LEARNING TO LEARN
Diversity in expressive arts education
Tau Wey, Head of Keyboard, Music
A pertinent agenda
According to UNESCO,‘ three quarters of the world’ s major conflicts have a cultural dimension’. In a world in which globalisation and interconnectedness have become an undeniable reality, arts and humanities are critically placed to either endorse divisions and prejudices, or, by promoting cultural diversity, to,‘ reduce inequalities and build more inclusive societies’.
Diversity is now one of the top agendas for educators. Quite apart from the fact that we need to live and learn together as heterogeneous individuals within a society, studies have shown that diversity has positive effects on innovation. If we merely engage with people and ideas of our own tribe, we become‘ prisoners of our paradigms’( Syed, 2021, p. 12). The outsider mindset helps people question status quos and envision new possibilities. This is crucial when dealing with complex problems like social inequality or international treaties. If, for example, women are marginalised or excluded from full participation in society,‘ the diverse perspectives, information and discoveries- the collective brain [ is ] serially diminished’( Syed, 2021, p. 156).
How does the issue of diversity manifest itself in music education?
Within academia, music has in many ways been presumed to be like maths – meaning its truth is independent of the society which gave rise to it. With this presumption, music educators have proselytised students with the Western canon and its rules. Although incremental changes have taken place over the last few decades, the old ways of thinking still have their spell. To give an example, if, as is claimed, Mahler’ s symphonies are universal in their meaning, then they are also good enough to be imposed on all of humanity.
Recent discourse has sought to dispute this, with Bloechl et al arguing that‘ the most prominent work on difference in the past fifty years has proceeded from a politicized awareness of injustice carried out in the name of sameness and universalism’( 2015, p. 5). What is at stake is whether our social discourse and cultural engagement respects the diversity of the world in which we live, and‘ understand [ s ] different things, people, and ideas, in terms that are closer to the way in which they perceive themselves’( 2015, p. 7).
An obvious problem in music education is the scarcity of female composers. To overlook women’ s contribution to music history helps to sustain the gender system itself. On the other hand, engaging with their work, and the same is true for other marginalised repertories, is to accord them, in Bloechl et al’ s terminology, recognition, redistribution, and representation( 2015, p. 7).
How can schools adapt?
That is why at Sevenoaks School students are now used to hearing for instance Florence Price alongside Beethoven in school concerts, and the corridors are adorned with posters of composers from Schubert to Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. The aural and visual environment can make a surreptitious yet lasting impression on the whole community.
Changes are afoot, too, in curriculum music, which now gives greater prominence to music from around the globe as well as vernacular styles of music within the West. As important though is how the subject matter is studied. Hitherto it would have been customary to study the lone genius of Western culture, for example Beethoven. This contrasts with studying‘ world music’ as an entity that is rooted in the functions and rituals of the tribe and created by communities, such as Indonesian gamelan music. This can unwittingly contribute to the perception of Western music as being higher up in the musical hierarchy. An improvement would be to seek equality in the way different areas of music are studied. For example, one could study eighteenth-century Viennese music ethnographically, and uncover important musical personalities in the history of gamelan.
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