Sylvana Augustyniak

Username: Sylvana Augustyniak

Participant details

	Network Member	Sylvana Augustyniak
	Organisation/Institution	University of New South Wales
	Department/Centre	Department of Music Education Research. Faculty of English, Media/ Performing Arts
	Lab
	Website
	Research area	Music Perception
	Research keywords	aural awareness of memory, formal and informal learning, oral practice/music literacy

Research Interests

"Repetition is the mother of knowledge". When students improvise they rely on the following developmental processes; auditory memory, visual memory and kinesthetic memory. These processes reflect the gathering of internal and external information which comprise of neurological information transferred to the physiological motion. These developmental processes in turn are influenced by psychological, sociological and anthropological contexts. Many students spend countless hours a day listening to music through various technologies such as mp3 players, iTunes, CDs etc . Students absorb this listening as conscious and unconscious knowledge either through foreground or background music. This connection is further reinforced through formal and informal learning inside and outside of the classroom. Learning takes place in different music cultural contexts such as concert band, singing in a choir or playing in a rock band. These experiences are then expressed through improvising and composing where students utilize implicit and explicit knowledge. In the developmental music processes, students tend to be predominately either aural, kinesthetic or visual learners because they lack appropriate experience in the sensory modes whilst their music skills are developing. When students improvise, aural awareness through memory and musical background impact on these learning processes and influence informal and formal learning strategies utilised, genre choices, instrumental choices/ musical expertise and experience as well as learning contexts. When these skills are fully synthesized these processes are crossed transferred to other learning disciplines and back again.