AN ATTEMPT TO INTRODUCE SOUND IMPROVISATION IN PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ MUSIC EDUCATION

Abstract

It is widely recognized that the sound of vibrational percussive instruments could contribute to relaxation, mindfulness, and stress reduction. We attempted to introduce these instruments in the pre-service teacher music education. Workshops were designed to include listening instruments, improvisation, sound production and expression of the experience through drawing. A total sample of 130 students from two universities Faculty of Educational Sciences Sarajevo, the Academy of Fine Arts Sarajevo, and the Faculty of Education at the University of Ljubljana, were enrolled in the study. The study aims to explore how students perceived our attempt and if their perceptions are related to the use of music in everyday life. Before the workshop students reported how they regulated mood through music (The Brief Music in Mood Regulation scale (B-MMR). Students’ experiences of the workshops were measured through three-dimensional (affective, cognitive, and conative) Connotative differential scales (CD-9). Results reveal that student’s workshop experiences have a positive meaning in the semantic space. The differences between students from different universities were not statistically significant. Positive affective- evaluative adjectives (pleasant, attractive, and good) have the most important role in describing experiences. Also, highly engaged music users who regulate different moods through music had a stronger tendency to describe workshops’ experiences with positive affective adjectives. The implications of the results for the future use of the introduction sound play and improvisation in teachers’ music education will be discussed.