Erik Mandawe’s presentation provides music educators with an alternative approach to teaching and learning music. This model is described as “land-based” because it is a learning opportunity that embraces students' diverse cultures and perspectives. In other words, students share their personal experiences and opinions to create meaningful discussions about music-making. It is not a distinct step-by-step process; rather, it is a teaching pedagogy that teachers can apply in a classroom setting.
One crucial part of Mandawe’s thinking is that students and teachers sit in a circle. As this idea has the power to dramatically change the course of a student’s learning experience, this portion of the lecture was the most interesting to me. This paradigm is quite different from traditional education models where the teacher stands in front of a group of students. This ultimately creates a subtle hierarchy between the two parties. Overall, Mandawe’s approach allows students to have conversations with their instructors and peers. There are several reasons why this is conducive to a positive learning environment — that is — an environment where students feel their differences are valued. Primarily, given that all students within the circle come from contrasting backgrounds, students can learn from one another. This is different from the traditional model, where the teacher lectures the class for a long period of time, causing boredom and disengagement.
This approach could be the key to student satisfaction in music classrooms. Students learn through performing tasks and having relevant discussions. In my concert band, my director will hold a rehearsal once a concert rotation where students will rehearse the pieces in a circle. As this allowed us to hear each other’s parts better, it improved our ability to play cohesively with the ensemble. Furthermore, as students, we could discuss ideas with the conductor and fellow musicians more easily, it allows for a more open conversation; different interpretations of how the music could be played become a dynamic discussion, allowing for a variety of perspectives to be understood. For this reason, this experiential learning opportunity enables students to learn valuable information while creating music.
This lecture also challenged my perspective on this issue. Before these points were formally presented to me, I thought learning in a circle was too hard to manage and not formal enough to create a meaningful learning experience for students. Personally, I find it difficult to learn from this model as I feel the hierarchy between students and teachers is necessary to create respect. This presentation, however, made me realize that this pedagogical approach can be boring for other students. Hence, I believe land-based music education is the step in the right direction to engaging more students.
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