Antroposeenin ajassa ihminen muovaa maapallon tulevaisuutta luonnonvoimiakin enemmän. Kun maapallon rajat tulevat vastaan, kasvaa inhimillisen ja ei-inhimillisen todellisuuden välistä siltaa rakentavan ajattelun ja toiminnan tarve. Kysymme tässä artikkelissa: 1) millaisia piirteitä ja ominaisuuksia on ihmisen ja muun todellisuuden yhteenkietoutuneisuuden tunnistavalla ja tunnustavalla taidekasvatuksella sekä 2) miten tällainen taidekasvatus voi toimia yhteiskunnan muutosajurina kohti kestävää tulevaisuutta? Ekososialisaatioteoriaan ja esteettiseettisen taidekasvatuksen perinteeseen pohjautuen tunnistamme ekososiaalista kestävyyttä tukevalle taidekasvatukselle kolme ulottuvuutta – kehollisuuden, kuvittelukyvyn ja huolenpidon – jotka voivat vauhdittaa kestävyystietoisen elämänorientaation valtavirtaistumista yhteiskunnassa. Ihmiskeskeisen ajattelun ongelmallisten piirteiden paljastuessa on ihmisen maailmasuhteessa olevia ristiriitaisuuksia mahdollista korjata. Kun ihmiselämän koetaan kietoutuvan erottamattomaksi osaksi planetaarista kokonaisuutta, on arvokkaan ja merkitykselliseksi koetun elämän tavoittelun mahdollista toteutua entistä ehyemmin. Kaiken elämän itseisarvoisuutta ja kietoutuneisuutta näkyväksi tekevä taidekasvatus voi vauhdittaa planetaaristen kriisien ratkaisemista, mikä puolestaan vahvistaa tulevaisuuden toivoa.

In this article, we describe the agency development in one student with special needs through Dalcroze-based music-and-movement activities. The case study was conducted in the context of classroom music education in a special school. The data were produced via a teaching experiment (from August 2015 to March 2016), in which a group (n = 13) of 15- to 16-year-old students participated in added lessons (one lesson per week) provided by the first author. The lessons included a variety of Dalcroze-based activities, such as singing with movement, quick reaction and follow exercises, movement improvisation, body percussion exercises, dances, and relaxation exercises. The data consist of video-recordings of the lessons, a research diary, and interviews with teachers, teaching assistants, a therapist, and a specialist of special education. During the teaching experiment, the case student’s agency developed from being a passive outsider to being an active participant and leader. The change in agency was noticed also outside the classroom. The study suggests that using music-and-movement in a music classroom offers possibilities for nonverbal embodied interaction and thereby opportunities for the development of students’ agency and autonomy foremost by developing their body and social skills. On a more general level, the article contributes to developing such music education theory and practice that acknowledges the significance of experience in learning music and in embodied interaction, where individuals interact and make sense of the world through nonverbal communication. In addition, this study highlights the strength of such education in supporting the development of the whole human being.

This ethnographic study examines the development of agency in students with special needs during an experiment of classroom music teaching in a special school. The experiment took place from August 2015 to March 2016 and was based on Emile Jaques-Dalcroze’s ideas of music and movement as a means of developing competencies, skills and understanding in music and life in general. The lessons included activities, such as quick reaction and follow exercises, singing with movement, body percussion exercises, dancing, movement improvisation, and relaxation exercises. The data consisted of video recordings of the lessons, and interviews with students, teachers, and teaching assistants. The data were analyzed using qualitative analysis software and thematic analysis. The analysis of the ethnographic data of this practitioner research showed that music-and-movement activities support the development of students’ agency by fostering (a) students’ own decision-making, (b) interaction with others, (c) expression of emotions and initiative, and (d) being recognized by others as active and able musicians. Consequently, this study encourages educators to advocate music and movement as a tool to support individual agency and active participation inside and outside the classroom.

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