Kristaps Kiršteins

Q: What are the most fulfilling and most challenging aspects of your job?

It is both fulfilling and challenging to engage every young person in the world of music – those who “like” music and those who don’t, and I think it is very important to support the ones who are sceptical towards music lessons, and let them discover the phenomenal world of music through the music genres they’re listening to.

Q: Please describe some examples (things you have personally witnessed) that show how music can contribute to civic engagement among young people. For instance, how through music do young people become more involved in improving their community, or more socially engaged and politically active, or concerned about global challenges?

I think a good example in school is the patriotic song contest that all the classes prepare for every year in the week of National holidays. We prepare performances, learn songs, and I see that the young people are engaging and showing their interest by performing songs in their native language and discussing national values. We also listen and analyse nationally important local music such as the rock operas “Lāčplēsis” and “Sfinksa”, and different concerts, and even though they wouldn’t do something like that at home, at school they discover the national music from a different perspective.

Q: Please describe examples from conversations among young people (things you have personally observed) that show some of the different ways they discuss music.

I’ve noticed that young people talk about music from a relatively shallow perspective, not diving deeper into the content of the music. For most of them music is mass culture – if everyone listens to it, it’s good, not analyzing the quality of music. I have such a viewpoint because when in the music lessons I ask to explain a liking of some kind of music, there are only a few people who can answer. For most it is “like” or “dislike”, and it is challenging to invite the young people to think about why they like it, what is it in the music that attracts them, or, on the contrary, what are the aspects of music that make them reject it.

Q: Based on what you have seen, how do such conversations change as young people mature (for instance, ages 15-17; 18-20; 21-25)?

I work with young people up to the age of 18. I can say that some of the young people are open to be taught to think about and analyze the music they’re listening to, and I can see that at Grade 9, for example, the young person can describe the music, can explain what emotionally touches them in the music, or what is it that they like about the lyrics, or dislike. Here I can also see that family plays a very important role in defining “good” or “bad” or “quality” music, and I’d say the viewpoint of the family is the hardest to change.

Q: Based on your experience, have discussions of music and society among young people generally changed across years due to different historical conditions? If so, how and why?

If I remember myself in school time, we didn’t talk much about music, we enjoyed what we were singing in the choir or music school, but I don’t recall discussions on music, and I don’t think it is happening now either.

Q: Do you sense that a shared knowledge of traditional (folk) songs and dances is changing among young people, and if so, how and why?

The youth are quite sceptical, but as a teacher I’m trying to change it by developing exciting singing tasks and creative tasks to discover the folk song. For example, we created a “contemporary folk song” which they were performing themselves using the styles of the folk song. So, after they have become excited, they are ready to sing and enjoy the “classic” folk songs as well.

There are differences in the age groups. For example, in high school, there is a sense of resistance, but in the younger age groups the children sing and move to the beat with joy. As Latvian folk songs are very melodic and relatively simple, they are very suitable for children.

Q: What is the most interesting story you can share about how music impacts young people?

I remember the day when I first started teaching music to Grade 5, I had never done it before. The way I work is very creative, and I was so surprised and happy to see the joy and the excitement that they did all the tasks with. It turned out that music classes soon become a favourite subject in Grade 5 group, and it was so inspiring to see the joy, motivation and energy in the students.

Q: In what ways do you see social media impacting how young people use and communicate about music?

The impact is very big. Up until Grade 9, I see the young people are not quite ready to analyze the quality and content of music. I see them automatically accepting the content and values social media impose on them. There are some exceptions, young people who listen to something else – something more specific.

The taste changes in high school. I recently had music presentation classes where the young people presented their favourite music, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the difference in tastes and the quality of music. So as the students are growing up, they are ready to analyze and classify what suits their emotional needs, as well as distance from what is not relevant to them.

Q: What kinds of discussions have you witnessed stimulated through instrumental music? Can you imagine some new ways this could be achieved?

If we talk about the “classical” instrumental music, I haven’t heard such conversations unless I ask them to discuss it. But if we talk about pop music and the related genres, I think it is being discussed a little bit, but I’ve never heard those conversations.

Q: What kind of new methods in work with young people would be helpful in your work? What should be the purpose of these methods?

The new “School 2030” music curriculum in Latvia is very interesting, stimulating, creative. I combine it with my own original teaching materials, and I’m happy with the results.

July 2021