Rolf Seldal

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

What is most satisfying for me in this job is the opportunity to watch young people develop both culturally and socially. The most challenging part of the job is seeing that most teachers feel there are too few resources for students in terms of funding and instructional time. Still, it is exciting to see that some of our students make music into their way of life as they mature into adulthood.

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?

One important change I have noticed across recent generations is that much of the singing repertoire that was previously seen as “national cultural heritage” (children’s songs) is unknown among children and adolescents today. I think this music is sung much less in primary school compared to before the twenty-first century.

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

I find that due to social media and streaming services, young people today are able to easily acquire even music that was popular when I was a teenager.

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

My students often have professional discussions about music, including on such themes as sound ideals, musical experience, communication in performance, intonation, groove, and various genres.

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?

In terms of new methods for music learning, it is clear that the Internet and computer programs (apps) have opened up a new world of possibilities over the last 25 years. On the other hand, engaging with these technologies also takes up a large amount of young people’s free time, so I find it is also more difficult to get them to practice on their instruments.

July 2021