" But ABER is not aimed toward a quest of certainty. Its purpose may instead be described as the enhancement of perspectives." Barone, Tom, & Eisner( 1997)
performative memoir as an arts-based research methodology for her thesis. Burke says,“ The Ducks on the Moon process is ongoing research. I did the show and processed the reception, and then it became a documentary for CBC, and later it became a book.” Burke finds that each new iteration is“ a massive education.” For example, when she produced the documentary, Burke interviewed the heads of the Canadian and British autism centres:“ Those interviews informed the newest iteration of the play, and the book, and the way the documentary was received, informed me, too. Now, I’ m getting the reception from Scott. That’ s what Scott’ s song writing is, an arts response that is in fact a qualitative research.”
Thompson hasn ' t seen any artsbased educational research in the area of inclusive education. He notes that music as research still requires academic rigour. Thompson explains,“ There is the authority and necessity, maybe not necessity, but if a play with music is going to be under the trope of academic research, there are certain things you have to adhere to. What makes this research? It is the collecting of data from the interviews that Kelley Jo and I are conducting with each other, the reflections on those, and connecting to the themes of the play— there are some salient themes around students with autism and also a lot around parent / professional relationships. Families, professionals, and interactive teaming: these are key parts of what it means to do inclusive practice in schools. When students have a disability, they have a guaranteed relationship with the helping professions. The parent / guardian perspective is much valued in that they are part of the team, ideally.”
There are other challenges to consider with music as research: Thompson says,“ If it is performative, it has to work within the parameters of its artistic discipline. It has to work as music, as a play, and as research. In other words, bad music does not make credible educational research.”
Arts-based educational research, according to Barone, Tom, and Eisner( 1997), is aimed towards " enhancement of perspectives " rather than certainty( see quote above). 1 Thompson outlines how his research enhances, " or creates the possibility for enhancing," perspectives on autism and inclusive education.
First,“ this research really enhances the perspective of the parent, in particular in those first years when the parents or guardians are coming to terms with the diagnosis and coming to understand the exceptionality that their child has.”
Second, Thompson has learned that it is okay to try new things, to“ take a chance.” As an example, Thompson points to one of the songs,“ Guess I Missed Those Cumulonimbus Clouds( Wendy the Weather Girl),” the only metaphorical song in the play. He says,“ One of the things we are trying is to animate autism in the sense of using an analogy. So many children with autism are fascinated by the weather network: What it means to have autism, and the learning characteristics of ASD, often suggest that one is very visual, and if you think about the weather station, it is visual. One can see the temperatures going up or down over the week, see the wind speed, see the weather maps and the different colours, with red the most intense. I’ ve found that kids just really like it [ but ] I don’ t know if the audience will connect with that. Metaphorical language is not often used in research, particularly in inclusive education, where the charge is— and responsibility is— to determine and use evidence-based practices, knowing what works with students with autism. This is a very different way of thinking about research.”
Third, the research has enhanced Thompson ' s perspective of the listener. as a listener.“ Is there enough variety in the songs,... enough lyrical, melodic, and harmonic contrast through a 75- 90 minute piece?”
A fourth salient aspect is that Thompson has learned to honour and respect the courage of a co-writer in a new way:“ We always do that, but this goes to enhancing the perspective. It’ s one thing to interact with parents( as
1 Barone, Tom, & Eisner.( 1997). Arts-based educational
research. Complementary methods for research in education 2( p. 96)
I did for many years), and teachers, and students with autism, it’ s another thing to interact with a parent who has encapsulated her experience in a theatrical way. It enhances that perspective. In a sense Kelley Jo and I have a parent / professional relationship, as well as an artistic relationship. I would say that we are both artists with a particular goal. She is also a parent of her son with autism and I am also a professor in inclusive education.”
This relationship is one reason Thompson feels so invested in this research.“ I’ m connecting with a parent who has told her story so well, and so honestly, that it is a bit daunting to be entrusted with that. We are definitely in a partnership and we have roles: She is the playwright and actor, and I am the song writer. There is a reverence, or perhaps deference, a regard for Kelley Jo as a mother, as a performer, and as a playwright.” Thompson finds Burke’ s use of language to be“ deeply elucidating." He says, " She is someone with an artistic sensibility, and the way she describes things can be quite powerful, can convey the feelings behind.”
Burke agrees,“ I’ m a pretty vigorous performer and I kind of go there, and people will get worried. Saskatchewan is an emotionally conservative culture; large emotions, strong demonstrative stuff are quite uncomfortable and I tend to go real hard because that is my disposition.”
The music adds another emotional dimension, according to Burke. She says that Thompson’ s musical iteration of her play lends an undercurrent of emotion that wasn’ t there before.“ The very first thing I noticed is that the show becomes instantly kinder because of the musical response. When I was writing it, I had real anxieties around the one-woman show.... The danger of any self-research is that it becomes really self-indulgent and whiney. I was anxious that that would be how it would be received. When I was first putting it together with the late Michele Sereda, she said,‘ You are SO mean to yourself in the script. You have to ease off or the audience won’ t feel like they can like you.’ But I wanted to be rigorous. I didn’ t want to justify. I didn’ t want to continued on page 12
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