THE EDUCATIVE IMPACT of MUSIC STUDY ABROAD by Daniel Antonelli Dissertation Committee
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THE EDUCATIVE IMPACT OF MUSIC STUDY ABROAD by Daniel Antonelli Dissertation Committee: Professor Randall E. Allsup, Sponsor Professor Lori A. Custodero Approved by the Committee on the Degree of Doctor of Education Date 10 February, 2021 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education in Teachers College, Columbia University 2021 ABSTRACT THE EDUCATIVE IMPACT OF MUSIC STUDY ABROAD Daniel Antonelli This study explored the educative impact of a music study abroad program, specifically, what role music plays in encounters between students from diverse cultural backgrounds, and how such programs can help shape the identity of a global citizen and lead to a more socially just global community. If programmatic efforts can be impactful, preparing young people for life in a more interdependent, complex, and fragile world, then how can such values be informed, fostered, and even stimulated by engaging in international music travel? How is “difference” experienced and rendered meaningful? This qualitative case study followed U.S. music and music education students on a trip to Malaysia where they collaborated with Malaysian peers in bamboo instrument-making as well as music-making in traditional Malay styles. Perspectives, commentary, and reflections of and by all participants were recorded and investigated. Pre-trip interviews were conducted two months prior to embarking on the international journey. During the program abroad over the course of three weeks, I interviewed four U.S. music students, five Malaysian music education students, and both a U.S. and Malay music professor. Additionally, a focus group was conducted with the Malay student-participants. This study posited two primary benefits to studying music abroad and then analyzed data that would illuminate to what degree these benefits were achieved. The first of these benefits is the well-known enhancement in broader experience and new knowledge that will inform students’ practice and musical life going forward. The second class of benefits has to do with building agency as global citizens, along with an appreciation of the entailed challenges. The interaction between visitors and residents, between students and a diverse cohort of educators, all begin to construct a sense of interconnectedness that goes far beyond the accumulation of musical knowledge. The findings substantiated the initial hypotheses and created new avenues of inquiry as well. One finding that went beyond the original scope of the study was that in reflecting on their experiences, participants began to build on a sense of global citizenship and a broadened civic consciousness. This in turn leads to investigations into the broader definition of education itself. © Copyright Daniel Antonelli 2021 All Rights Reserved ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my mother, Ursula Antonelli-Huber, in memoriam, my first teacher: You left us way too early but nonetheless instilled in me a fundamental urge for true justice and fairness, which I carry with me to this day. It was your daily singing and listening to music on the radio when I came home from school that made my childhood so “vivace” and musical. The duets you always wanted to play together, you on the flute and me on the piano. I remember our spontaneous trips to Rome, Naples, Sorrento, Udine, and to Mama’s hometown in Germany, filled with your unforgettable laughter, singing loudly in the car, in two voices, and enjoying our intriguing encounters with “others.” This is for you, Mami, I hope you are proud. To Nonna, my Italian grandmother, in memoriam: You were my earliest fan and unconditional supporter! You always believed in me through thick and thin. You taught me the fundamental values of the (Italian) family, social cohesion, and the appreciation for “madre terra.” You taught me to always hold my head up high. I remember, vividly, you telling me in my earliest childhood years: “un giorno anche tu sarai un dottore, nonno.” And here I am, Nonna, this is for you! To Lisa and Ellen, my New York mothers: You gave me my second (New York) upbringing, a whole education in itself! You taught me what it truly means to be genuinely accepting of others through your boundless generosity of spirit, unselfishness, and big-heartedness towards humanity. You embody characteristics that we might envision in a global citizen. You always pushed me to take my academic career to the iii next level. Without you, this dissertation would have never come to fruition. I hope you are proud! Thank you for everything you have done for me! iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the encouragement and support of so many colleagues, friends, and relatives. To everyone who I have met on my journey who contributed to this dissertation, worldwide, I am so fortunate and forever grateful to have your support and friendship. I could not have done this alone. I would like to thank the music and music education faculty at Columbia University’s Teachers College for their inspiration, scholarship, and contribution to my development as a student, scholar, and teacher during my tenure as both a master and doctoral student: Dr. Harold Abeles, Dr. Randall Allsup, Dr. Lori Custodero, Dr. Kelly Parkes, and Dr. Jeanne Goffi-Fynn. A special thank you to my sponsor Dr. Randall Allsup for your support, collaboration, your influence on my teaching, and for accompanying me through all these years of ups and downs. I will forever cherish our adventures in China, Japan, and New York as well as our discussions and engagement in philosophical literature. My committee member and second reader, Dr. Lori Custodero, thank you for the many fruitful and intellectually stimulating conversations, for your kindness, and simply for your humanity. Our interactions throughout all these years have impacted my work remarkably. To my father and brother, thank you for always supporting all my academic and life endeavors. Thank you for always quietly believing in me. To my friend, Dr. Emily Good-Perkins, thank you so much for all your help and support throughout this process; for all the laughter, bah-ling-bah, all the music, and v adventures we shared in China, Malaysia, Indiana, and New York. This dissertation would not have happened without you! I am also grateful to Silvia del Bianco from the Institute Jacque Dalcroze in Geneva, and the late Dr. Robert Abramson from the Juilliard School, for their dedication to my development as a musician and improviser, Dalcrozian thinker and educator. They are exemplary teachers and have impacted me profoundly. And to the participants of this study: Thank you for your time, your insights, and for our shared adventures in Malaysia. Finally, and in the spirit of this document, I would like to thank the many places and its beautiful people who inspired me on my travels and thus contributed to my work: New York City, Buenos Aires, Lisbon, Saugerties, and Woodstock, where the majority of this dissertation was written. Cagliari–Sardinia, Rome, Positano, Ibiza, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Jerusalem, Switzerland, and Burning Man, for providing me intellectual stimulation and a school of life. D. A. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I – INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 Prelude ................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 2 Personal Narrative .................................................................................................. 3 Problem Statement ............................................................................................... 11 Purpose, Procedures, Participants ........................................................................ 11 Research Questions .............................................................................................. 12 Research Design Overview .................................................................................. 12 My Role as Researcher ........................................................................................ 13 Chapter II – LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................ 16 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 16 Travel and Education ........................................................................................... 18 Benefits of Study Abroad ......................................................................... 22 Global Citizenship and Experiences ........................................................ 25 Definitions of Global Citizenship ............................................................ 31 A Critical Look at Study Abroad and Global Citizenship ....................... 32 Experiential Education ............................................................................. 37 Music Education Abroad: A Case Study ................................................. 40 Music Ensemble Travel ........................................................................... 42 Summary .............................................................................................................. 46 Chapter III – METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................... 47 Introduction