Jan Sverre Knudsen

Children's Improvised Vocalisations: Learning, Communication and Technology of the Self

The intention of this article is to explore, challenge and expand our understandings of childrens improvised vocalisations, a fundamentally human form of expression. Based on selected examples from observation and recording in non-institutional settings, the article outlines how this phenomenon can be understood as learning and as communication. This is supplemented by suggesting a third possible approach which places these vocal forms within the frame of understanding implied by Foucaults term ‘technology of the self’. This theoretical perspective entails recognising improvised vocalisations as tools used to ‘act upon the self’ in order to attain or reinforce a certain mental state or mood — happiness, satisfaction, anger or longing — in short, as a way in which children learn to know the self as a self. In line with a Foucauldian perspective is also a focus on the negotiation of power and how music serves as an empowering agent in childrens everyday social interaction. Finally, informed by Vygotskys approach to understanding the relationship between language and mental development, the author discusses the gradual disappearance of improvised vocalisations.

Dancing cueca “with your coat on”: The role of traditional Chilean dance in an immigrant community

This article examines the cueca dance, an undisputed symbol of Chilean national identity, within the diasporic Chilean community in Oslo. The immigrant experience involves dramatic social change and therefore provides an interesting field in which to investigate the dynamic relationship between changes in musical practices and social change. In this article I address the complex processes of adaptation, redefinition and reconstruction that cueca dancing has undergone in Norway. I begin with an overview of the processes involved in the construction of the cueca as the Chilean national dance. I then look at the changes it has undergone in Norway in relation to recruitment, interpretation, experienced meaning and social function.

Musical pathfinders of the kindergarten

Based on an empirical study in selected Norwegian kindergartens, this article investigates the practice of musically active employees, with or without professional training. The overarching aim is to develop an understanding of early childhood music practitioners that may challenge dominant views of professional identity and provide some new images of what it means to work musically in a kindergarten. Departing from a sociological approach, five different ‘musical pathfinders’ are identified: the disc jockey, the facilitator, the choir leader, the caregiver and the performer. These ‘ideal types’ are discussed in the light of issues concerning cultural diversity, negotiations of professionalism, repertoire selection, the use of music technology, children’s participation, and the relationship between formal and informal learning. The discussion raises critical questions concerning music activity in early childhood institutions, highlighting professionals’ personal cultural experiences, preferences and practices as legitimate points of reference in the development of professional identity.