Music Education and Global Responsibility

In a recent issue of the Finnish Journal of Music Education, Rauni Rasanen writes of how “Music with its words, melodies and rhythm has a very holistic effect on people. Still, if these methods can be used to build prejudices they are equally efficient when deconstructing them” (2010. p.22). Professor Rasanen reminds readers that in the contemporary world “international connections are not only natural, but also necessary” and that a reflective and compassionate awareness of “global responsibility” belongs in teacher education programs, including those in the field of music.

Historian Goldwin Smith is credited with first introducing the phrase “Above all nations is humanity,” which has since become a popular motto used in various ways by such institutions as Cornell University, University of Hawaii, University of Illinois, and University of Southern Mississippi. Few, it seems, would claim to be opposed to this idea. Nevertheless, music curricula rarely reflect a commitment to the spirit of this motto in terms of either careful representation of global heritage on the one hand, or proper restraint in terms of the promotion of nationalistic ideology on the other.

I am pleased to report that we have now obtained a contract to publish a book in 2012 entitled Patriotism and Nationalism in Music Education, which will directly examine the phenomenon of national identity construction in music education from a global perspective, with particular attention to how patriotic music has been used in various nations in the past, and how it might most appropriately fit within a curriculum that seeks to represent contemporary values and concerns among multicultural nations. Contributors include several of the most widely published young scholars in the field of music education. While there are many purely musical rationales (e.g. development of compositional and performance ability, enhanced aural skills and general musical knowledge, etc.) for including an array of genres such as patriotic or non-western music in any curriculum, this book will discuss the implications of how the power of music is also frequently used for ideological purposes that may lend support to those who advocate either war or peace.

Click HERE for a related book announcement.

Below is the opening material for the book I have developed with Alexandra Kertz-Welzel:

Hebert, D. G. & Kertz-Welzel, A. (Eds.) (in press/forthcoming, 2012). Patriotism and Nationalism in Music Education. [Contributors: Simon Keller, Jane Southcott, Kari Veblen, Ambigay Yudkoff, Carlos Abril, CheeHoo Lum, Eugene Dairianathan, Amy Beegle, Wai-Chung Ho, Marja Heimonen, David G. Hebert, Alexandra Kertz-Welzel].

Patriotism and Nationalism

in Music Education

Edited by

David G. Hebert and

Alexandra Kertz-Welzel

Abstract

Music has long served as an emblem of national identity in educational systems throughout the world. Patriotic songs are commonly considered healthy and essential ingredients of school curriculum, nurturing the respect, loyalty and “good citizenship” of students. But to what extent have music educators critically examined the potential benefits and costs of nationalism? Globalization in the contemporary world has revolutionized the nature of international relationships, such that patriotism may merit rethinking as an objective for music education. The fields of “peace studies” and “education for international understanding” may better reflect current values shared by the profession, values that often conflict with the nationalistic impulse. This is the first book to introduce an international dialogue on this important theme.

Contents

Introduction

David G. Hebert and Alexandra Kertz-Welzel

Preface: On Patriotism and Education

Simon Keller

1 Patriotism and Music Education: An International Overview

David G. Hebert

2 Lesson Learned? In Search for Patriotism and Nationalism in the German Music Education Curriculum

Alexandra Kertz-Welzel

3 Nationalism and School Music in Australia

Jane Southcott

4 National Identity in the Taiwanese System of Music Education

Wai-Chung Ho

5 A National Anthem: Patriotic Symbol or Democratic Action?

Carlos R. Abril

6 Nationalism and Patriotism: The Experience of an Indian

Diaspora in South Africa

Ambigay Raidoo Yudkoff

7 Soundscapes of a Nation(alism): Perspectives from Singapore

Chee-Hoo Lum and Eugene Dairianathan

8 Conflicting Perspectives on Patriotism within Music Education in the United States During Wartime

Amy C. Beegle

9 "We Stand on Guard for Thee": National Identity in Canadian Music Education

Kari K. Veblen

10 Nationalism and Music Education: A Finnish Perspective

Marja Heimonen and David G. Hebert

11 Conclusions and Recommendations

David G. Hebert and Alexandra Kertz-Welzel

Music Conference in Norway

[Photo: Petr Šmerkl, Wikipedia.]

I look forward to another visit to Bergen, Norway in November for a conference entitled The Effects of Music.

Below are links to more information about this lovely country:

Norway Country Profile (BBC): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1023276.stm

Standard of Living, Norway: http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article828724.ece

Living in Norway: http://www.studyinnorway.no/sn/Living-in-Norway

Culture Net Norway: http://www.kulturnett.no/index.jsp?&lang=en

Statistics Norway: http://www.ssb.no/english/

Norway Public Sector: http://www.norway.no/

Norway Country Profile (CIA): https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/no.html

MusicNet West (graduate music studies consortium): http://www.musicwest.no/

USM Faculty Jazz Combo

It is very nice to be performing music again in the USA with some excellent jazz musicians. Today I played trumpet and sang with the University of Southern Mississippi Faculty Jazz Combo, led by outstanding saxophonist Larry Panella. We performed a set of several jazz standards at an outdoor barbecue for the Homecoming Week events at the university. The student jazz combo also performed, and sounded superb!

Terence Blanchard

Renowned jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard is performing at University of Southern Mississippi in just a few more days!

More information:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7pbEB65Sq8

http://www.terenceblanchard.com/main.html

Music Psychotherapy Among Refugees

The doctoral defense of Sami Alanne will be held on October 23, 2010 at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finand. His dissertation, entitled "Music Psychotherapy with Refugee Survivors of Torture: Interpretations of Three Clinical Case Studies," documents his own music therapy interventions with three immigrant men living in Finland who originally came to Europe from nations in Central Asia, the Middle East, and West Africa. This study combines qualitative observations with data from psychological tests and even factor analysis of events recorded from therapeutic sessions. Alanne originally began his dissertation under emeritus Professor Kai Karma. I worked intensely with Alanne at the Sibelius Academy as his main supervisor across the 2009-2010 academic year, but left Finland for a job in the USA as Alanne was sending out the completed document to reviewers for critique. He will graduate with Sibelius Academy's Lauri Vakeva as his Chair and renowned Norwegian music therapy expert Evan Ruud as the "opponent" reader. I anticipate that Alanne's study will be of great interest to music therapists in multicultural nations who seek to more effectively serve patients from immigrant backgrounds, particularly those who have been traumatized by warfare and other dehumanizing conditions.

Education Reform and the Music Doctorate

I look forward to presenting a paper for an upcoming conference entitled The Effects of Music, which is hosted by the Musicnet West academic consortium, in Bergen, Norway (November 29-30). Prior to that, I will be visiting Abu Dhabi, and plans are underway for me to give a lecture in Damascus.

Below is the abstract for the presentation in Norway:

Education Reform and the Music Doctorate: Current Issues in Europe and North America

Arising from analysis of policy documents, and illustrated with anecdotes from supervision of doctoral dissertations in both Europe and the USA, this paper proposes a theoretical model for conceptualization of recent changes to the music doctorate. Developments affecting music education doctoral studies in USA have previously been chronicled in a series of publications by David J. Teachout and recent contributions by Patrick M. Jones and Bennett Reimer, as well as various publications associated with the Carnegie Foundation’s extensive project “Re-envisioning the PhD”. The evolving European situation is described in key reports by Ester Tomasi, Joost Vanmaele, and others associated with the Polifonia Third Cycle Working Group and the European Association of Conservatoires, which emerged in response to the EU’s Bologna Process. While these kinds of documents offer a holistic view of the rapidly changing terrain of doctoral (third cycle) education, a rich understanding may also be obtained from qualitative accounts of what occurs at the level of individual students and their mentors, which is where narrative description can provide a helpful supplement. It is hoped that this paper will open some timely issues for consideration, including such topics as online mentoring, research quality assurance, and “artistic research” methodologies, as Norwegian institutions consider various ways to envision the future of music education doctoral programs.

The Freedom Singers: Their History and Legacy for Music Education

Congratulations to Dr. Deanna Frith Weber, who has recently submitted the final version of her dissertation for a doctorate degree in music education from Boston University. Her dissertation is entitled The Freedom Singers: Their History and Legacy for Music Education. Based on interpretation of both original interviews and archival data, this unique study profiles Albany, Georgia’s influential Freedom Singers of the Civil Rights era, and proposes ways that African-American music from this important movement may be effectively used by contemporary educators.

Dr. Weber is an accomplished vocalist and Assistant Professor of Music at Albany State University in Georgia. It was a pleasure to serve on Dr. Weber’s doctoral advisory committee along with Dr. Patti Tolbert of Georgia College and her supervisory professor Dr. Richard Bunbury, of Boston University. Congratulations, Dr. Weber!


Here is the abstract of Dr. Weber's dissertation study:

Abstract:
The original Freedom Singers of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) were a group of four young African-Americans, formed in Georgia in 1962, who traveled throughout the United States serving as musical ambassadors for the southern civil rights movement. This is a study of their history, music, and influence. The late 1950s and 1960s was an era of tremendous social upheaval throughout the country; however, this study will focus on the political and musical events which took place in the Deep South, namely Albany, Georgia and the surrounding area. Its cultural landscape was significantly changed by the civil rights era, in which song played an integral part. These changes also had an effect on music education in K-12 classrooms, as school desegregation brought together African Americans and whites, who for the most part, had existed separately from one another, despite their close geographic proximity.

The story of the SNCC Freedom Singers unfolds through interviews with members of the original group, as well as other participants in the Albany Movement (a coalition of workers from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and local citizens’ groups). Interviews were also conducted with people from the area whose lives were impacted by Movement activities. Pertinent source material from archives, library collections, and museums supports an authentic historical narrative. The study also focuses on implications for music education, regarding a variety of issues such as racism, tolerance, and respect for various peoples and cultures. In order to consider the extent to which the civil rights repertory, including freedom songs, is currently in use in music classrooms, particularly in areas of the Deep South, a qualitative survey questionnaire was sent to music teachers in public elementary and middle/junior high schools in five targeted counties in Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina. Data was analyzed using frequency tables, and coded using a grounded theory approach. These findings illuminate possibilities for further research into such areas as cross-disciplinary learning, teacher training, and the continuing incorporation into the school music curriculum of the diverse array of cultural musics found in the United States.

Here is a link to Dr. Weber's website:

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/deanna-weber/8/281/400