected to how the teacher educator organised the music learning environment, including the pedagogics. Additionally, student teachers’ musical background seemed to affect PO to some extent. The implications are useful for developing primary school teachers’ education, especially in music and in other arts and skills subjects. The findings may also be applicable to other primary education subjects.

Steps Together: Children’s Experiences of Participation in Club Activities With the Elderly

ABSTRACT The amount of time that children and elderly people spend alone has grown in recent years in Finland. Based on sociocultural theory, children’s development and learning occur in close interaction with the surrounding society, place, and time. The aim of this study is to research children’s experiences of participation in club activities for children and the elderly. The qualitative research data were collected by observing activities and interviewing children. The key factors in supporting children’s participation were common interests in rewarding activities. A warm atmosphere and humor during activities were also found to be important elements in creating positive interactions between children and the elderly.