Michael Knepper
In Peru, I plan to schedule opportunities to observe and participate in music activities I hope to discover community music and research how participants learn and enjoy music making. Second, I want to interview locals and study what types of popular music around the world appeals to them. Furthermore, I plan to keep record of my data and write about my experiences for music students in the future.
I teach secondary instrumental music and direct many large school-based ensembles. My goals are to learn Peruvian cultural music and give it an authentic place in my classroom. With this in mind, I plan to use my cultural experience to reach a larger percentage of student body and give disadvantaged students opportunities in music-making. Perhaps infusing cultural music with traditional methods will unlock my students' creativity and give them a relevant music making experience that they can use into and throughout their adulthood. I believe the ideal music program needs to embrace all cultural styles of music that allow teachers to explore new ideas; therefore, my plan is to learn from every musicking experience I have in Peru. Moreover, I want to learn about the participatory performance aspects of Peruvian music and gain the knowledge to share its heritage, instruments, and social aspects to my students and community.
