Conceptualizing Globalized Music Education in Ethnomusicology

Research Studies in Music Education, 2001

στο: W. Seems (ed.) Music Pædeia: From Ancient Greek Philosophers Toward Global Music Communities. Proceedings of the ISME 30th International Conference, pp. 223-240, International Society of Music Education. Thessaloniki, 15-20 July 2012, 2012

Education faces a crisis globally. New conditions of the postmodern world have altered the way knowledge is processed and distributed and have caused a dramatical change in the essence of the term “knowledge” and consequently on the role and the priorities of education worldwide. Although music plays an important and indisputable role in our everyday lives, music education has been critisized for not meeting young people’s needs and for remaining “frozen” and untouched by today’s societal and educational change. The present article examines what postmodern philosophy claims about the current state of knowledge and education and explores ways in which music education can meet the demands of postmodern pedagogy and promote the adjustment of the individual and societies in the current social condition. A re-definion of the priorities of music education and a critical reflection on its past omissions and failures is also discussed as a presupposition for it to “reconnect with society” and to become a tool for democracy.

International Journal of Music Education, 1984

Fernando Sadio (ed.) Educação para a Cidadania Europeia com as Artes. Coimbra: Universidad de Granada, Center for Intercultural Music Arts. 105-116, 2007, 2007

"My inquiry will focus on an attempt to locate an ethos of music education. Because I acknowledge that the ethos of a society must logically precede a study of ethics (Ryan, 1972, p. 291, Miller, 1974, p. 309), and given the dramatic changes over the past 30 years in the ways that we create, record, store, access, and perform music, much of my exploration will be positioned in an examination of music and new digital media in the 21st century and how it is used by countless adolescents. Thus, in the development of my line of rhetoric I will (1) begin with basic Aristotelian (1984, 1999) notions of art making, artistic activity, and ethos, (2) discuss the relationship between téchne and technology, and (3) téchne and logo, (4) briefly describe the phenomenon of music making in the digitally enriched 21st century, (5) attempt to discover an ethos of music and music education in the 21st century, and (6) based on the possible discovery of an ethos, determine the ethical outcomes regarding curriculum and pedagogy in music education. I argue that that the profession has not been responsible in the ways that we have constructed an ethos—any notion of ethos—over the past 80 years, in music education textbooks, music curricula, research, and position documents, and in the ways that we (re)present reasons for why music belongs in the schools. Our profession seems to be grasping at straws in our advocacy for ‘justification’ and ‘academic positioning,’ while we may merely need to identify the individuals and communities of people whose lives have been changed by their experiences with music and enlist them to help us (re)define and refine our role not only in education but in society. At best, we may have an ethos that is antiquated and not related to 21st century youth, and most catastrophically, no sensibility regarding the music identity of the majority of youth in digitally enabled nations. It seems that we possess no center, no unified voice, no sense of music of the 21st century, and no sense of “knowing our market” (see Rideout et al, 2010). We need to (re)elaborate what is perceived as ‘music activity,’ in and out of schools and in structured and unstructured learning situations (Gouzouasis & Bakan, 2011). Moreover, we are not speaking to the very people who can understand the need for music education in the schools—the youth of today, who will become the creators and consumers of music and policy makers of tomorrow. Thus, this paper questions how we can create an ethos of music education for our profession without including the individuals who are being ‘educated’ by our notions of music education—our youth themselves. "

This thesis explores and analyses the discipline of music education by situating it within a transdisciplinary contextual framework. Its aim is to develop a simple, practical model to help teachers, particularly generalist classroom teachers, reflect on their own musicianship and that of their students and the community, as a means of increasing engagement in music both in school and beyond. It emerges from, and builds upon, the work of the Music Engagement Program at the Australian National University, where music is conceptualised in such a way as to increase the confidence and abilities of all teachers to offer music making opportunities to their students. Despite evidence to suggest that music making is a universal human trait, studies indicate a decline in active music making, particularly in countries such as Australia with ‘Western’ style school systems. There is evidence to suggest that aspects of music education may be contributing to this decline. The adults teaching music can be affected by negative feelings about their own musical capacities, perpetuating this lack of confidence in the next generation. Solutions to date have not produced reforms that successfully overcome these systemic problems on a large scale. This study develops through a set of nine ‘iterations’, each exploring a different realm of knowledge, some not commonly applied to the field of music education. Each iteration acts as a disciplinary ‘lens’ through which new data and perspectives are explored and considered, including: 1) language and etymology; 2) the conceptualisation of problems in current music education; 3) the origins of music; 4) thought and practice in ancient Greece and Rome; 5) the development of ancient performance spaces; 6) the influences of the early Christian church; 7) 20th century educational reformers; 8) the practice of the Music Engagement Program; and 9) the development of a framework in consultation with teachers. The framework that emerges through the iterative research process is refined through consultation with practising teachers in Iteration 9. The practical framework is designed to spark a process of reflection and debate amongst educators, articulating the different outcomes that stem from underlying educational beliefs at opposite ends of the spectrum. At one end of the spectrum is the belief that music is a specialised talent that requires specialist instruction. The outcome of this belief is that the bulk of the population disengages from, or lacks confidence in, their music making capacities. At the other end of the spectrum is the belief that music is a universal human impulse, which can be released and encouraged through education, but which is not reliant on specialised instruction. The outcome of this belief is that multiple pathways may be developed for and by each individual. The original contribution of this study is the provision of a historical and cultural framework of a scope that captures the extent of the influences converging on educators today, for use as a dialectical tool for debate, reflection and reform. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the ramifications of the framework for practice, research and policy.

Abstract We offer a multi-voiced performance autoethnography where contemporary music education practices are informed and imbued with the voices of teachers and learners. By dialogically and musically engaging with the very people who live, make music, and engage with learners in music classrooms, we promote contemporary qualitative forms of research and the (re)conception of a sociology of music education as a political and an ethical construction that needs to be grounded in serving communities of music practitioners. Through a pedagogical story, told from the perspectives of music teachers using their own voices, we begin an open conversation about the nature of power structures and struggles in music education research. We invite new possibilities in developing understandings of the complex socio-cultural dynamic of music making, music learning, music teaching, and music researching in all facets of contemporary society. By embracing a broader set of traditions—Arts-Based Educational Research and Creative Analytical Practices—that enable us to go beyond socio-cultural frameworks and orthodox beliefs that currently exist in the music education profession, we seek to (re)form a culturally contextualized, ethos-rooted, sociology of music education.

History of Education , 2018