Radical Musicking: Challenging Dominant Paradigms in Elementary Music Education
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Radical Musicking: Challenging Dominant Paradigms in Elementary Music Education by Juliet Luisa Hess A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Social Justice Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Juliet Hess 2013 Radical Musicking: Challenging Dominant Paradigms In Elementary Music Education Juliet Hess Doctor of Philosophy Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Social Justice Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto 2013 Abstract This project examines the work of four elementary music educators who strive to challenge the dominant paradigm of music education. I employed the methodology of a multiple case study (Merriam, 1998; Yin, 2009) to consider the discourses, practices, and philosophies of these four educators. I observed in each school for an eight-week period for two full days each week, conducting semi-structured interviews at the beginning, middle, and end of each observation process. At each school, I followed an observation protocol, in addition to completing three interviews, and keeping a journal. In this work, I mobilize a tri-faceted lens that combines the theoretical frameworks of anti-colonialism, anti-racism, and anti-racist feminism toward counterhegemonic goals. The teachers’ diverse practices include critically engaging with issues of social justice, studying a broad range of musics, introducing multiple musical epistemologies, creating space for students to own the means of cultural production, contextualizing musics, considering differential privilege, and subverting hegemonic practices. In many ways, these four individuals interrupt the traditional Eurocentric focus on Western classical music to explore different possibilities with their students. However, within this work to subvert, there were moments in ii each classroom where the dominant paradigm was reinscribed. These subversions and reinscriptions are instructive to music education and carry broader implications for the discipline. Ultimately, this thesis argues that a truly radical music education involves shifting from a liberal to a critical paradigm. Many values and strategies traditionally found in liberal education can be reread radically, and doing so puts forward tenets of a radical music education. Within these four classrooms, there were myriad examples of this shift from a liberal to a critical orientation. However, this work also raises questions of positionality and asks explicitly which bodies are able to do radical anti-oppressive work in music education, acknowledging that it is possible to unintentionally reinscribe dominant power relations while working to subvert them. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research would not have been possible without the help and support of many people. I would like to start by thanking the four participants in this project, Amanda, Anne, Sarah, and Susan, for allowing me observe their classrooms at great length, for sharing their insights and philosophies with me, and for enduring interviews at the end of long teaching days. Without these four participants, this project would not exist. My committee was also fundamental to this project. I’d like to thank Jamie Magnusson, my supervisor, for her unwavering enthusiasm and for her infectious excitement for learning and ideas. Sherene Razack’s close reading and critique pushed me to address difficult questions— particularly questions of race—in my work, challenging my thinking and shaping my future. Lori Dolloff brought the music education perspective to this project. A mentor since my undergraduate days, Lori’s passion for elementary music has been instrumental in the direction my work has taken. Words cannot adequately express how much her mentorship has meant to me. Randall Allsup brought an outside perspective to this work, and I was thrilled to have him read my work and bring his insights to the table. Liz Gould’s teaching helped shape my thinking and writing, and her work has strongly influenced my own. And finally, thanks to Sandra Acker for sharing her passion for music in so many wonderful conversations over these years. An unofficial committee also provided crucial support and feedback along the way. There are no words to describe what Deb Bradley has meant in my life and in this process. Friend and mentor, she has shaped my work and the very core of my being. Her work and her life have inspired me to move in this direction and I am grateful for her unlimited support. Teri Dobbs has been on the other end of the phone so many times in this process, helping me through crises and providing provided so many insights along the way. I remember that phone conversation when my utter bewilderment at the data that was literally all over the walls of my apartment suddenly yielded I finally understood how to make sense of it all. I am so grateful to have Teri as a friend and colleague. Lise Vaugeois has been there since the beginning of my master’s, and I am truly not sure I would have made it through without her support. She has read more papers for me than I can count and I write more effectively now because of her. I truly value her friendship. Finally, Pat Shand is an inspiring teacher. I have appreciated the coffee dates and the opportunities to share my work with her along this journey. When I wrote my conclusion, her feedback reassured me that I was on the right track. In addition to my unofficial committee, I would also like to thank the professors at OISE for pushing my thinking further than I ever thought possible. I experienced six very different learning environments fostered by six fabulous and dynamic teachers. In particular, I would like to thank George Dei and Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández for helping me begin my PhD journey and for their guidance through the comprehensive examinations and the dissertation proposal. In addition, I would like to thank Miglena Todorova and Kristine Pearson for the wonderful conversations. Many other people—too many to name—have provided support and community throughout this process. I am grateful for the hallway chats, the endless Facebook conversations, the late night Google chats, the responses to e-mails at 5:00 a.m., and more than anything, the sense of community in the Department of Sociology and Equity Studies. I want to specifically thank Athena Madan, Colleen McLay, Brandy Jensen, Michaela McMahon, and Sarah Snyder, however, as I truly do not think I would have made it through without them. The “Doctoral Fireside” group at the Faculty of Music also served as a great support over the last three years. Having the opportunity to discuss music education ideas with colleagues has been invaluable. Outside of school, a number of people supported me throughout the entire process and have always been there when I needed them. I am grateful for their unconditional love, support, and encouragement, as well as their willingness to tolerate my lack of social availability. I am v sending love and thanks out to Tara Nadal, Amy Sheffield, CJ Lamb, Michelle Pereira, Trevor Rines, Fran, Alayna, and Joe Grzybowski, Sarina Condello, Vivian Avotri, and Kathy McManus. I would also like to thank Joyce Weinberg. I would not have made it without her. Finally, I would like to thank my family. My mother, Ailine Hess, my brother, Jolyon Hess, and my almost sister-in-law, Stacie Moltner, as well as my in-laws Robert, Lilian, and Emma Turkington, have been unwavering in their support of this degree. I would particularly like to thank my mother. I am reserving the largest thank you for my best friend and partner, Peter Turkington, who has been there throughout the entire process and has provided endless amounts of support. He has listened and cleaned me up off the floor at the ends of some very difficult days. He has watched me struggle and provided encouragement. He has reminded me of my value when I did not see it and been my number one cheerleader, always. Words cannot express how much that means to me. Thank you all for making this project possible. There is a little bit of all of you in here. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................... xiii LIST OF APPENDICES .......................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER 1 ................................................................................................................................. 1 Crossroads: Reenvisioning Music Education in the 21st Century ........................................... 1 Music Education: The Dominant Paradigm .............................................................................. 2 Paradigm Shift: From a Liberal to Critical Framework ............................................................ 7 Music Education and Hegemony: Race and Class in Music Education .................................. 10 A Counterhegemonic Music Education: Formulating a Critical Perspective .......................... 13 Anti-colonialism .................................................................................................................. 15 Anti-racism .........................................................................................................................