Music anthropologist to find out how cross cultural concerts really work on young audience
How do children experience music from another culture? How does the cross-cultural concerts Concerts Norway presents, actually work? These are questions music anthropologist Jan Sverre Knudsen is going to immerse himself in the next couple of years. And, to find answers, he will study Concerts Norway’s projects in India and Norway.
Each year Concerts Norway produces 10 000 school concerts in Norway. In addition, a great number of musicians are sent around the world to give school concerts in countries Concerts Norway cooperates with. Now, professor and music anhropologist Jan Sverre Knudsen at the Oslo University College, wants to take a closer look at some of these concerts in order to study children’s experiences.
With his back against the stage
-Among other things, I will sit with my back against the artists to observe the young audience: Are they attentive? What brings their attention? How do they react? Are they participating during the concert? Knudsen asks.
He is going to study a project in Indian music (read more here), just started in three municipalities in the West of Norway. Knudsen is also going to visit two major schools in Delhi, India, which are part of the same project. During the next couple of years, the chosen schools in both countries will host musicians from Norway and India, as part of a project where the students get the chance to immerse themselves in music from another culture.
Indian rhythms in i Ryfylke! Photo: Jan Sverre Knudsen
Ryfylke in Norway
In the end of March, Knudsen started the practical part of his study, as he visited schools in the municipalities of Sauda and Suldal in Ryfylke in the West of Norway. Here, he observed pupils as well as students at music schools as they were presented to Indian music.
-I talk to the children after each concert, in groups of approximately ten. I want to make them reflect over the concert experience: Are they impressed? Surprised? Do they learn something new, about instruments as tablas, sarod and tanpura? About India and Indian music? Do they get any associations during the concerts? Knudsen asks.
From the family concert in Sauda Kulturhus. Sunanda Sharma together with
pupils and teachers at Sauda kulturskole. Photo: Jan Sverre Knudsen
The project in both India and Norway also includes workshops. Knudsen wants to take a closer look at the teaching methods the Indian and the Norwegian musicians use.
-Indian musicians teach by ear, not by letting the pupils read music. This is uncommon to most Norwegian music students. Does this work, or should the musicians make certain adjustments because the children belong to another learning tradition? This I’d like to find out, Knudsen says.
School concert at Sand skole in Suldal. Photo: Jan Sverre Knudsen
To India
This fall Knudsen goes to Delhi in order to study the young Indian audience.
-Indian pupils are probably more disciplined than the Norwegian pupils. I look forward to observe and talk to them about how they experience the Norwegian way of presenting music, Knudsen says.
He hopes that the results of his study can convey new knowledge about cross-cultural music presentation and education, and that this in turn can make it even better in the future.