In Search of Good Relationships to Music

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In Search of Good Relationships to Music Cecilia Björk In Search of Good Relationships to Music Understanding Aspiration and Challenge in Developing Music School Teacher Practices Cecilia BjörkCecilia | In of Good Music Relationships Search | 2016 to What is ‘good’ in and about music education? Cecilia Björk This thesis argues that the possible links between music education and human fl ourishing remain highly relevant for practice and policy. Qualitative In Search of Good Relationships to Music accounts of fi ve music school teachers’ eff orts to develop their practices illuminate the depth and Understanding Aspiration and Challenge in Developing complexity of their work. Together with their stu- Music School Teacher Practices dents, the teachers engage in processes of consti- tuting and combining various forms of goodness, aiming for musical skill but also for strong expe- riences of vitality and inspiration. Attempts to establish normative policies in music education are inevitably complicated by the fact that diff erent musical practices emphasise and embody diff erent ideas of musical goodness as well as of the good life. In the increasingly diverse landscape of Western music education, a more advanced understanding of musical practices and their respective values and instructional traditions is becoming imperative. The study introduces interpretive practice analysis, the fi rst systematic empirical method based on a robust praxialist philosophy of music education. It also addresses the nature of multilevel conversations that can ex- pand and refi ne conceptions of what is considered worthwhile in teaching and learning music. 9 789517 658188 Åbo Akademi University Press | ISBN 978-951-765-818-8 Cecilia Björk Cecilia Björk is a University Teacher of Music Education at Åbo Akademi, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies (2010– ). She holds a Master of Music degree from the Sibelius Academy with specialisations in piano teaching and general music education. Her publications have focused on reflective music teaching, practical consequences of different presuppo- sitions about musical learning, and the role of student voice in teaching and learning music. Her research interests include the philosophy of music education, policy issues in education, and ethics in interpretive research. She is also a registered psychotherapist who has specialised in reflecting processes and intergenerational dialogue. Cover image: Hendrik Goltzius (1558–1617), Euterpen calami, et genialis Tibia honestat [Euterpe the genial reeds and flute honor], 1592. Dayton C. Miller Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress Åbo Akademi University Press Tavastgatan 13, FI-20500 Åbo, Finland Tel. +358 (0)2 215 3478 E-mail: [email protected] Sales and distribution: Åbo Akademi University Library Domkyrkogatan 2–4, FI-20500 Åbo, Finland Tel. +358 (0)2 -215 4190 E-mail: [email protected] IN SEARCH OF GOOD RELATIONSHIPS TO MUSIC In Search of Good Relationships to Music Understanding Aspiration and Challenge in Developing Music School Teacher Practices Cecilia Björk Åbo Akademis förlag | Åbo Akademi University Press Åbo, Finland, 2016 CIP Cataloguing in Publication Björk, Cecilia. In search of good relationships to music : understanding aspiration and challenge in developing music school teacher practices / Cecilia Björk. - Åbo : Åbo Akademi University Press, 2016. Diss.: Åbo Akademi University. ISBN 978-951-765-818-8 ISBN 978-951-765-818-8 ISBN 978-951-765-819-5 (digital) Painosalama Oy Åbo 2016 Abstract This study focuses on teacher practices in publicly funded music schools in Finland. As views on the aims of music education change and broaden, music schools across Europe share the challenge of developing their activities in response. In public and scholarly debate, there have been calls for increased diversity of contents and concepts of teaching. In Finland, the official national curriculum for state-funded music schools builds on the ideal that teaching and learning should create conditions which promote ‘a good relationship to music’. The meaning of this concept has been deliberately left open in order to leave room for dialogue, flexibility, and teacher autonomy. Since what is meant by ‘good’ is not defined in advance, the notion of ‘improving’ practices is also open to discussion. The purpose of the study is to examine these issues from teachers’ point of view by asking what music school teachers aim to accomplish as they develop their practices. Methodologically, the study introduces a suggestion for building empirical research on Alperson’s ‘robust’ praxial approach to music education, a philosophical theory which is strongly committed to practitioner perspectives and musical diversity. A systematic method for analysing music education practices, interpretive practice analysis, is elaborated with support from interpretive research methods originally used in policy analysis. In addition, the research design shows how reflecting conversations (a collaborative approach well-known in Nordic social work) can be fruitfully applied in interpretive research and combined with teacher inquiry. Data have been generated in a collaborative project involving five experienced music school teachers and the researcher. The empirical material includes transcripts from group conversations, data from teacher inquiry conducted within the project, and transcripts from follow-up interviews. The teachers’ aspirations can be understood as strivings to reinforce the connection between musical practices and various forms of human flourishing such that music and flourishing can sustain each other. Examples from their practices show how the word ‘good’ receives its meaning in context. Central among the teachers’ concerns is their hope that students develop a free and sustainable interest in music, often described as inspiration. I propose that ‘good relationships to music’ and ‘inspiration’ can be understood as philosophical mediators which support the transition from an indeterminate ‘interest in music’ towards specific ways in which music can become a (co-)constitutive part of living well in each person’s particular circumstances. Different musical practices emphasise different aspects of what is considered important in music and in human life. Music school teachers consciously balance between a variety of such values. They also make efforts to resist pressure which might threaten the goods they think are most important. Such goods include joy, participation, perseverance, solid musical skills related to specific practices, and a strong sense of vitality. The insights from this study suggest that when teachers are able to create inspiration, they seem to do so by performing complex work which combines musical and educational aims and makes general positive contributions to their students’ lives. Ensuring that teaching and learning in music schools remain as constructive and meaningful as possible for both students and teachers is a demanding task. The study indicates that collaborative, reflective and interdisciplinary work may be helpful as support for development processes on both individual and collective levels of music school teacher practices. Keywords: music education, music schools, philosophy of music education, teacher practices, collaborative research, teacher inquiry Abstrakt Den här studien fokuserar på lärarpraktiker i offentligt finansierade musikskolor i Finland. I takt med att synen på vad som är eftersträvansvärt i musikpedagogik förändras och breddas, skapar de nya perspektiven utmaningar för motsvarande skolor i hela Europa. Krav på att utveckla musikskolornas aktiviteter och göra dem mera mångsidiga har framförts i såväl offentlig som akademisk debatt. Nationella läroplansgrunder för musikskolor i Finland bygger på idealet att undervisning och lärande ska skapa förutsättningar för ”ett gott förhållande till musiken”. Vad denna formulering ska betyda har medvetet lämnats öppet i avsikt att skapa utrymme för dialog, flexibilitet och lärarautonomi. Eftersom man inte definierar på förhand vad som menas med ”gott”, är frågan om hur lärarpraktiker ska ”förbättras” också öppen för diskussion. Syftet med studien är att undersöka dessa teman ur lärares synvinkel genom att fråga vad musikskollärare strävar efter i sitt arbete med att utveckla undervisnings- praktiken. Avhandlingen introducerar en tolkande forskningsmetod som bygger på Alpersons ”robusta” praxialism, en filosofisk teori där uppmärksamheten riktas särskilt mot praktikerperspektiv och musikalisk mångfald. En systematisk metod för att analysera musikpedagogiska praktiker, tolkande praktikanalys, utvecklas med stöd av tolkande metoder som ursprungligen har använts i policyanalys. Forskningsdesignen visar även hur reflekterande samtal (en kollaborativ arbetsform som är välbekant i socialt arbete i Norden) på ett fruktbart sätt kan tillämpas i tolkande studier och kombineras med lärarforskning. Data har genererats i ett kollaborativt projekt där fem erfarna musikskollärare och forskaren deltog. Det empiriska materialet omfattar transkriptioner från gruppsamtal, data från lärarforskningsprojekt och transkriptioner från uppföljande intervjuer. Lärarnas målsättningar kan tolkas som ett långsiktigt arbete för att förstärka kopplingen mellan musikpraktiker och olika former av mänsklig blomstring så att musik och blomstring kan stöda varandra. Exempel ur deras undervisningspraktiker visar hur ordet ”god” får sin mening i ett sammanhang. Lärarna uppfattar det som centralt att eleverna utvecklar ett fritt och långvarigt intresse för musik, ofta
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