Multicultural Perspectives Through Music & Sustainability Education
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Sustainability Education Multicultural Perspectives through Music & Sustainability Education Roger Coss Humanity has recently steered itself Barlow, 2005). However, explicit discussion briefly summarize Reimer’s synergistic into an era of environmental instability on the role of music education is being philosophy of music education—specifical- where the earth is ravaged of its natural largely neglected. What are the roles and ly his discussion of the feeling dimension resources, where the biodiversity of living responsibilities of music educators in ad- of music—and demonstrate how the field organisms is decreasing everyday, and dressing the impending ecological crisis? of multicultural environmental education where a rapidly growing human popula- The purpose of this article is to discuss is increasingly recognizing the role of emo- tion has become a driving factor in an implications for the relationship of music tions in teaching and learning. Utilizing impending ecological crisis (Rockström et education to education for sustainability Reimer’s philosophy, I will conclude with a al., 2009; Steffen et al., 2011). Research within the framework of multicultural discussion of music education in education is increasingly focusing on the roles and education.1 Bennett Reimer’s (2003) syn- for sustainability through a multicultural responsibilities of public schooling in ergistic philosophy of music education perspective. addressing this crisis (Cassell & Nelson, provides a conceptual lens through which 2012; Nelson, 2010; Orr, 2004; Stone & to make this connection in a way that not Multicultural only keeps to the integrity of music edu- Environmental Education cation as a discipline, but also addresses Roger Coss is a K-12 educator issues in multicultural education. The ecological crisis is being framed as and a doctoral student I will first discuss how the field of mul- a “cultural crisis” in which people are encul- in currciulum and instruction ticultural environmental education is mak- tured to think and live in relationship to the at the Benerd School of Education ing space to address multicultural issues world and the people that surround them at the University of the Pacific, in education for sustainability. I will then (Martusewicz, Edmundson, & Lupinacci, Stockton, California. 2011, p. 8). Driving this cultural crisis is MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION 20 A Multicultural Interdisciplinary Inquiry a conflict of values—values of economic multicultural environmental education ed in five fundamental aspects of musical and technological salvation rather than “highlights the importance of reaching experience: feeling (or emotion)2; creating; ecological responsibility (Callenbach, 2005). out to culturally diverse populations and making meaning; cultural and historical Within this is a technology-dependent hope of understanding, respecting, and utilizing context(s); and multiple intelligences. that requires a new way of thinking, what their perspectives in environmental edu- Particularly significant in the intent of this Cassell and Nelson (2010) argue is “a fun- cation” (p. 28; see also Cole, 2007; Grass, article is a focus on the feeling dimension. damental transformation in support of the 1994, 1995; Peter, 1998). He argues for the “emotional dimension development of a new paradigm, a new lens In her exploratory study of both of music as being a defining characteris- through which the Western mind can adjust non-profit and university multicultural tic of it” and is the “basis for its power to its view of society, education and learning, environmental education programs in the heighten, sustain, refine, and extend hu- citizenship, and the nature of human habi- U.S., Marouli (2002) found in this field the man emotional life” (p. 73). Music reaches tation on Earth” (p. 183). emergence of two theoretical traditions: its fullest potential through immersion Public schools can help our current (1) the environmental justice movement into this emotional world. “value structure evolve toward a more with its recognition and representation It is because of the traditional West- viable long-term approach to systemic of the worldviews of marginalized people ern idea of reason, not emotion, being the global problems” (Edwards, 2005, p. 23). Superficial reforms such as adding an environmental unit or having a once-a- A significant focus in education for sustainability year field trip outdoors are not part of the is on the recognition of the socio-cultural dimension solution to the problem. Rather, as Nolet for addressing the impending ecological crisis. (2009) argues, we need a “fundamental change in the educational culture” (p. There already exists an empirical, theoretical, 418). Educators are now being challenged and pedagogical tradition for addressing these socio-cultural issues to think afresh their own roles and re- through the lens of multicultural education. sponsibilities in preparing students to live in an era of increasing environmental decay (Nelson, 2010). (e.g., Lewis & James, 1995); and (2) mul- epitome of human functioning that music Stevenson et al. (2013, p. 2) identifies ticultural education that values “cultural has been relegated to extra-curricular five general characteristics of education pluralism and aims for cross-cultural un- status in educational frameworks. How- for sustainability: derstanding” (Marouli, 2002, p. 32). ever, understandings of the relationship between intellect, intelligence, and emo- u It questions ideological norms and as- tion have begun to shift (Reimer, 2003, p. sumptions on the nature and purpose(s) of Reimer’s Feeling Dimension 75). We have too long thought of emotion education—in particular the relationship of Music between education and ethics—and views as an unnecessary dimension of concep- these as fundamental to environmental Bennett Reimer’s (2003) synergistic tualizing intelligence. Rather, “emotions education (Jickling & Wals, 2013). philosophy of music education provides a work hand-in-hand with our rational philosophical base upon which to discuss mind,” creating a sort of co-dependent u It embraces a complex, interdisciplin- how music education addresses multicul- and reciprocal relationship between the ary understanding of the relationships tural issues in a way that stays true to two (Robinson, 2011, p. 186). If, then, one between people, society, and the environ- its uniqueness as an art form. He argues dimension of the musical experience is for ment (Edwards, 2005). that “every experience of art, whether the enhancement, extension, and deepen- u It is concerned with not only knowledge creating it or sharing it, ‘makes special’ in ing of humanity’s felt emotional experi- and values, but also with fostering the the way only art can accomplish” (p. 69). ences, music education serves to enhance means and opportunities for taking ac- The uniqueness of the musical experience, the effectiveness—as well as expand the tion on environmental and sustainability then, lies in its focused engagement with opportunity—for musical involvement to issues (Coss, 2013). the world of sounds, as opposed to strictly all individuals. u Teaching and learning occurs not only visual, textual, or movement-based expe- in formal institutional settings such as riences. This philosophy is “synergistic” Emotions in Multicultural schools and classrooms, but also in infor- in how it applies a pluralistic stance on Environmental Education mal and public contexts (Sobel, 2004). historically contended concerns in the u It embraces both local and global per- philosophy of music—including music as Emotions are of paramount impor- spectives (Gough, 2013). formed sounds, music as practice, music tance in students’ reflections on beliefs, as a means for social change, the bound- norms, values, and assumptions of their A significant focus in education for aries of music and music education, and own culture, though they have been sustainability is on the recognition of the the relationship between music and utili- traditionally omitted from education for socio-cultural dimension for addressing tarian values. “The central task of music sustainability frameworks (Boiger & Mes- the impending ecological crisis. There al- education,” he proposes, “is to make mu- quita, 2012; Harré, Armon-Jones, Lutz, & ready exists an empirical (Gaughan, 1996), sical experience in all its manifestations Averill, 1986; Martusewicz, 2001; Zeyer theoretical (Grass, 1995), and pedagogical as widely available to all people, and as & Kelsey, 2013). Sinha (2010) notes that (Liao, Larke, & Hill-Jackson, 2011) tradi- richly cultivated for each individual, as drawing out discomforting emotions from tion for addressing these socio-cultural possible” (p. 69). students, such as guilt, anger, resentment, issues through the lens of multicultural Reimer’s (2003) philosophy is ground- fear, or ambivalence flowing from social, education. As defined by Marouli (2002), FALL 2013 21 Sustainability Education cultural, racial, political, or religious divi- and social skills (p. 63). Justifying music end result, but rather a means for more sions within society, serve as a conduit for education as such requires valuing it as fully engaging in the feeling dimension. students’ ability to interpret the world a means rather than an end. Rather, as It is through actual engagement with the around them and respond to others in more Reimer argues, it is for the enhanced en- sounds of music itself that awareness of socially aware ways (p. 112). Engagement gagement in the emotional