Lucas Ciavatta-
- the founder and creator of the music education approach O Passo and the director of the percussion and chant group BLOCO DO PASSO.
- sought to replace the highly selective access of musical practice (both academic and cultural music) and provide a means for anyone to be musically independent.
What Is O Passo?
O Passo Proposes that every event, rhythmic or melodic, must be identified, comprehended, and written (oral, bodily and graphically).
O Passo- (The Step)
- A multi-sensory teaching approach that empowers students to be musicians.
- Grounded with precept that musical experiences always engage the body, O Passo presents students with graphic, oral and written notations, sight-singing using numbers, and group exercises and experiences that include a specific type of movement or "step".
- The learning process bridges a gap between what children listen to and enjoy outside of school and the musical content in the general music classroom. This provides meaningful experiences.
- American music teachers using O Passo in their classrooms report an enthusiasm on the part of their students and note the improvements in their musical skills and attitudes toward the general music class.
In O Passo, there is much more to understanding
an "offbeat" than what is the half part of the beat.
Much more important is the flow that moves the
offbeat and the musical space where this flow occurs.
O Passo is an embodied rhythmic approach-
it poses problems solved through a fusion of body & mind.
1. Body
- The body is a means to not only make music, but to understand it.
- Whether they are singing or playing musical instruments their bodies move, often involuntary.
- The Body itself learns independent of intellectual schema.
Representation (Notation)
There are three types of notation:
- Kinesethic Notation (body notation)
Conducting, showing the chords through a particular hand position on the neck of the instrument, hand signs for melodic contour, etc.
Sensory Notation (oral notation)
- Teachers use oral notation when they apply solfege syllables to facilitate music reading.
Graphic Notation (written notation)
- The most sophisticated form of notation as it is a catalyst for the students to become musically independent and make music without the teacher.
Group
- O Passo focuses on an equilibrium between the emphasis on the individual and the emphasis on the group.
- Each instrument has its own special place in the ensemble. Some play soloistic lines, while others play msupport/structure lines.
- It is realized however, that each individual does not mean one voice. Each individual contributes to the collective voice.
Culture
- Culture defines the music students hear
and the music they study.
- O Passo helps to connect "their" music with "our" music.
In classrooms where teacher apply O Passo,
they engage physical movement as students shift their body weight in response to pulse and meter. It provides the "swing" by fostering precision, fluency and intention. Students in O Passo classrooms learn sight singing using numbers. In middle school, they begin with Bach chorales and move on to other genres. In Brazil, students learn to play indigenous rhythms on Brazilian drums. In American classrooms students use classroom drums, marching drums, etc. Drumming is the crosswalk to internalizing meter and pulse.
Alternated Progressions:
- Broken into 3 parts in different meters, but an equal number of total beats (16).
Samba
THE NET:
- 4X4 Meter net with 8 squares in each row.
- Infinite possibilities (rhythm, pitch, etc).
Let's explore some now.
For further information:
Embodied Rhythm/O Passo project-
http://embodiedrhythm.weebly.com/index.html
Official O Passo Site-
http://www.opasso.com.br/
Westminster Choir College-
www.rider.edu/wcc
For more information on O Passo, and to order your own O Passo net, contact:
Jake Ezzo-ezzoj@rider.edu
References:
Abrahams, F. (2010). O Passo (the step): A critical pedagogy for music education from Brazil. In A.C. Clements (Ed.), Alternative approaches in music education: Case studies from the field (pp.177-188). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Ciavatta, L. (2003). O Passo: A pusacao e o ensino-aprendizagem de ritmos. Rio de Janeiro
Ciavatta, L. (2009). O Passo musica e educacao. CRJ: CIP-Brasil. Catalogacao-na-fonte Sindicato Nacional dos Editores de Livros.
Ezzo, J. (2012). Embodied Rhythm.
O PASSO
The Four Pillars of O Passo
1. Body
2. Representation
3. Group
4. Culture
Jacob Ezzo & Vitamin D
Westminster Choir College
Questions?