Rethinking Music Education and Social Change

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Kertz-Welzel
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
The Arts ◽  
New Vision ◽  
Education And Social Change ◽  
Socially Responsive ◽  
Utopian Theory

The arts and particularly music are well-known agents for social change. They can empower, transform, or question. They can be a mirror of society’s current state and a means of transformation. They are often the last refuge when all attempts at social change have failed. But are the arts able to live up to these expectations? Can music education cause social change? This book offers timely answers to these questions. It presents an imaginative, yet critical approach. It is optimistic and realistic. It rethinks music education’s relation to social change and offers a new vision in terms of music education as utopian theory and practice. This allows one to unearth the utopian energy of the music education profession and to openly imagine how the world could be otherwise—while at the same time critically scrutinizing respective conceptions. Utopia, being an important topic in sociology and political science, offers a new tradition of thinking and a scholarly foundation for music education’s relation to social change. However, music education is not only a means for social transformation. It also has artistic and aesthetic dimensions. Thus, connecting music education with utopia leads to two approaches in terms of politically or socially responsive music education and “esthetic” music education. Rethinking music education and social change within the framework of utopia offers much-needed opportunities for reconceptualizing music education in the 2020s.

Music Education and Utopia

2021 ◽  
pp. 135-161
Author(s):  
Alexandra Kertz-Welzel
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Social Fact ◽  
Education Theory ◽  
Socially Responsive ◽  
Utopian Theory ◽  
Other Regarding ◽  
Two Sides

This chapter applies the ideas developed in the previous chapters to music education theory and practice. It presents utopia as method in music education, emphasizing its meaning as a hermeneutic, visionary, and exploratory tool. This leads to reconceptualizing music education as utopian theory and practice regarding two different approaches of music education: politically or socially responsive music education and esthetic music education. They represent two sides of music and music education, which need each other regarding political engagement and musical autonomy, being based on music as social fact or as existing for its own sake. This reconceptualization helps to overcome a long-standing dichotomy in international music education.

scholarly journals Introduction

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Alexandra Kertz-Welzel
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Innovative Approach ◽  
Education Theory ◽  
Utopian Thinking ◽  
Education And Social Change ◽  
Interdisciplinary Study ◽  
Specific Contribution

The chapter introduces the topic of music education and social change and shows the need for an interdisciplinary study. It discusses research related to social change and music education critically and shows possible directions for new investigations. It develops the theoretical framework of utopia and utopian thinking as an innovative approach to music education and social change. It offers a much-needed scholarly foundation for music education and social change. Furthermore, this chapter presents the purpose of the present study, and the specific contribution this book will make to music education theory and practice. Finally, it offers a brief overview of the book chapters.

The Power of Utopian Thinking

2021 ◽  
pp. 64-103
Author(s):  
Alexandra Kertz-Welzel
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Political Theory ◽  
Literary Genre ◽  
Critical Perspective ◽  
Political Thinking ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Utopian Thinking ◽  
Education And Social Change

This chapter develops a notion of utopia and utopian thinking which is useful for reconsidering music education and social change. The first section analyzes what utopia is. It shows the ambivalence of this concept, as both literary genre and method. It emphasizes its relatedness to various fields of research such as sociology and thus opens possible links for music education. The second section is concerned with utopia and political thinking, critically discussing the significance of utopia for political theory and philosophy. Their connection is much deeper than thought, but also needs a differentiated and critical perspective. The third section approaches utopia and the arts, elaborating their significance for artists of various times and genres.

Reflection, theory and practice

2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Swanwick
Keyword(s):  
British Journal ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Reflection Theory ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

A brief review of the state of music education in the UK at the time of the creation of the British Journal of Music Education (BJME) leads to a consideration of the range and focus of topics since the initiation of the Journal. In particular, the initial requirement of careful and critical enquiry is amplified, drawing out the inevitability of theorising, an activity which is considered to be essential for reflective practice. The relationship of theory and data is examined, in particular differentiating between the sciences and the arts. A ‘case study’ of theorising is presented and examined in some detail and possible strands of future development are identified.

Transforming Society

2021 ◽  
pp. 104-134
Author(s):  
Alexandra Kertz-Welzel
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Vital Importance ◽  
Know How ◽  
Education And Social Change

To transform society and to assess the role music education could play, it is crucial to know how society works. When discussing music education and social change, the mechanism of society and the dynamics of transformation are rarely discussed. Thus, this chapter presents three perspectives on how society can be transformed, namely the sociology of social change, the politics of change, and the utopian power of education. The notion of utopia is present in these three viewpoints, connecting the various perspectives on society’s transformative processes. The last section explicitly raises the issue of the utopian power of education which has often been forgotten in education, even though it is of vital importance.

What Does Innovation Mean to Nonprofit Practitioners? International Insights From Development and Peace-Building Nonprofits

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 380-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per G. Svensson ◽  
Tara Q. Mahoney ◽  
Marion E. Hambrick
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Peace Building ◽  
Financial Sustainability ◽  
Organizational Goal ◽  
Local Contexts

Charitable nonprofits strive to meet their organization’s goals, address external demands, and secure resources to pursue their missions. Management scholars have recommended that nonprofits promote innovation and innovative practices to maximize profits and gain a competitive advantage. However, the voices of nonprofit practitioners who implement this strategy have not been heard. We used data from interviews and focus groups with 47 practitioners representing development and peace-building nonprofits across six continents to probe what innovation means to them. Five themes emerged: (a) experimentation and social transformation, (b) financial sustainability, (c) collective solutions, (d) new means for achieving missions, and (e) adaptations to local contexts. These findings reveal discrepancies in the meaning of innovation between theory and practice. The findings from this study suggests innovation and innovative practices can have different meanings in different sectors. Perspectives on nonprofit innovation are multifaceted, yet the overarching emphasis is finding transformative ways to attain organizational goal(s) for social change.

The rights and wrongs of school music: a brief comment on Malcolm Ross's paper

1997 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Plummeridge
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Insufficient Attention ◽  
The Arts ◽  
School Music ◽  
The Many

In this article consideration is given to some of the issues raised in Malcolm Ross's provocative critique of music education and music educators (TJJME, 1995, 12, 185–201). Ross's claim that there is empirical evidence to support a view of school music as a failing arts subject requires closer examination and critical evaluation. Whilst his contention that the arts subjects cannot really be taught in schools is both interesting and challenging, teachers will question some of Ross's underlying pedagogical and aesthetic arguments. They are also likely to conclude that he pays insufficient attention to the many developments that have taken place in the theory and practice of music education.

El Sistema fundamentals in practice: An examination of one public elementary school partnership in the US

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-368
Author(s):  
Jamie Simpson Steele
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Public School ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Teaching Artists ◽  
Music Program ◽  
El Sistema ◽  
School Partnership

El Sistema is a Venezuelan program of social change that has inspired a worldwide movement in music education. El Sistema inspires social transformation and musical excellence to occur simultaneously and symbiotically. This study examines: What does El Sistema look like within the context of a public school partnership in the United States? How do the characteristics of this context influence the realization of El Sistema principles? This qualitative case study examines one fledgling music program just two years into its partnership with a public school. The study utilizes ethnographic observations and focus group interviews with the young program participants, their parents, schoolteachers, and music teaching artists. I discuss these multiple perspectives according to the fundamentals of El Sistema: a) social change; b) community; c) access; and d) frequency. Findings indicate El Sistema values are capable of impact, but not without struggle, when allied with a public school partnership.

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