ABSTRACT
Group contexts for learning traditional music are widespread. This chapter explores the strategies used to facilitate social music making in such settings, where tutors focus on teaching and learning by ear, promoting a central feature of traditional music, but also imparting practical skills which support instrumental and vocal learning. Illustrations are drawn from an ethnographic study of a large organisation in Scotland which operates as a community of practice, providing activities for children, young people, and adults. Classes are the vehicle for the introduction of oral-aural skills, gaining competence on instruments and learning repertoire by demonstration and imitation. These tools are then applied in graded traditional music sessions providing a framework for musicians of varying abilities to perform repertoire together. This chapter notes the role played by oral-aural learning in many music cultures and proposes the findings of the study cited here as a resource for practitioners who are interested in developing social music making in their own practice.
