Musical Meaning and Social Reproduction: A case for retrieving autonomy

Abstract

Music educationalists are probably agreed upon one thing if nothing else: that theory and practice in the field urgently need to embrace diversity. This might encompass the diversity of musical styles which the globalisation of the music industry with one hand is making widely available, and with the other hand is threatening to swamp; the localisation of traditional musics being bolstered by that same industry as well as by governments and pressure groups in response to such threats; the appropriation and reworking of global musical styles in local settings, with and without the 'help' of commercial interest; the diverse responses to and uses of musics in different places, by different ethnic groups, religions, social classes, genders, 'sub-cultures', 'scenes' and other social groups; the rapidly changing array of music technology which is impacting on approaches to music-making; or the diversity of musical reception practices and approaches to music teaching and learning. How can music education philosophers and theorists, let alone practitioners, come to grips with such factors?At the present time, the Adornian project of discerning within music, traces of the structure and ideology of the society from which that music springs, has been largely discarded. Sociological interest in music is focussing instead on questions of how musical meanings are constructed through discourse, use, education, the media and other social practices and institutions, at the levels both of face-to-face interaction and of wider social structures (Martin, 1995;Finnegan, 1989;Negus, 1999; DeNora, 2000 andClayton 2003). What people say about music, the uses to which they put it in their ordinary lives, and their music-making practices are all receiving interest from researchers and scholars, alongside questions about the structures and processes of the music industry and broadcasting corporations and perhaps to a lesser extent, of education. Musicology has come under attack from such quarters during the last fifteen years or so, most notably for Journal of Educational Philosophy and Theory

Challenges to Values Education in Hong Kong School Music Education

“…Sadly, singing a few folk songs and listening to music from other countries is not going to turn teachers into multicultural educators. There needs to be research on how best to teach children from dissimilar ethnic, cultural, or musical backgrounds (Davis, 2005;Green, 2005, Kwami, 2001Woodford, 2004). Music higher education should therefore restructure its curriculum in order to provide in-depth training to practise teaching values education by using a variety of global musical styles.…”

“…The use of music education to build a responsible, cohesive, and robust society can be found in both Western and non-Western nations (Apple, 2003;Cook, 2003;Davis, 2005;Green, 2005;Ho, 2004;Law & Ho, 2004;Woodford, 2004). This includes not only teaching civics and national loyalty but also the concept of cultural diversity amidst today's intense global interactions.…”

“…The first is that music education must include a multiplicity of musical styles in the classroom, while the second is that music education must depend on the significance of music in human life-insofar as music contributes to existing social meanings and social relations in the wider society (Green, 1988(Green, , 2005.…”

Music Making: A Bridge Joint of Students' Cultural and Musical Diversity

“…It may bring out new positive, holistic musical experiences by allowing building affirmative social delineations (Green, 2005). By facilitating the connection between people through experiencing positive musical moments, we can promote the creation of new ways of living together.…”

Positive musical experiences in education: music as a social praxis

“…Current trends defend the value of retrieving the notion of autonomy in some logical moments during the music practice. Such moments may enhance the acquisition of positive 190 musical experiences, allowing music to cross boundaries (Green 2005). An affirmative positive response to inherent musical meanings can lead to an improvement towards the delineations a musical style can give rise to, thus enhancing the holistic musical experience.…”