Práticas informais de aprendizagem em música: a vivência de quatro músicos populares

Abstract

This research investigates informal music learning and is a qualitative study of four popular musicians whose main instruments are the cavaquinho, the viola, the tambourine and the guitar, which correspond, respectively, to the musical genres choro, moda de viola, samba and rock. In order to investigate informal music learning and their similarities and differences, connecting them to the participants social and cultural context, it was used the semi-structured interview methodology. All the musicians in this research reported that they had family members who influenced them in music learning, but they have not chosen the same instrument that their family members played, which led them to find other sources of learning, especially at communities of practice. The following communities of practice were identified in this research: capoeira, Umbanda, music bands, cover bands, rodas de violeiro among others. These communities of practice have specific characteristics that influence the lives of the participants, in the acquisition of musical skills and in their training as music players, so that they are a part of the social and cultural contexts of their musical style. This research also confirmed the importance of creativity, persistence and willingness to learn in informal learning, because this type of learning not only consists of learner interaction with individuals in their community of practice, but also it consists of solitude and the search for problems to be solved. Moreover, this research verified the importance of listening and copying, reported by Green (2002), pointing out that the playful side and the delight in playing an instrument are a strong element in informal music learning. This research aims to achieve a deeper understanding in informal music learning, and it also aims to contribute to the introduction of teaching strategies that include informal learning experiences in institutional and formal education. Therefore, the results corroborate the findings of others researchers, specially Green (2002) and reinforce the importance of formal education professionals being able to appreciate learners experience, introducing strategies of informal learning experience, in order to contribute positively to music education.