CREATIVE STRATEGIES FOR THE GUITAR CLASS AT I. P. KOTLYAREVSKY KHNUA

Introduction. The guitar class, opened by V. Dotsenko in 1989, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and presented the university with many winners of international competitions, ensemble groups and new scholarly discourses. Together with the constant changes in society’s requirements for academic education and musician’s activities, this encourages us to estimate its achievements and prospects at the present stage. The aim of the article is to identify the key vectors of the guitar class of Kharkiv National University of Arts at the present stage. In accordance with the goal, such methods are chosen as historical, which allows to reveal the dynamics of development of the Kharkiv guitar school in the period of its formation to the present; typological – to identify key areas of activity of the guitar class at the present stage. Results and Discussion. The study of the Kharkiv guitar school and guitar class of KhNUA from its formation to the present day allows us to identify the leading vectors and key features of their activities, among which it is proposed to distinguish two main ones: innovation and multivectority. Already at the stage of formation, the Kharkiv guitar school proved to be innovative – it was in Kharkiv where the first guitar club in Ukraine and the USSR was opened, within which the first guitar quartet in the USSR soon appeared, the first in Ukraine scholarly conference dedicated to guitar art, it was one of the first to join the digitalization process, conducting online performances and successfully presenting the guitar orchestra at the international level, resulting in two Grand Prix in 2020. Already within the activities of the guitar club, another leading feature of the Kharkiv guitar school – multivectority – has declared itself. Gathering like-minded people to share experiences and get acquainted with samples of modern guitar art, the club “nurtured” teachers, masters of instruments, and musicians-ensembles. All the directions initiated in the last century deepen and continue to branch out in the XXI century in the activities of the guitar class KhNUA: educational one is supplemented by scientific (conferences, defense of PhD theses), pedagogical one – by methodical complex (methodical works of V. Dotsenko), solo and ensemble performance – by the orchestra. Conclusions. Innovativeness and multivectority become leading features of the guitar class of KhNUA at the present stage. In recent years, the school’s activities are supplemented by such vectors as the formation of a guitar orchestra (2016), cooperation with European institutions of higher music education (Erasmus), active immersion in the digitalization process, in particular, online competitions and online broadcasts of the concerts, which fit its activity into the latest trends in the development of musical performance and education and shows the involvement in the European standards of artistic activity.

Intellectual character of metacognition in thinking strategies

Background: Metacognition is one aspect of intellectual character about a concept that has been used to refer to a variety of epistemological processes. Metacognition essentially means cognition about cognition; that is, it refers to second-order cognitions: thoughts about thoughts, knowledge about knowledge or reflections about actions. Previous research explained that metacognition is useful in many educational settings and can be transferred from the music classroom to other subject areas. Aims and Objective: This study aims to reveal aspects of student metacognition as a strategy used in playing music. Materials and Methods: In this observational study, the spontaneous metacognitive behavior of students during guitar lessons in guitar classroom was analyzed. Results: Data from interviews revealed that students were weak in metacognitive behavior, so that students do not use thinking ways of thinking. This is because the lecturer cannot promote metacognition by designing and implementing instructional strategies that encourage music students to engage in reflection, self-assessment, and thinking critically.Based on the results of research that has been obtained, it can be said that in playing music, especially in the guitar class, it is important to know what is known about the music that will be played. Conclusion: Lecturers need to promote metacognitive awareness in students, so that students are able to develop their thinking strategies well in playing music, especially in guitar classes.

The state of guitar education in the United States

Guitar education has emerged as a discipline in K-12 institutions alongside ‘traditional’ music education such as band, orchestra and chorus in recent decades. Despite the substantial body of literature containing practical advice on teaching guitar, research-supported scholarship is lacking. The purpose of this study was to provide an evidentiary-based understanding of the professional profiles of guitar educators. A large sample (n = 1269) of guitar educators participated in the Guitar Educator Questionnaire (GEQ). Findings from the GEQ suggest a low per cent (7.9%) of music educators who teach guitar class consider themselves to be ‘guitar specialists’. A substantial number of respondents (68.5%) indicated that they rarely or never participated in guitar-related professional development, and 76.1% of respondents reported that their pre-service training provided little or no preparation for a career in guitar education.

Historical background to establishment of the national instrumental guitar education in the context of music education development

The article highlights the historical background to establishment of national instrumental guitar education in the context of music education development. We consider historical events that have influenced the dynamics of the formation of competencies of guitar education in Ukraine. Based on the analysis of the scientific literature the author shows that guitar education in Ukraine is a relatively new phenomenon. It is examined historical preconditions of the development of national guitar education in the context of three periods of development of music education. During the first period, guitar education is not systemic. Guitar playing is popular among Lviv seminarians and as home performance. The second period is characterized by the fact that guitar art emerges from the global crisis, which has been reflected in national performance and pedagogy. Playing the guitar attracts the attention of professional musicians; it is examined performance abilities of the instrument, its structure and repertoire. During this period, guitar education acquires systemic features. The performance of the guitar players improves significantly, and the repertoire is replenished with the best examples of world classical music. The third period is characterized by intensification of competitive activity in the field of guitar performance. A guitar class appears in the Kyiv Conservatory. In postwar times, the development of guitar performances is influenced by the political situation and sensorship. Besides, the third period is characterized by the flowering of national performers’ schools, the intensification of international relations with foreign guitar performers and educators, which is the basis for the establishment and development of national instrumental guitar education.