THE PARTICIPATION DIVIDE: Content creation and sharing in the digital age

This paper looks at the prevalence of creative activity and sharing in an age when the barriers to disseminating material have been considerably lowered compared with earlier times. The authors use unique data to explore the extent to which young adults create video, music, writing and artistic photography, as well as the prevalence of sharing such material online. Findings suggest that despite new opportunities to engage in such distribution of content, relatively few people are taking advantage of these recent developments. Moreover, neither creation nor sharing is randomly distributed among a diverse group of young adults. Consistent with existing literature, creative activity is related to a person's socioeconomic status as measured by parental schooling. The novel act of sharing online, however, is considerably different by gender with men much more likely to engage in it. However, once internet user skill is controlled for, men and women are equally likely to post their materials on the Web.     

STTEPping in the right direction? Western classical music in an orchestral programme for disadvantaged African youth

This article looks at STTEP, an outreach project currently housed at the University of Pretoria, which concentrates on the teaching of western orchestral instruments, plus background areas such as music theory, to disadvantaged children and youth from a variety of townships around Pretoria, South Africa. STTEP’s direction can well be described as ‘right’ – pupils are already surrounded by all kinds of global phenomena, and their formal music studies in western classical music are not making them forget their roots. In fact, the contrary has been found to be the case and some interesting cultural fusions are already seen – always a sign of a living culture.     

Imagined Memories

Most discussions of popular music on the Internet focus on the utopian potential of new file-sharing technologies, yet applications that reproduce existing inequalities also deserve attention. Webcasting is the streaming (transmission) of digital video to multiple recipients in cyberspace. Paul McCartney's Webcast from the Cavern was a landmark case. It was a digital package staged for reproduction, and yet it felt live; in this article I explore why and offer a two-part explanation. The first part is that "live'-ness is based on an increasingly false opposition to recording, but, because that opposition still remains, Little Big Gig could seem live by adopting some trappings associated with it. The second part is that Internet use is mediated by daily life and computer users brought their own desire to the Webcast, in particular desires to see a Beatle play in the Cavern. Webcasting is an unanticipated use of the Internet that is being used to support corporate interests. With its widespread publicity, Little Big Gig helped naturalize that process.     

浅析高校教师职称评审中存在的问题及其对策

专业技术职务评审是目前对高等学校教师的学术水平、工作能力、工作业绩的综合测试方式之一,也是对知识和教师的尊重以及对教师复杂劳动的肯定,它关系到学校每位教师的切身利益。目前,高等学校在职称评审中还存在着一些问题。本文对职称评审中存在的问题进行了分析,并提出了解决问题的对策和建议。     

高师音乐教育中创新意识培养刍议

音乐是创造性最强的艺术,音乐教育是培养学生创新能力的一个重要渠道。进入二十一世纪音乐教育以其独有的特色,确立了它在我国教育领域中的重要地位。如何在音乐教育中培养学生的创新能力,是音乐教学永恒的主题。     

中国传统音乐美育思想及其现代转型

在中国传统文化中音乐美育思想十分丰富。早在两千多年以前就备受中国儒家的重视,他们视音乐为道德教化的理想手段,甚至认为音乐美育还有淳化社会风气、和谐社会的作用。但由于过多地强调音乐与政治的关系,也使音乐美育带有一定的缺陷。随着近代社会的转型,西方音乐美学思想也影响到我国音乐文化的变革,在实践的摸索中,中国近代的音乐美育思想有了较大的转向,中国的有识之士顺应时代的要求,引进了西方的美育思想,并将之与中国传统文化相结合,形成了新的特色。     

人间自是有情痴--读徐志摩的《我等候你》

徐志摩的情诗是他爱情生活的留痕,《我等候你》是他对陆小曼痴情的见证。这首诗不仅体现了徐志摩的爱情观、生活观,即追求爱、自由与美;也体现了他的艺术观,即诗歌的目的不是表现政治理想,而是抒发内心情感。这首诗按情感的自然流动分行,不讲究压韵和格式的整齐,具有浓厚的散文风格,同时兼具绘画美与音乐美,被认为是他最好的一首抒情诗之一。     

戏曲曲艺艺术用于民族声乐中的设想

我国的民族音乐形式多种多样。借鉴传统音乐中戏曲曲艺的精髓 ,并运用到我国民族声乐中去 ,可为人们了解民族音乐提供一个窗口。     

音乐作品的诠释途径

音乐作品所包含的情感是通过演奏者艺术性的再创造来诠释的。文章从两方面阐述了演奏者理解和演绎作品的方法、途径 ,并进一步阐明要把音符升华、融入情感 ,深刻、准确地表达出音乐作品特有的情感内涵     

荀子礼乐美学中的交往论思想探析

荀子从建构“群居和一”的交往共同体出发阐释其礼乐美学思想,礼、乐、诗作为共同体整合的文化资源而被其赋予“先王之道”的价值权威。情性的约束规范是荀子礼乐美学交往论内涵的中心话题,他倡导“情文具尽”的交往,追求礼义与情性的平衡美和礼义所建构的秩序美。荀子深入阐释乐的交往和合审美内涵,强化“乐”对君子品格美的培养。《诗》承载着礼的价值观念和信仰体系,具有深刻的交往意义。荀子礼乐美学中的交往论思想具有明显的经世致用性。