Awakening students’ entrepreneurial selves: case music in basic education

Abstract

Purpose Entrepreneurship education is recommended for implementation throughout the entire educational path. However, there have been challenges in implementing entrepreneurship education for many kinds of students, especially in non-business education. The case study presented in the current paper asks how 15-year-old students in Finnish basic education are able to find their ‘entrepreneurial selves’ by looking at their musical activities through an ‘entrepreneurial lens’. Design/methodology/approach This case study examines an intervention carried out among music students in basic education. The music teacher interpreted the enterprise approach as guiding the students to experiment with different styles in singing and playing instruments, to seek various opportunities to sing and play both individually and as a group, and to reflect upon their activities. To awaken their entrepreneurial selves, the students were guided to assess their musical activity using 12 enterprise concepts. Findings The study shows that students in basic education can be encouraged to reflect on their music studies by comparing their musical activities with small-sized entrepreneurs’ attributes and activities. For example, the students pointed out the ability to take initiative and cooperate. One principle in organising the music learning environment was to allow the students to make choices based on their own interests. The alternatives given led students to discover opportunities and to make decisions to experiment. Their reflective practices enabled them to make new decisions and finally own and lead their music learning paths. Practical implications This investigation shows that encouraging students to reflect on their study practices through an entrepreneurial lens may awaken them to their entrepreneurial selves regardless of the subject and context. Despite examining only music studies in basic education, the findings may prompt teachers and educators in other non-business educational contexts and subjects to apply the ideas shared in the current paper. Originality/value Music as a subject and basic education as an educational level have not been examined in depth as enterprise learning environments. Only a few previous studies have focused mainly on non-business students’ enterprise activities without training in business skills.

Entrepreneurial identity formation through musical identity formation

“…Elliott and Silverman (2015) stressed the importance of reflection to connect past musical knowledge and habits with new possibilities in the future. Risktaking and reflection are integral elements in entrepreneurship as well (Hietanen 2015;Hietanen and Ruismäki 2016).…”

“…As such, de Reizabal and Gomez (2020) recommended that higher education focusing on music should also offer courses in entrepreneurship, a sentiment which Anna echoed, as she had not achieved any kind of entrepreneurship education during her educational path towards graduating as a music teacher. According to Hietanen, Uusiautti, and Määttä (2014), Hietanen and Ruismäki (2016) and Garnett (2013), entrepreneurial learning can be implemented in music studies among pupils in general education, as an example. Therefore, this study establishes what kinds of episodes in the non-business areas of Anna's lifeespecially those related to her development as a musician and later as a music teachermay have been significant to Anna along her path towards a career as an entrepreneur.…”

Music education in adolescence – A pathway to entrepreneurial identity?

“…ME, as one of the facets of education in the creative industries, including in the field of art and design, places significant emphasis on the enhancement of self-representation skills and autonomy (Penaluna and Penaluna, 2009). Music education is also an emotionally intensive activity, touching an array of senses but at the same time focused on disciplined, regular practice and sometimes involving accountability to peers in a band or choir (Burton et al, 2000;Hietanen and Ruismäki, 2016). Similarly, any entrepreneurial project or new endeavour is strongly intertwined with the personality of its initiator, is passion-driven and requires time investments and conscious commitment (Farmer et al, 2011;Murnieks et al, 2012).…”

“…Entrepreneurial skills, Hietanen (2015) argued, should not be confined to business skills, but should also entail becoming a more cooperative, responsible and creative decision-maker. While students in specialised music studies tend to benefit from EE (Hietanen and Ruismäki, 2016) and holistically embrace such topics as value creation, being entrepreneurial, employability and career self-management (Schediwy et al, 2018), other students from diverse study backgrounds who have had ME may experience similar effects on entrepreneurship-related learning outcomes.…”

Enhancing students’ latent nascent entrepreneurship in basic education

“…Music as a subject situations, and interact with their network. Because even young students are able to reflect on their learning process through an entrepreneurial lens (Hietanen et al, 2014;Hietanen and Ruismäki, 2016), students and teachers could reflect these stories by comparing their own attitudes and practices during their studies with those of the SEs, as done theoretically in the examined cases.…”