A Way of Music Education

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Fung
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Educational Experiences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Third Century ◽  
Human Spirit ◽  
I Ching ◽  
Philosophy Of Music ◽  
Book Of Changes ◽  
Extended Practice ◽  
Way Of Thinking

A Way of Music Education: Classic Chinese Wisdoms presents a philosophy of music education rooted in Yijing (I-Ching or The Book of Changes), classic Confucianism, and classic Daoism, which matured in the mid-sixth to mid-third century BC China (pre-Qin period). This philosophy puts the human at the center of an organismic world, in which all matters and events are connected, be they musical or non-musical. It is human-centric and dao-centric. Music educational experiences are key attributes to musical well-being throughout one’s lifetime. Concepts of yin and yang, deep harmony, and the teachings of Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi are applied to propose a “trilogy”—change, balance, and liberation—as a way of thinking and practicing music education. Music education is viewed as a lifelong endeavor; the philosophy therefore calls for a dynamic flexibility to maintain a balanced life in constantly changing situations. While principles suggested in this philosophy are simple, it is critical to practice them persistently to achieve continuous improvements. Through extended practice in being musically proactive, a musical liberation can be achieved and a humanly human spirit can be preserved and sustained.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Victor Fung
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Chinese Philosophy ◽  
Human Spirit ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
Philosophy Of Music ◽  
Philosophical Inquiry ◽  
Book Of Changes ◽  
Ways Of Thinking

This chapter provides rationales for a philosophy of music education based on classic Chinese philosophies. The philosophy contributes to an array of ways of thinking in music education and emphasizes the quintessence of the human spirit that transcends time and space. The author points to the significance of early Chinese philosophies as postulated in Yijing (The Book of Changes), classic Confucianism (represented by ideologies of Confucius and Mencius), and classic Daoism (represented by ideologies of Laozi and Zhuangzi). Understanding these early classics is critical to understand a characteristically Chinese philosophy. An organismic worldview and a unique perspective in harmony characterize this philosophical inquiry. The author cautions readers about the developments of Confucianism and Daoism evolved after the classics, because their doctrines could be far removed from those of the classics, especially those indicated by prefixes such as “neo-,” “new,” and “contemporary,” or the adjective “religious.”

scholarly journals A preliminary comparison study of burnout and engagement in performance students in Australia, Poland and the UK

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 366-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Zabuska ◽  
Jane Ginsborg ◽  
David Wasley
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Educational Experiences ◽  
Music Performance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Music Students ◽  
Comparison Study ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Cross National

While there is a growing body of research concerning the well-being of music students, burnout and engagement remain largely unexplored. Likewise, cross-national variations in approaches to music education, and different educational experiences of men and women may influence burnout and engagement. This preliminary study aimed to inform further research by establishing the levels of, and exploring cross-national and sex differences in burnout and engagement in music performance students at conservatoires in Australia, Poland and the UK ( n = 331). Self-reported levels of burnout were, typically, low to moderate. Nevertheless, one in ten students reported symptoms such that they could be classified as burned out. Australian and UK students displayed more burnout than students in Poland, although Australian students reported lower levels of reduced sense of accomplishment than Polish and UK students. Self-reported engagement was, typically, moderate to high. Students in Poland reported higher levels of engagement than those in the UK. Women displayed higher levels of global burnout and emotional/physical exhaustion, while men reported lower levels of reduced sense of accomplishment. Further research on burnout and engagement could build on this investigation to gain a better understanding of their impact and the influence of the educational experience on students’ music-related well-being.

A Way of Music Education as a Way of Life

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Victor Fung
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Human Spirit ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
Musical Life ◽  
Philosophy Of Music

This chapter recaps the idea that a triad of classic Chinese sources (Yijing, classic Confucianism, and classic Daoism) forms the basis of a philosophy of music education, which is presented as a trilogy (change, balance, and liberation). It highlights the importance of persistent improvement and iterates that the human spirit is at the center of this philosophy. While the classic wisdoms are ancient, the human spirit transcends time and space. The human spirit is preserved regardless of the changes that occur in the society, culture, or everyday materials, and it is bestowed in music and music education. To live a proactive musical life is to enable musical liberation and to promote prosperity in life. In a state of liberation, humans are able to do anything as wished only within the bounds of humanly dao and heavenly dao.

Toward Practical Implications

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Victor Fung
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Human Spirit ◽  
Philosophy Of Music ◽  
Practical Implications

To make the philosophy of music education presented in this book work, one must practice its principles persistently and to integrate them in the broader life. The philosophy is meant to work throughout anyone’s lifetime as situations and priorities change. The principles are simple and easy to understand, but the trick remains in persistent practice and working toward perfection. Maintaining the human spirit and reflecting on dao in the midst of constant changes are central to the practice of this philosophy. Continuous balancing acts should become habitual motions with dynamic flexibility. Living a life in the zone of musical proactivity is recommended if one wishes to have a prosperous, complete, satisfying, and liberating life.

scholarly journals Music, personhood, and eudaimonia: Implications for educative and ethical music education

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
Community Music ◽  
Philosophical Discussion ◽  
Philosophy Of Music ◽  
Human Value ◽  
Ecological Concepts ◽  
Musical Interactions

This paper proposes that educative and ethical music making and teaching, which is based on a praxial philosophy of music education (Elliott and Silverman, 2014), can be carried out in a variety of ways that create places and spaces, in schools and community settings, for a variety of human values or “goods” that include, but go beyond, making and listening to classical instrumental music, or any other kind of music, for “the music itself.”One premise of this philosophical discussion is that music does not have one value; music has numerous values, depending on the ways in which it is conceived, used, and taught by people who engage in specific musical styles. For example, when music education is ethically guided—when we teach people not only in and about music, but also through music—we achieve what Aristotle and many other philosophers consider the highest human value—eudaimonia—which is a multidimensional term we explain the body of this paper.Following an examination of three community music settings that exemplify educative and ethical musical interactions, the paper provides a brief explanation of the nature of personhood that draws from embodied, enactive, empathetic, and ecological concepts put forth by several contemporary cognitive scientists and philosophers of mind nature. This sections leads to an examination to main constituents of eudaimonia: happiness and well- being as conceived by various scholars during the last 2500 years.The discussion ends by integrated the above themes with a discussion of a praxial philosophy of music education and its implications for school and community music education.

Projects in music education: a bridge to well-being

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Calderón-Garrido ◽  
Josep Gustems-Carnicer ◽  
Caterina Calderón-Garrido
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Well Being

A Consumer Behavior-Influenced Multidisciplinary Transcendent Model of Motivation for Music Making

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie L. Vaccaro
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Behavior ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Music Making ◽  
Self Actualization ◽  
Psychic Energy ◽  
Self Transcendence

This chapter reviews multidisciplinary research from the fields of consumer behavior, humanistic and positive psychology, music education, and other areas to develop a new Transcendent Model of Motivation for Music Making. One’s “extended self” identity can be defined partly by possessions and mastery over objects, and objects can “complete” the self. Music making involves a person’s investment of “psychic energy,” including attention, time, learning, and efforts, and is a creative path which can lead to peak experiences and flow. Music making can help satisfy social needs, achieve self-actualization, experience self-transcendence, enhance well-being, strengthen spirituality, and improve the quality of life.

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