Acknowledgements
Footnote
References
their relative autonomy to draw on their personal philosophies and histories when designing their pedagogical approaches and objectives . This might not have otherwise been possible with a prescribed curriculum such as that used in the GMP , which sets out both learning objectives that need to be achieved and pedagogies that should be employed . The collaborators , on the other hand , were able to adapt their teaching styles and content to the needs of their students , as well as decide on their students ’ learning objectives . Concerns surrounding inauthenticity , as highlighted by previous research ( Herbert and Karlsen , 2010 ), also surfaced from the study despite majority of the collaborators being specialists in their instrument and musical tradition . Collectively , the collaborators were willing to adopt unorthodox approaches to overcome pedagogical challenges or teach according to their personal histories , with several asserting the necessity of bending tradition at times to get concepts across to students .
The findings therefore highlight how multicultural music educators may contribute to the flourishing of a diverse society . Enabled by teacher autonomy and control over pedagogical approach and content , the collaborators take on the role of culture bearers when they actively design their lessons to become gateways for the multicultural development of students . They employ novel and tailored pedagogies to counter the cultural hegemony that steers the interests and disinterests of their students , turning their lessons into an entry point into other musical traditions , and possibly into the diverse cultures represented in Singapore as well .
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the collaborators who took part in the study . Thank you for being so generous with your time and honest with your experiences .
I would also like to thank Aimee Merrydew and Dr Fiorella Montero-Diaz for the support and guidance they provided me with while I conducted this study and throughout the writing of this article .
Footnote
1 . Independent schools are a type of statemaintained school under Singapore ’ s Ministry of Education ( MOE ). They benefit from some flexibility to develop their own academic and non-academic programmes and curriculums , therefore giving teachers more control over how and what they teach as compared to most state schools .
2 . The name of the institution has been omitted to retain the anonymity of the collaborator ..
3 . A raga is “ a melodic framework for improvisation and composition ” and it is “ based on a scale with a given set of notes , a typical order in which they appear in melodies , and characteristic musical motifs ” ( Nettl , B ., n . d .).”)
References
Belz , M . J . ( 2006 ). Opening the Doors to Diverse Traditions of Music Making : Multicultural Music Education at the University Level . Music Educators Journal , 92 ( 5 ), pp . 42 – 45 . Doi : 10.2307 / 3878501 .
Choi , S . and Mao , X . ( 2021 ). Teacher autonomy for improving teacher self-efficacy in multicultural classrooms : A cross-national study of professional development in multicultural education . International Journal of Educational Research , 105 , p . 101711 . doi : 10.1016 / j . ijer . 2020.101711 .
Collie , R . J ., Granziera , H . and Martin , A . J . ( 2018 ). Teachers ’ perceived autonomy support and adaptability : An investigation employing the job demands-resources model as relevant to workplace exhaustion , disengagement , and commitment . Teaching and Teacher Education , [ online ] 74 , pp . 125 – 136 . doi : 10.1016 / j . tate . 2018.04.015 .
de Villiers , A . C . ( 2021 ). ( Re ) organizing the music curriculum as multicultural music education . International Journal of Music Education , 39 ( 4 ), pp . 383 – 393 . Doi : 10.1177 / 0255761420986219 .
Herbert , D . G . and Karlsen , S . ( 2010 ). Editorial Introduction : Multiculturalism and Music Education . The Finnish Journal of Music Education ( FJME ),
22