General content of the thesis.
Individual’s value orientations are the key aspect of his/her intellectual development. As a type of valuable relations they help to evaluate a certain object for a certain subject, are expressed in values and individual’s preferences. Value orientations are the major feature of a mature person. They therefore coordinate the person’s needs and scope of interests, which results in the person’s attitude towards the intellectual culture values. It proves them being not a separate conscience component expressed on the “attitudes - needs”, “attitudes – perceptions”, “attitudes – interests” levels.
In our research the main structure components of the performer’s value orientations are evaluated on the basis of the emotive, cognitive (intellectual) and sensor criteria, namely the person’s attitude towards pop music performance, competence in the pop art and performance field, development of the person’s abilities to percept pop music (Table 1).
Table 1
Component and criteria analysis of the pop music performer’s value orientations
| Components | Criteria | Measurements |
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Emotive | Value estimating attitude towards pop music and performance. | – evaluation criteria, preferences, ideals for acquiring relevant orientations in pop music and performance field; – expanding the performer’s experience in evaluating pieces of pop music and performance; – the performer’s emotional reactions on the pieces of music art. |
| Cognitive | Competence in the pop art and performance field. | - the breadth of performer’s perceptions of the values of pieces of pop music; - awareness of the performance evaluation criteria. |
| Sensor | Development of the person’s abilities to percept pop music | - the activeness of the perceptual processing the sonic fabric of pieces of pop music; - ability to reflect figurative and artistic content of pop music. |
The components and criteria we have developed enable us to characterize different levels of the pop music performers’ competence. Low (empiric) level proves the performer to have rather limited knowledge about the pop art specificity. Medium (consciously passive) level is defined by the certain performer’s perceptions of the pop art specificity. High (actively creative) level means the performer’s knowledge to be rather profound.
Pop music is not only a source of the individual’s intellectual growth, but also a pattern to be compared with reality and human relationships. Value orientations help the pop vocal performer to understand the content and composition of a piece of music, estimate its value, read its stylistics, music language peculiarities and idioms. Estimation criteria are based on the performer’s theoretical knowledge and own music perceptions, and form value orientations, which efficiency depends on the artistic level of the pieces of music studied.
Specifying conditions required for the performer’s value orientations formation is relevant for the experiment research. The key instruments for studying the issue are represented by the individual vocal classes and “Pop vocal performer’s value orientations” selective course. They fix reference points for the adjustment of different criteria to different educational programs and curricula. The main research conditions are creating dialectical relations, psychological comfort, activating personality structures. The most significant methods of the future pop music performer’s value orientations formation are intonation and performance analysis, art associations, art cognition in close interaction and cooperation. These methods promote the performer’s truth cognition and making his/her own decisions.
Experiment research is conducted in 2 phases: search and diagnose phase and formation phase, on the basis of the Department of Music Art of the Kazakh National Academy of Arts named after T. Zhurgenov. 16 3-grade Pop Art major students (Pop Vocal specialization) were involved into diagnosing and testing the value orientations demonstration.
Diagnose research within the search and diagnose experiment is focused on the analysis of the contradictions taking place in the course of the pop music value orientations formation. Therefore, diagnosing is conducted in different ways: educing the character and level of the vocal students’ demonstration of their value orientations, estimating the level of their value orientations development in the course of evaluating the pieces of pop music.
In order to complete the tasks of the diagnose research we applied a complex of the diagnose methods, including conversations, observation, interviews. The questionnaire included questions designed for defining priorities for the pieces of pop music value orientations; studying instruments for the vocal education of the pop music students.
We have diagnosed the level of the future pop vocal performer’s value orientations development on the basis of some criteria (Table 2).
Table 2
Vocal art evaluation criteria
| # | Evaluation criteria | Characteristics |
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1. | Priorities in evaluating the piece of pop music. | Artistic and figurative reflection of the music reality. Moral and esthetic ideals. Emotive and psychological attitude, stress relief. |
| 2. | Awareness of the pop art and performance values. | Scene culture, highly artistic manifestation of the pieces of pop music nature and content, performers’ professionalism. |
| 3. | Level of the test person’s independence, creativity in acquiring the skills on evaluation of the pieces of pop art content. | Professional position in evaluating the pop music. Arguments for opinions and perceptions. |
General analysis of the search and diagnose experiment results lead us to the conclusion that the majority of the people tested do not perform any certain evaluation of the pop music in the context of their intellectual and professional self-actualization, which proves them to have no value orientations (Table 3).
Table 3
Grading students on the basis of their value orientations development level
at the stage of the search and diagnose experiment
| Piece of pop music evaluation criteria | Levels | |||||
| High | Medium | Low | ||||
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Priorities in evaluating the piece of pop music. | 3 | 18.8% | 9 | 56.2% | 5 | 25.0% |
| Awareness of the pop art and performance values. | 2 | 12.5% | 9 | 56.2% | 5 | 31.3% |
| Level of the test person’s independence, creativity in acquiring the skills on evaluation of the pieces of pop art content. | 1 | 6.3% | 9 | 56.2% | 6 | 37.3% |
| Average: | 2 | 12.5% | 9 | 56.2% | 5 | 31.3% |
Within the phase of the formation experiment we recommend to develop the “Pop vocal performer’s value orientations” selective course based on the essence, content, structure of the issue studied. We provided the 3-grade students with the relevant theoretical data.
The expert analysis results state that the students have significantly developed their estimating-oriented activities in perceiving and analyzing pieces of pop music in the course of different cognitive activities, including watching video, auditing records and attending the famous national and foreign performers’ concerts. The experiment research results were mathematically treated, generalized and shown in Table 4.
Table 4
Grading students on the basis of their value orientations development level
at the stage of the formation experiment
(grade 3: 16 students, 2010-2011 academic year)
| Piece of pop music evaluation criteria | Levels | |||||
| High | Medium | Low | ||||
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Priorities in evaluating the piece of pop music. | 5 | 31.3% | 10 | 62.4% | 1 | 6.3% |
| Awareness of the pop art and performance values. | 6 | 37.5% | 8 | 50.0% | 2 | 12.5% |
| Level of the test person’s independence, creativity in acquiring the skills on evaluation of the pieces of pop art content. | 5 | 31.3% | 9 | 56.2% | 2 | 12.5% |
| Average: | 5 | 33.3% | 9 | 56.2% | 2 | 10.5% |
Summing the results of the analysis of the students’ value orientations development levels at the search, diagnose and formation stages we revealed their progress shown in Table 7.
Table 7
The future pop vocal performer’s value orientations progress
in the course of the experimental activities
(grade 3, 2010-2011 academic year, 16 students)
| The level of the future pop vocal performer’s value orientations development | Before the experiment | After the experiment | ||
| Number | % | Number | % | |
| High | 2 | 12.5% | 5 | 33.3% |
| Medium | 9 | 56.2% | 9 | 56.2% |
| Low | 5 | 31.3% | 2 | 10.5% |
Thus, the experiment research results show that the level of the future pop music performers’ value orientations development has been significantly shifted. The high level has been increased from 12.5% to 33.3%, whereas the low level has been decreased from 31.3% to 10.5%. Our methods for the value orientations formation resulted in quality and quantity changes in the process of educating the future performer.
On the basis of the research results analysis we have come to the following conclusions:
1. The future pop music performer’s value orientations are the individual’s complex integrative characteristics.
2. The performer’s value orientations structure includes the emotive, cognitive (intellectual) and sensor criteria, namely the person’s attitude towards pop music performance, competence in the pop art and performance field, development of the person’s abilities to percept pop music. The most significant methods of the future pop music performer’s value orientations formation are intonation and performance analysis, art associations, art cognition in close interaction and cooperation, which promote the performer’s truth cognition and making his/her own decisions.
3. Our experiment research has proved the necessity of the “Pop vocal performer’s value orientations” selective course development and integration into the educational process. This course is designed for collecting theoretical knowledge about the essence and content characteristics of the phenomenon studied within the process of educating future pop vocal performers.
List of published works on the thesis subject:
1. “Impact of the value orientations on the pop music performer’s professional activities” / “Traditional world outlook systems and contemporary arts” international conference materials, Almaty, Kazakh National Academy of Arts named after T. Zhurgenov, 2010. – Р. 209 – 211.
2. “Technological aspects of the pop vocal performer’s value orientations formation”/ “Zhambyl and the Turki epical heritage” international scientific and practical conference materials, Almaty, Kazakh National Academy of Arts named after T. Zhurgenov, 2011. – Р. 500 – 503.