Cognitive Learning Application in Integrated Voice Practice Curriculum

Written in 3rd March 2016 as part of PGCLTHE Study.

Abstract

This article will seek to justify the use of Cognitive and Experiential Learning approaches in the design and delivery of a theoretical module called 'Integrated Voice Practices' at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. This theoretical module is being designed to fill a gap between the School of Music and the School of Drama regarding the different methodological approaches taken to voice work in their various contexts through the Conservatoire. The module seeks to bring together different undergraduate degree level students who are studying: Opera, Musical Theatre and Acting, into a learning community facilitated by various voice faculty through the institution. Students are encouraged to seek greater knowledge of each others approach to the craft of voice, question the context in which they use craft within their artistry and find greater connection and use for a more holistic and integrated approach to spoken and sung text through all disciplines. The article will show how the use of cognitive and experiential learning theories will be used to enhance student engagement and active participation.

Introduction

Throughout the project, the question of integration has been investigated in the hope of uncovering a better understanding of how the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) uses its scope of subject areas effectively to enhance student understanding and create an environment to develop more reflective and open-minded artists. The overall study is poised to answer the following 2 questions:

How do I allow students at RCS to integrate their voice studies across disciplines and in what ways does this give more currency to their overall learning and skill levels?

To what extent can the 3 main branches of Voice Teaching in the Conservatoire: Classical Singing, Contemporary Singing and Spoken Voice, integrate more efficiently and effectively within the Conservatoire to serve the ‘Versatile Performing Artist’ and ‘Professional Voice User’ in today’s industry?

(Harrison, S., 2016)

At this stage it has been established that to encourage and facilitate engagement in greater integration, a module could be designed to offer students this precise experience. The module would build on their current ICP, Singing and Spoken voice modules (RCS, 2015) which the students already engage in, and supplement their core learning by offering them a platform to expand their knowledge and the contexts in which they use it within their own personal practice as artists.

Previous investigation into Learning Communities already showed that structurally the study will use a Learning Community framework in order to address the questions of integrations which are posed in the proposal above. However, further justification is required to provide the approach suitable to this type of class. Behaviourist Learning Theory's use in Singing and Spoken Voice work is a topic which has already been explored in the larger study, and both the positives and negatives of this approach in this context were discussed in detail (Harrison, S., 2015).

However, if we wish for students to integrate their knowledge, then previous knowledge and experience of the subject is essential. 'Skill and Drill' would not be effective to achieve outcomes of widening understanding or collaborative discussion. Instead the Learning Outcomes of this class, and ultimate the answer to this question, will be found when asking the students to engage in a broader cognitive manner.

Justification

Engagement from the wider voice community has already proven to be difficult, and because of this low motivation to change from certain areas of the industry, it is important that the class engages fully with this resistance in a non-threatening and constructive way. Peer-to-Peer and Peer-to-Student engagement and collaborative thinking are essential if scrutinise of methodology is to be effectively carried out. This is also essential to maximise motivation from a comprehensive and often disparate group of stakeholders.
The hope is that using a model of social constructivism  (Vygotsy, 1962) we will be able to look at the the solution to "What Can I do with Help?" which will be the primary means of active engagement for the student participants.

The main use of a Learning Community structure is to foster the above in the most effective way, as can be seen from Stefanou & Sailsbury-Glennon:

Learning communities have been proposed as one means of curriculum reform because of their emphasis on integrated courses and intellectual interaction between faculty and students (Gabelnick, MacGregor, Matthews & Smith, 1990). Unlike a more traditional approach to instruction, learn- ing communities foster the social construction of knowledge, cooperative learning, active learning, an emphasis on the integration and synthesis of diverse student perspectives, as well as student-student, student-staff, and staff-staff collaboration (Smith, 1993). Further, Hill (1985) suggests that the learning community provides opportunities for students to think critically, solve complex problems, and become life-long learners.

(Stefanou & Sailsbury-Glennon, 2002)

Critical thinking and problem solving are at the heart of the question in this study, as the learning outcomes require a greater understanding of how technique and methodology applies to the students individually and as a group, rather than a pre-defined performative result. As defined by Byron (2014), we are engaging with, scrutinising and assessing (both peer and self assessment will be used) the "Performing" rather than the "Performance".

Cognitive Constructivist principals, particularly those of instructional design, and the notion that instruction must be 'constructed' rather than 'given' (Wadsworth, 2004) are of high importance as this provides stimulus to students in a way which is not currently offered to them from the approaches taken by various vocal studies departments within the RCS. Even in the more expressive and freely interpreted approach of Nadine George Technique, there is in place a rigid structure of practice from the warm up, to the vowel sounds used in the various vocal energies. Within this structure, over time students are expected to fulfil a predetermined performative result. Similarly with both Opera and Musical Theatre singing, students adhere to a strict set of aesthetic results which they work towards using various predefined curricula set by the methodological criteria. The very nature of 'method' is at fault here from its definition:

"a procedure or process for attaining an object: asa (1)  :  a systematic procedure, technique, or mode of inquiry employed by or proper to a particular discipline or art  (2)  :  a systematic plan followed in presenting material for instruction"

(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/method)

The study seeks to allow students an opportunity to break from their systematic approaches, by becoming active learners who understand in more holistic terms what their technique is for, and what it could be for. Through this, the students will be able to access greater artistic freedom and breadth of performative choices, making their personal approach not only more comprehensive, but also more valuable to directors, musical directors and audiences in a business which is consistently changing the boundaries.

"Theatre is changing. The traditional canon is constantly revisited with a fresh eye and new writing continues to thrive, with new plays enjoying full houses. De nitions of theatre have been stretched beyond those used a generation ago."

(http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/consultation/Appendix_Theatre_A4_12Pt.pdf)

Further to all of the academic benefits of using these approaches. The benefit of developing confidence and a sense of inclusion which working collaboratively brings should not be understated. The average performing arts student has between 36 and 40 contact hours a week, and will normally work throughout weekends and evenings to hone their skills and develop their abilities. Often due to the cut-throat nature of the industry, tutors expose students to very blunt realities and make them aware of their boundaries on a day to day basis. The potential toll this can have on a young artists confidence is significant, with a commonly considered high industry drop out rate among graduating students.
Giving students more encouragement to build their own craft and art will hopefully empower and encourage them to use their skills more widely.

Usage

Due to the lack of current research into the integration of different popular pedagogical approaches and methodologies in the field of voice, a cognitive approach suits the needs of the learners as the purpose is making their own connections between the skills being addressed by the tutor and how they correlate to their practice and the needs of their art.

The results of how engaging in cognitive learning within a learning community improves academic achievement is well documented (Stefanou & Sailsbury-Glennon, 2002) and the use of critical thinking is of particular importance to the structure of the curriculum for this class.

Common concepts, such as breath, tone, placement, articulation and dynamics are often taught from an instructional manner and learned through repetition and correction of 'right' and 'wrong' from the tutor. Instead, during the study, discussion will be opened by the tutor on the subjects, with students from various disciplines allowed to engage and share ideas. Students will be encouraged to think outside of the box and expand these concepts in order to gain a greater personal understanding of them and their use in various contexts.

Other styles of exercise will also be used in a cognitive context to encourage greater active learner engagement. Masterclass style and work sharing will be used more widely to encourage peer to peer feedback as well as tutor to peer feedback. The tutor will encourage students to use their cumulative knowledge to solve problems for each other and hone their diagnostic skills and tacit knowledge.

The Experiential Learning Cycle (Kolb, 1984) will act as an active device within the curricula set to encourage students to regularly reflect, secure their knowledge and use the space to experiment and test their artists boundaries.

(McLeod, 2010)

Reflection will be a regular device, with Critical Incident Reports (http://www.stephenbrookfield.com/Dr._Stephen_D._Brookfield/Critical_Incident_Questionnaire_files/CIQ.pdf) being completed as part of the students overall learning process. A common device which will be used is open group reflection with the tutor, wether this is in the guise of peer feedback, self-evaluation or end of class reflection. The more students are allowed to voice their perspectives on their experiences, the more others will learn about each others process and their place within it.

Conclusion

Through the use of Experiential and Cognitive Learning styles, a class will be created which fosters greater integration and collaboration between students who study: Opera, Musical Theatre and Acting. This curriculum will focus on finding commonality between the vocal disciplines and allow students to explore their own personal artistic practices with many different methodological approaches. Through this, the study hopes to discover a greater appreciation and application of different arts practices and engage students more actively in the use of their craft and artistry.

Bibliography

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Byron, E. (2014) Integrative Performance: Practice and Theory for the Interdisciplinary Performer, London: Routledge.

Gabelnick, F., MacGregor, J., Matthews, R., & Smith, B. L. (1990). Learning communities: Building connections among disciplines, students, and faculty, New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 41. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Harrison, S., (2016) Research Proposal for PGCert Project https://scottjohnharrison.wordpress.com/2016/01/18/research-proposal-for-pgcert-project/

Harrison, S. (2015) Behaviourism and Singing https://scottjohnharrison.wordpress.com/2015/03/10/behaviourism-and-singing/

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http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/method [last accessed: 28/02/16]

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development (Vol. 1). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

McLeod, S. (2010) Kolb: Learning Styles http://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html [last accessed 29/02/16]

Smith, B. L. (1993). Creating learning communities. Liberal Education, Fall, 32–39.

Stefanou C. R. & Sailsbury-Glennon J. D. (2002) Developing motivation and cognitive learning strategies through an undergraduate learning community, Learning Environments Research, 5, (1), 77-97

Theatre: achievements, challenges and opportunities: Consultation paper appendixhttp://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/consultation/Appendix_Theatre_A4_12Pt.pdf [last accessed: 28/02/16]

Vygotsy, L. S.  (1962) Thought and language Cambridge [Mass] : M.I.T. Press.

Wadsworth, B. J. (2004). Piaget's theory of cognitive and affective development: Foundations of constructivism. Longman Publishing.