Georg Buljo begins a simple joik and invites the 11 students to join him. The students participate, and together they repeat the joik's phrase using a sound somewhere between u, o, and å.
Joik is sound research at a high level
– Joik is a state you enter – and stay in. This is how Georg Buljo explains joik to students learning about Sami music traditions.
It’s not u, o, or å, but something in between. Joik is sound research.
Buljo
Stories and examples
Buljo shares stories and plays examples of various joiks performed by different artists. He talks about different drums, Sami history, oppression, shamanism, and culture. He discusses old joiks, new joiks, what qualifies as joik, what is considered song, and the grey area in between. He demonstrates and plays examples from his phone.
In the Practical Pedagogical Education (PPU) programme, students are divided into two groups: one focusing on teaching in primary schools for one semester, and the other on secondary schools for the next semester. These students are expected to apply the knowledge and skills from the course in their work in primary schools.
Overcoming hesitation
– The goal of the course is to give students a way into using Sami music and joik in their teaching. My primary aim is to ensure that students don’t feel hesitant or uneasy about integrating Sami musical culture, explains Buljo.
I hope they can use Sami music as naturally as they would baroque, blues, composition, or improvisation.
Buljo
Prior knowledge
Buljo notes that students generally have limited prior knowledge, though occasionally some students have strong familiarity and experience with the subject.
– Now I realise how little I knew about Sami music before – it’s a shame. It’s so interesting to learn more about Sami culture, says Aksel Dueled, one of the PPU students.
– This is exciting! All of us here have completed a bachelor’s in performance. Back then, we were focused on ourselves and our art, but in this course, we place ourselves more within a societal context, adds Esther Viola Nyström.
oik is learned from person to person, by listening in the style of folk music – with variations based on individuals, families, and regions.
Buljo
Direction and confidence
– Unfortunately, there’s far too little time to give students everything I want to or everything I think they need. But I try to give them direction and confidence, point to simple methods and principles, and refer them to other resources they can explore on their own.
Strengthening Sami perspectives
In parallel with the courses for music pedagogy students, a pedagogical development project is also underway. SAMUS is a two-year project supported by DEMBRA, aimed at strengthening Sami perspectives in music teacher education at the Norwegian Academy of Music and enhancing students’ competence and confidence in using Sami music in their teaching practices.
