As part of the amazing lineup of courageous, insightful educators from around the globe presenting at the 3rd Reform Symposium, my friend (and my actual Grade 7&8 music classroom teacher from many years ago) Dr Pamela Burnard presented a keynote on Creativity and Creative Learning: Redefining the Future of Learning.
Pam has been working at Cambridge University in the UK, focusing specifically on the areas of creativity in education. Her current credentials include being Co-Editor, British Journal of Music Education and Co-Convenor British Educational Research Association (BERA) Creativity in Education SIG.
Her own research and practice at Cambridge University has heavily focused on working and researching directly with educators and practioners in many spheres, with a strong interest in the areas of music and arts education.
This is a page of resources related to her Reform Symposium presentation, for people who wish to learn more about the topics she discussed.
Click here to download the Powerpoint file of her keynote presentation.
Her talk has been recorded and will be available on YouTube via the RSCON channel in due course.
The videos referenced in her talk are:
Daubeney Primary School, Hackney – We’re ready to learn
Railroad Rhythm – Ferny Grove High School, Queensland Australia.
Core
Music by composer/educator Leah Kardos. Video art by Matthew Greasley.
An additional YouTube video of interest that didn’t fit into the length of the Reform Symposium talk: SWEDISH STORYTELLING WITH JAM2JAM
Per Skold from Humfryskolan is an innovative teacher who uses music and digital media production every day with students at his school, Humfryskolan to provide a context for media production and creative experience. Per students’ uses Macbook computers to create media that is streamed to youth in Malmo via the internet and students also produce a magazine that examines youth issues.
In this example two students use jam2jam to create a story for pre-school children. It uses stop animation using jam2jam‘s video features and adds improvised music and spoken narrative. The project was a collaborative effort with Inez’s story and animations and music created with Steve Dillion’s daughter, Australian Bridie.
Here are 4 papers by Pam and others, related to the subject (downloadable PDFs):
From the journal “Thinking Skills and Creativity”:
Pupil perceptions of learning with artists: A new order of experience?
by Pamela Burnard and Mandy Swann, Jan 2010.
From “British Journal of Music Education”, 19:2, 157-172:
Investigating children’s meaning-making and the emergence of musical interaction in group improvisation
by Pamela Burnard, 2002
From the “British Educational Research Journal”:
Creativity and performativity: counterpoints in British and Australian education
by Pamela Burnard and Julie White
University of Cambridge, UK; La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia, October 2008
From “Research Studies in Music Education”:
A phenomenological study of music teachers’ approaches to inclusive education practices among disaffected youth
by Pamela Burnard, 2008
She welcomes a continuing discussion on these ideas by using the comments on this blog page.