Alison Armstrong has worked as a music educator in Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Switzerland, Laos, Thailand and now Uzbekistan at Tashkent International School.
Drawing on influences from all of these experiences, Alison represents a new wave of international school music educators. Unconstrained, yet informed by tradition, Alison delves into the experiences of her students to create music programs that are truly communal and life-changing for her students.
In this episode, we explore:
- The ways that Alison's personal reflexivity around her own music learning has informed her approach to music education pedagogy.
- Alison's various experiences in international schools to draw a thread showing how tapping into student interests and cultural contexts creates incredibly powerful musical communities.
- Alison's concept of "the jam"! You'll have to listen to find out what that is all about.
- Using music technology in fresh ways.
- Approaches to hybrid ensemble work.
- Ways to engage students through culturally diverse music styles.
- The concept of an "album club" (kinda like a book club, but with albums!).
Let me tell you, this episode is a fun one! My favourite moment is where we discover that System Of A Down is now a classic band that is loved by students that are into metal!
Access the episode video via YouTube (probably our most popular option!) or click the buttons below to head to your favourite streaming service.
Get in touch with Alison:
Twitter: @alisonmusicblog
Links to other content referenced in this episode:
Ableton Push - https://www.ableton.com/en/push/
Musical Futures International - http://www.musicalfuturesinternational.org
System Of A Down band website - https://systemofadown.com
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