Despite the recent focus on creativity and innovation as the backbone of Western knowledge econom... more Despite the recent focus on creativity and innovation as the backbone of Western knowledge economies, the presence of the creative arts within universities remains problematic. Australian artist academics who seek a balance between their artistic and academic lives work within a government-directed research environment that is unable to quantify; therefore, to recognize the value of creative research, yet which accepts the funded outcomes of post-graduate practice-based students. This study sought to unravel how artist academics from a variety of non-written creative disciplines perceive the relationships between their roles as artists, researchers and tertiary educators. Three themes were generated from interviews with the artist-academics: (a) creative research and the academy, (b) practice, research, and teaching nexus, and (c) identity. Central to the discussions was the question of whether and how creative work constitutes legitimate research. (Contains 1 table and 1 footnote.)
Success in marketing classical music depends largely on three key factors: the size and status of... more Success in marketing classical music depends largely on three key factors: the size and status of the CD release label; the status and image of the performers and composers; and the repertoire. This paper reports from a project that involved a small, independent Australian label, performers little-known beyond their academic work, and newly written music by Australian composers. The researchers expected it to be difficult to get airplay, recognition and sales, and they responded by turning to the idea of the concept album. The project looked at the concept album as a way of offering classical composers and performers new ways of programming works, ordering CD tracks, and placing their music into the listening community. We begin with discussion of the concept album in popular music and similar shapes in classical music and then introduce four recent projects of newly composed classical music: Australia East and West – new music for viola and piano (forthcoming 2015); Childhood in Mu...
The creative application and development of an ePortfolio as a pedagogic innovation in learning a... more The creative application and development of an ePortfolio as a pedagogic innovation in learning and teaching in higher education lies in strategies acquired by students to select authentic evidence to document achievements and skills as a graduate. Many educators use ePortfolios as a learning tool and through introduction of reflection or reflective practice activities the ePortfolio has potential to be a powerful tool for all learners. This paper reports the pedagogic and technological undertaking of ePortfolio development for creative and performing arts students at four tertiary institutions in Australia. It explores how the artist perceives her/himself and choice of evidence selected to showcase development thus highlighting aspects of artistic identity versus professional career identity. ePortfolio development involves reflection, organisation and critical thinking by students developing a learning ‘story’ that accurately represents skills learnt and competencies developed dur...
This paper reports findings from interviews with fourteen Australian artist academics, who discus... more This paper reports findings from interviews with fourteen Australian artist academics, who discuss the complex relationships between their Arts practice, their Research and their Teaching. We refer to this as the ART nexus because of the strong flow of information reported between these three activities. However, this information flow is not achieved without conflict. Conflict arises over the balance of
ABSTRACT Free access at: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/2ARXivQrDrrNw7yCr4ZQ/full Although the... more ABSTRACT Free access at: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/2ARXivQrDrrNw7yCr4ZQ/full Although the employability of graduates is of concern across further and higher education it is particularly problematic in the Arts disciplines, from which few students transition to a traditional, full-time position. Arts graduates shape their work to meet personal and professional needs, and the successful negotiation of this type of career requires a strong sense of identity and an awareness of diverse opportunities. The challenge for educators is how we might develop these capacities whilst being mindful of students’ dreams, which are often focused on artistic excellence and recognition. This paper reports findings from a collaborative study undertaken at four Australian universities. With a focus on developing an electronic portfolio (eP), the study involved students in classical and contemporary music, music education, music technology, creative writing and professional writing. The combination of music and writing provided points of comparison to identify issues specific to music, and those that might apply more generally. This paper reports findings related to learner identity, drawing evidence from survey and interview data. The study, which was driven by the learning process rather than the technological tool, revealed that students’ use of eP transitions from archive to self-portrait. Moreover, the eP emerged as a vehicle through which identity is negotiated and constructed. Indeed, the process of developing of an eP prompted students to adopt future-oriented thinking as they began to redefine their learning in relation to their future lives and careers. These findings were common to all students regardless of discipline or technological platform.
... This autonomy that cultural products can have (p. 111) and whether music is contextual is .... more ... This autonomy that cultural products can have (p. 111) and whether music is contextual is ... Ray Phiri which heads this article, embraces both the notion of the universality of music ... accurate interpretation of the rhythms of calypso, soca, reggae, etc., through playing, hearing and ...
Whilst an academic working in the arts may have been appointed as a consequence of artistic accom... more Whilst an academic working in the arts may have been appointed as a consequence of artistic accomplishment and a capacity to teach, the research that underpins such work is an intrinsic part of its production and also needs to be recognised. In Australia, the ability of ...
... Like 'musicianship' in relation to hard skills, much of the soft skill-set is summe... more ... Like 'musicianship' in relation to hard skills, much of the soft skill-set is summed up by the catch-all 'professionalism' (Ryan, 2004). 'Personal skills' include: ... There are criteria which blur the distinction between hard and soft skill-sets. ...
... learning about the performance process of others and, at the same time, throughself-reflectio... more ... learning about the performance process of others and, at the same time, throughself-reflection, their own performing; and r students can be prepared for other roles in the area of performance, those of assessor and critic. Could ...
Through explanations of case studies of ePortfolio use in four Australian universities, this pape... more Through explanations of case studies of ePortfolio use in four Australian universities, this paper reports on work being undertaken to introduce and evaluate ePortfolios for their benefits to the learning and teaching of music and other creative arts. The examples presented raise a number of issues, demonstrating how ePortfolios are being used in different contexts for different purposes. They allow discussion of the uses of ePortfolios in individual subject areas and across whole degree programs; their relationships to information technology and development of IT-related skills; their significance as a site for realization of and exploration of students’ multiple identities; and their role in students’ control of their own learning.
Despite the recent focus on creativity and innovation as the backbone of Western knowledge econom... more Despite the recent focus on creativity and innovation as the backbone of Western knowledge economies, the presence of the creative arts within universities remains problematic. Australian artist academics who seek a balance between their artistic and academic lives work within a government-directed research environment that is unable to quantify; therefore, to recognize the value of creative research, yet which accepts the funded outcomes of post-graduate practice-based students. This study sought to unravel how artist academics from a variety of non-written creative disciplines perceive the relationships between their roles as artists, researchers and tertiary educators. Three themes were generated from interviews with the artist-academics: (a) creative research and the academy, (b) practice, research, and teaching nexus, and (c) identity. Central to the discussions was the question of whether and how creative work constitutes legitimate research. (Contains 1 table and 1 footnote.)
Success in marketing classical music depends largely on three key factors: the size and status of... more Success in marketing classical music depends largely on three key factors: the size and status of the CD release label; the status and image of the performers and composers; and the repertoire. This paper reports from a project that involved a small, independent Australian label, performers little-known beyond their academic work, and newly written music by Australian composers. The researchers expected it to be difficult to get airplay, recognition and sales, and they responded by turning to the idea of the concept album. The project looked at the concept album as a way of offering classical composers and performers new ways of programming works, ordering CD tracks, and placing their music into the listening community. We begin with discussion of the concept album in popular music and similar shapes in classical music and then introduce four recent projects of newly composed classical music: Australia East and West – new music for viola and piano (forthcoming 2015); Childhood in Mu...
The creative application and development of an ePortfolio as a pedagogic innovation in learning a... more The creative application and development of an ePortfolio as a pedagogic innovation in learning and teaching in higher education lies in strategies acquired by students to select authentic evidence to document achievements and skills as a graduate. Many educators use ePortfolios as a learning tool and through introduction of reflection or reflective practice activities the ePortfolio has potential to be a powerful tool for all learners. This paper reports the pedagogic and technological undertaking of ePortfolio development for creative and performing arts students at four tertiary institutions in Australia. It explores how the artist perceives her/himself and choice of evidence selected to showcase development thus highlighting aspects of artistic identity versus professional career identity. ePortfolio development involves reflection, organisation and critical thinking by students developing a learning ‘story’ that accurately represents skills learnt and competencies developed dur...
This paper reports findings from interviews with fourteen Australian artist academics, who discus... more This paper reports findings from interviews with fourteen Australian artist academics, who discuss the complex relationships between their Arts practice, their Research and their Teaching. We refer to this as the ART nexus because of the strong flow of information reported between these three activities. However, this information flow is not achieved without conflict. Conflict arises over the balance of
ABSTRACT Free access at: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/2ARXivQrDrrNw7yCr4ZQ/full Although the... more ABSTRACT Free access at: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/2ARXivQrDrrNw7yCr4ZQ/full Although the employability of graduates is of concern across further and higher education it is particularly problematic in the Arts disciplines, from which few students transition to a traditional, full-time position. Arts graduates shape their work to meet personal and professional needs, and the successful negotiation of this type of career requires a strong sense of identity and an awareness of diverse opportunities. The challenge for educators is how we might develop these capacities whilst being mindful of students’ dreams, which are often focused on artistic excellence and recognition. This paper reports findings from a collaborative study undertaken at four Australian universities. With a focus on developing an electronic portfolio (eP), the study involved students in classical and contemporary music, music education, music technology, creative writing and professional writing. The combination of music and writing provided points of comparison to identify issues specific to music, and those that might apply more generally. This paper reports findings related to learner identity, drawing evidence from survey and interview data. The study, which was driven by the learning process rather than the technological tool, revealed that students’ use of eP transitions from archive to self-portrait. Moreover, the eP emerged as a vehicle through which identity is negotiated and constructed. Indeed, the process of developing of an eP prompted students to adopt future-oriented thinking as they began to redefine their learning in relation to their future lives and careers. These findings were common to all students regardless of discipline or technological platform.
... This autonomy that cultural products can have (p. 111) and whether music is contextual is .... more ... This autonomy that cultural products can have (p. 111) and whether music is contextual is ... Ray Phiri which heads this article, embraces both the notion of the universality of music ... accurate interpretation of the rhythms of calypso, soca, reggae, etc., through playing, hearing and ...
Whilst an academic working in the arts may have been appointed as a consequence of artistic accom... more Whilst an academic working in the arts may have been appointed as a consequence of artistic accomplishment and a capacity to teach, the research that underpins such work is an intrinsic part of its production and also needs to be recognised. In Australia, the ability of ...
... Like 'musicianship' in relation to hard skills, much of the soft skill-set is summe... more ... Like 'musicianship' in relation to hard skills, much of the soft skill-set is summed up by the catch-all 'professionalism' (Ryan, 2004). 'Personal skills' include: ... There are criteria which blur the distinction between hard and soft skill-sets. ...
... learning about the performance process of others and, at the same time, throughself-reflectio... more ... learning about the performance process of others and, at the same time, throughself-reflection, their own performing; and r students can be prepared for other roles in the area of performance, those of assessor and critic. Could ...
Through explanations of case studies of ePortfolio use in four Australian universities, this pape... more Through explanations of case studies of ePortfolio use in four Australian universities, this paper reports on work being undertaken to introduce and evaluate ePortfolios for their benefits to the learning and teaching of music and other creative arts. The examples presented raise a number of issues, demonstrating how ePortfolios are being used in different contexts for different purposes. They allow discussion of the uses of ePortfolios in individual subject areas and across whole degree programs; their relationships to information technology and development of IT-related skills; their significance as a site for realization of and exploration of students’ multiple identities; and their role in students’ control of their own learning.
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Papers by Diana Blom