1. Interview Script
SukYoung: Hello My name is SukYoung, or just simply Suki. I’m seventeen years old and I have
attended ISB for about 6 years. Today I will be talking about how different ways of knowing have
affected my learning experiences in the arts field and helped me grow as a musician.
Interviewer: What is a specific example of your learning experiences in the fine arts that have
affected you as a musician?
SukYoung: A specific example of my learning experiences in the fine arts would be: Wind Ensemble,
I will be talking about the class itself and how it has affected my knowledge in the arts.
SukYoung: First, Wind Ensemble. Wind Ensemble is a class which I have been taking for 6 years;
from 7 grade to 12 grade. In Wind Ensemble, students come together as different fragments to
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form one unified band. The various instruments that produce a unique element, varying from the
alto-saxophone to the tuba, are the main reason our band is able to create harmony.
Range of some of the genres focused in Wind Ensemble:
Renaissance music
Romantic era
Folk songs
Gospel
Ragtime
Jazz
Language
Interviewer: In reflecting and giving us an overall introduction about Wind Ensemble, how has
different ways of knowledge affected your learning in Wind Ensemble specifically?
SukYoung: Now that I have introduced the range of genres performed by the Wind Ensemble, we
can link this to the different ways of knowing.
In understanding the music given to us, we can see that language is an important way of knowing
that affects my growth as a musician. Language is relevant to the theory of knowledge because it is
one of the main ways in which we acquire knowledge about the world. By communication with one
another, we are able to break out the small circle of our own experiences and tap into the collective
experiences of the group.
Interviewer: How does language as a way of knowing relate to your learning in this class?
SukYoung: The statement “music is the universal language of mankind” is indicative of the
communicative quality music has. Also, music is a stimulus to our sense of hearing, it is clear that
music can convey information.
Language as a way of knowing has helped me in class by teaching me the themes and expression
that a piece possesses. This knowledge helps the band control the tempo, tone, rhythm of music
and helps me express my feelings as the fraction of unison.

2. Interviewer: Has language ever caused problems for you or the band in learning?
SukYoung: There are problems that arise in translating the music into language so the class can
discuss and perform. One of the main is the problem of translating context. The element that a note
has in the music is partly determined by its relation to other notes. Therefore, when we move from
music to language, such subtle differences can easily get lost in translation.
Emotion
Interviewer: Would you agree that emotion may also be a way of knowledge that may have affected
your learning in Wind Ensemble?
SukYoung: Yes. Emotion is also another very important way of knowing that has affected my
learning experience in fine arts. Every piece the band prepares for gives students an emotion as a
package. I might like the holiday music “baby its cold outside” because it gives me a sense of
relaxation and a friend may like march music because it energizes him. And when asked to choose a
favorite song a student might say “I like this piece because it provokes happiness, anger, etc”. Here,
we can see that our emotions are being treated as one of the ways of knowing. This is a great
example of James-Lange theory.
The James Lang theory states that our emotions happen as a result of our unconscious
psychological reaction. Music provokes a physiological response when we often respond without
realizing it and then we perceive and label the response as a particular emotion.
Without any emotions towards music, nothing would have affected my learning in Wind Ensemble
and as an artist. As Lagemaat stated “it is difficult to imagine a meaningful human life without any
emotions”.
Conclusion
Interviewer: What do you know about yourself that will change how you approach learning in the
future?
SukYoung: After studying the different ways of knowing I have learned the extent to which emotion
and language has an effect on my learning. Language like ‘fortissimo’ may not be easily understood
because its in Italian. However, in a musical language we notice it without hesitation. Emotion
affects everyone without knowing. This has helped change my approach to learning because now i
know that i should be aware of how emotion and language could affect me in another context.