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Arts & Communication Inclusive musicking: A narrative inquiry

student if he could borrow a violin sooner. Dr. A series, “Space Battleship Yamato.” The homeroom
noticed right away and handed K an unprepared teacher told Dr. A that “Space Battleship Yamato”
string that he had in his suitcase and had not been was K’s favorite song. Dr. A immediately began
placed on the violin. He asked K to see if he could playing part of the melody on the violin, after
make a sound. The unstrung string did not make a which K stopped touching the tablet and watched
sound, but several children gathered around K and Dr. A. Since he did not know the song very well,
tried various things together to see if they could Dr. A gradually improvised a different melody, and
make a sound. For example, two older students before he knew it, it had quickly changed into the
held the ends of the string and stretched them, while theme song of “Lupin the Third.” Dr. A laughed
K attempted to make a sound by putting the bow and said, “The Space Battle song disguised as the
on the string. Although he enjoyed the activity for Lupine song,” causing K to start laughing along
about 3 min, K got angry when he could not get the with his friends.
right sound. K eventually ran out of the classroom The children started searching for their favorite
and into the hallway. songs on their own iPads. As soon as they found
The vice-principal immediately ran out into the the links, the first and second graders repeatedly
hallway and chased K. Approximately 5 min later, listened to the theme song of “Doraemon,” a popular
K returned with the vice-principal. According to anime. They also found and began comparing
the teacher, K was upset because he could not get different styles of performance and orchestration.
a violin sooner. However, he understood that Dr. A In this case, the third and fourth graders were
needed time to prepare the instrument. At that practicing their favorite songs using practice tools.
time, Dr. A had just finished preparing all of the As for the girl who was playing the electronic
violins and was bringing in an electronic keyboard keyboard, she was also using a tablet to reproduce
from the music room. Although the classroom the sounds on the keyboard while looking at sheet
did not have an electronic keyboard, he thought music. Some also practiced the Doraemon songs
that the music would be enriched if an electronic that the first and second graders found. Meanwhile,
keyboard could accompany the violin. The principal the fifth- and sixth-grade boys searched for various
immediately accepted the idea, went to the music violin performances, after which they showed Dr. A
room with Dr. A, and brought one of the electronic some performances by professional violinists. In
keyboards into the special needs classroom. some instances, Dr. A played the violin along with
A fourth-grade girl immediately became interested the music that the students found on the iPads and
in the electronic keyboard and started making provided explanations.
sounds. A university student who was good at Moreover, a fifth-grade female student, M, was
playing the piano sat next to the children and absentmindedly and repeatedly playing a single
improvised accompaniment to her melody. Several rhythm on her violin, without paying attention to
other children gathered around her, and some the activities. The rhythm was a combination of four
gradually began learning how to play the piano. sixteenth notes and two eighth notes, “takataka,
The three girls were fourth-grade students or older. tatta.” Actually, the rhythm is used in the first step
The university students enjoyed playing together of the world-famous Suzuki method for violin
while teaching piano to children. studies. Dr. A said to M, “Wow, you’re playing the
Meanwhile, the boys in the third to sixth grades, rhythm very well,” and went on to teach the rhythm
including K, brought out their iPads and began to everyone to play as an ensemble. M gave a big
searching for various things. In recent years, it nod to Dr. A’s idea and continued to repeatedly
has become common for every child in Japanese practice the same rhythm. Dr. A improvised a sub-
elementary schools to have their own tablet device, melody on the violin to accompany M’s playing by
such as an iPad, to participate in the classroom using open strings, after which he had the ensemble
and learning activities. The third and fourth- perform the melody. M was surprised and happily
grade students began independently practicing on told his homeroom teacher, “I made it!” Some
a virtual piano, looking at a website that showed students stopped their activities, listened to the
them how to play a song that the students played ensemble, and gave them applause.
together at a school recital several months earlier. It was approximately 11:50. The classroom was
K was also holding a tablet, searching for his favorite filled with the sounds of each student practicing,
song, the theme song of the well-known animated including M repeatedly playing the same rhythm.

Volume 2 Issue 4 (2024) 5 doi: 10.36922/ac.2747