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3. Finding Voice : Developing Student Autonomy from Imitation to Performer Agency

Chapter of: Teaching Music Performance in Higher Education: Exploring the Potential of Artistic Research(pp. 87–106)

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Metadata
Title3. Finding Voice
SubtitleDeveloping Student Autonomy from Imitation to Performer Agency
ContributorMikael Bäckman(author)
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0398.04
Landing pagehttps://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0398/chapters/10.11647/obp.0398.04
Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
CopyrightMikael Bäckman
PublisherOpen Book Publishers
Published on2024-05-27
Long abstractThis chapter explores how my own artistic research has informed my practice, not only as a musician, but also as a teacher in higher music education (HME). In my ongoing PhD project, I have investigated how a personal expression, or voice, emerges from a process initiated by transcription and imitation. I have used an analytical perspective, informed by embodied cognition, and built around the concepts of voice and affordance to try to clarify these processes. I have transcribed 13 albums by the iconic country harmonica player Charlie McCoy. Based on these transcriptions, I have analyzed McCoy’s playing style, notably charting his musical idiolect. From my analysis, I found a number of licks and strategies which he often employs. The licks are, I argue, important features of McCoy’s idiolect. With McCoy’s licks as a point of departure, I have created my own variations of these. This method of deliberately transforming my voice is my way of finding out who I am, and who I want to be, as an artist. Starting with transcriptions gave me a view of the state of the art of country harmonica playing. The next phase of my PhD project has been to implement the knowledge I gained through artistic research, on my instrumental teaching in HME. In order to investigate this further, I have sought to initiate similar processes of formation of voice in my students. I have created a single subject course for harmonica students, where the aim is to explore the process of transcription leading to a formation of an original, unique voice. In the chapter I will present examples from my own artistic study, as well as examples from my study with my harmonica students in HME.
Page rangepp. 87–106
Print length20 pages
LanguageEnglish (Original)
Contributors

Mikael Bäckman

(author)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4336-3931

Mikael Bäckman started playing harmonica in the late 80’s. In 1995 he joined blues-band Ramblin’ Minds and has been with them ever since, releasing six albums and touring extensively. In 2008, Mikael formed John Henry, a Country-band that has released three albums and performed numerous concerts. Mikael took his Masters of Education in 2006 and a Masters of Music Performance in 2017. Since 2019 Mikael is a PhD student in Music Performance. His PhD project is focused on the deliberate transformation of a performers voice through the process of transcription and imitation. Mikael is a proud endorsee of Hohner Harmonicas since 2012. In 2017 Mikael was one of sixteen presenters at the World Harmonica Festival in Trossingen, Germay. In August 2022, Mikael was one of the featured performers at the annual SPAH (the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica) convention in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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