Cecilia Björk - In Search of Good Relationships to Music (PDF)

Cecilia Björk In Search of Good Relationships to Music Understanding Aspiration and Challenge in Developing Music School Teacher Practices Cecilia Björk | In Search of Good Relationships to Music | 2016 Cecilia Björk In Search of Good Relationships to Music Understanding Aspiration and Challenge in Developing Music School Teacher Practices What is ‘good’ in and about music education? This thesis argues that the possible links between music education and human fl ourishing remain highly relevant for practice and policy. Qualitative accounts of fi ve music school teachers’ eff orts to develop their practices illuminate the depth and complexity of their work. Together with their stu- dents, the teachers engage in processes of consti- tuting and combining various forms of goodness, aiming for musical skill but also for strong expe- riences of vitality and inspiration. Attempts to establish normative policies in music education are inevitably complicated by the fact that diff erent musical practices emphasise and embody diff erent ideas of musical goodness as well as of the good life. In the increasingly diverse landscape of Western music education, a more advanced understanding of musical practices and their respective values and instructional traditions is becoming imperative. The study introduces interpretive practice analysis, the fi rst systematic empirical method based on a robust praxialist philosophy of music education. It also addresses the nature of multilevel conversations that can ex- pand and refi ne conceptions of what is considered worthwhile in teaching and learning music. Åbo Akademi University Press | ISBN 978-951-765-818-8 9 78951 7 6 58 1 8 8  Cecilia Björk Cecilia Björk is a University Teacher of Music Education at Åbo Akademi, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies (2010– ). She holds a Master of Music degree from the Sibelius Academy with specialisations in piano teaching and general music education. Her publications have focused on reflective music teaching, practical consequences of different presuppo- sitions about musical learning, and the role of student voice in teaching and learning music. Her research interests include the philosophy of music education, policy issues in education, and ethics in interpretive research. She is also a registered psychotherapist who has specialised in reflecting processes and intergenerational dialogue. Åbo Akademi University Press Tavastgatan 13, FI-20500 Åbo, Finland Tel. +358 (0)2 215 3478 E-mail: [email protected] Sales and distribution: Åbo Akademi University Library Domkyrkogatan 2–4, FI-20500 Åbo, Finland Tel. +358 (0)2 -215 4190 E-mail: [email protected] Cover image: Hendrik Goltzius (1558–1617), Euterpen calami, et genialis Tibia honestat [Euterpe the genial reeds and flute honor], 1592. Dayton C. Miller Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress  IN SEARCH OF GOOD RELATIONSHIPS TO MUSIC   In Search of Good Relationships to Music Understanding Aspiration and Challenge in Developing Music School Teacher Practices Cecilia Björk Åbo Akademis förlag | Åbo Akademi University Press Åbo, Finland, 2016  CIP Cataloguing in Publication Björk, Cecilia. In search of good relationships to music : understanding aspiration and challenge in developing music school teacher practices / Cecilia Björk. - Åbo : Åbo Akademi University Press, 2016. Diss.: Åbo Akademi University. ISBN 978-951-765-818-8 ISBN 978-951-765-818-8 ISBN 978-951-765-819-5 (digital) Painosalama Oy Åbo 2016  Abstract This study focuses on teacher practices in publicly funded music schools in Finland. As views on the aims of music education change and broaden, music schools across Europe share the challenge of developing their activities in response. In public and scholarly debate, there have been calls for increased diversity of contents and concepts of teaching. In Finland, the official national curriculum for state-funded music schools builds on the ideal that teaching and learning should create conditions which promote ‘a good relationship to music’. The meaning of this concept has been deliberately left open in order to leave room for dialogue, flexibility, and teacher autonomy. Since what is meant by ‘good’ is not defined in advance, the notion of ‘improving’ practices is also open to discussion. The purpose of the study is to examine these issues from teachers’ point of view by asking what music school teachers aim to accomplish as they develop their practices. Methodologically, the study introduces a suggestion for building empirical research on Alperson’s ‘robust’ praxial approach to music education, a philosophical theory which is strongly committed to practitioner perspectives and musical diversity. A systematic method for analysing music education practices, interpretive practice analysis, is elaborated with support from interpretive research methods originally used in policy analysis. In addition, the research design shows how reflecting conversations (a collaborative approach well-known in Nordic social work) can be fruitfully applied in interpretive research and combined with teacher inquiry. Data have been generated in a collaborative project involving five experienced music school teachers and the researcher. The empirical material includes transcripts from group conversations, data from teacher inquiry conducted within the project, and transcripts from follow-up interviews. The teachers’ aspirations can be understood as strivings to reinforce the connection between musical practices and various forms of human flourishing such that music and flourishing can sustain each other. Examples from their practices show how the word ‘good’ receives its meaning in context. Central among the teachers’ concerns is their hope that students develop a free and sustainable interest in music, often described as inspiration. I propose that ‘good relationships to music’ and ‘inspiration’ can be understood as philosophical mediators which support the transition from an indeterminate ‘interest in music’ towards specific ways in which music can become a (co-)constitutive part of living well in each person’s particular circumstances. Different musical practices emphasise different aspects of what is considered important in music and in human life. Music school teachers consciously balance between a variety of such values. They also make efforts to resist pressure which might threaten the goods they think are most important. Such  goods include joy, participation, perseverance, solid musical skills related to specific practices, and a strong sense of vitality. The insights from this study suggest that when teachers are able to create inspiration, they seem to do so by performing complex work which combines musical and educational aims and makes general positive contributions to their students’ lives. Ensuring that teaching and learning in music schools remain as constructive and meaningful as possible for both students and teachers is a demanding task. The study indicates that collaborative, reflective and interdisciplinary work may be helpful as support for development processes on both individual and collective levels of music school teacher practices. Keywords: music education, music schools, philosophy of music education, teacher practices, collaborative research, teacher inquiry  Abstrakt Den här studien fokuserar på lärarpraktiker i offentligt finansierade musikskolor i Finland. I takt med att synen på vad som är eftersträvansvärt i musikpedagogik förändras och breddas, skapar de nya perspektiven utmaningar för motsvarande skolor i hela Europa. Krav på att utveckla musikskolornas aktiviteter och göra dem mera mångsidiga har framförts i såväl offentlig som akademisk debatt. Nationella läroplansgrunder för musikskolor i Finland bygger på idealet att undervisning och lärande ska skapa förutsättningar för ”ett gott förhållande till musiken”. Vad denna formulering ska betyda har medvetet lämnats öppet i avsikt att skapa utrymme för dialog, flexibilitet och lärarautonomi. Eftersom man inte definierar på förhand vad som menas med ”gott”, är frågan om hur lärarpraktiker ska ”förbättras” också öppen för diskussion. Syftet med studien är att undersöka dessa teman ur lärares synvinkel genom att fråga vad musikskollärare strävar efter i sitt arbete med att utveckla undervisnings- praktiken. Avhandlingen introducerar en tolkande forskningsmetod som bygger på Alpersons ”robusta” praxialism, en filosofisk teori där uppmärksamheten riktas särskilt mot praktikerperspektiv och musikalisk mångfald. En systematisk metod för att analysera musikpedagogiska praktiker, tolkande praktikanalys, utvecklas med stöd av tolkande metoder som ursprungligen har använts i policyanalys. Forskningsdesignen visar även hur reflekterande samtal (en kollaborativ arbetsform som är välbekant i socialt arbete i Norden) på ett fruktbart sätt kan tillämpas i tolkande studier och kombineras med lärarforskning. Data har genererats i ett kollaborativt projekt där fem erfarna musikskollärare och forskaren deltog. Det empiriska materialet omfattar transkriptioner från gruppsamtal, data från lärarforskningsprojekt och transkriptioner från uppföljande intervjuer. Lärarnas målsättningar kan tolkas som ett långsiktigt arbete för att förstärka kopplingen mellan musikpraktiker och olika former av mänsklig blomstring så att musik och blomstring kan stöda varandra. Exempel ur deras undervisningspraktiker visar hur ordet ”god” får sin mening i ett sammanhang. Lärarna uppfattar det som centralt att eleverna utvecklar ett fritt och långvarigt intresse för musik, ofta beskrivet som inspiration. Jag föreslår att ”ett gott förhållande till musik” och ”inspiration” kan förstås som filosofiska medierande begrepp som stöder övergången från ett obestämt ”intresse för musik” till specifika sätt på vilka musiken kan bidra till ett gott liv i olika människors särskilda omständigheter. Olika musikpraktiker betonar varierande aspekter av vad som anses viktigt i musik och i människans liv. Musikskollärare balanserar medvetet mellan många sådana värderingar. De anstränger sig samtidigt för att motstå yttre press som kunde hota det som de själva anser som viktigast och mest eftersträvansvärt. Sådana värden är bland annat glädje, envishet, solida musikfärdigheter relaterade  till specifika musikpraktiker, och en stark känsla av vitalitet. Insikterna från studien antyder att när lärarna lyckas med att skapa inspiration, verkar det ske genom ett komplext arbete där musikaliska mål och fostransmål kombineras på ett sådant sätt att det bidrar positivt till elevernas liv som helhet. Att försäkra sig om att lärande i musikskolor blir så konstruktivt och meningsfullt som möjligt för både elever och lärare är en krävande uppgift. Studien pekar på att kollaborativt, reflekterande och tvärvetenskapligt arbete kan stöda både individuella och kollektiva utvecklingsprocesser i anslutning till musikskol- lärares praktiker. Sökord: musikpedagogik, musikskolor, musikpedagogisk filosofi, lärarpraktiker, kollaborativ forskning, lärarforskning  Acknowledgements Every inquiry and every expertise builds on collective efforts. A monograph is the result of one person’s work in name only. It is carried by people who have asked similar questions, often before the author was born. It comes into being with the help of a great number of persons who are involved in the project for longer and shorter periods of time. And eventually, readers participate through their response, dialogue, and the ways in which the text may perhaps become meaningful for their own work. I wish to express my deepest gratitude to the teachers who collaborated in this study for their time, openness, generosity and wisdom. Without you, there would be no thesis and no new understanding. Many thanks also to the music school directors who sympathised with the project, granted the teachers permission to participate, and contributed to the discussion. The study has been conducted under the best possible supervision. Professor Sven-Erik Hansén at Åbo Akademi University has been a solid rock and a role model of clarity, research integrity, patience and kindness. During later stages of writing, Docent Marja Heimonen at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts opened fascinating theoretical avenues while offering unfaltering encouragement. I am deeply indebted to both of you for this period of intensive, sustained learning. Our conversations certainly focused on research and academic reporting, but they also advanced my understanding of constructive mentoring processes. It was a great honour that two distinguished scholars who have had a long- lasting and profound impact on international music education research accepted to examine and comment on the manuscript prior to the publication and defense of this thesis. Professor Estelle R. Jorgensen at Indiana University made very valuable suggestions for clarification and offered most kind encouragement for “a lifetime of research” on the question of the good in music education. Professor Liora Bresler at the University of Illinois confirmed the importance of close integration of conceptual and theoretical perspectives with field work and supported my attempts at responding to the methodological challenges involved. The advantage of building on the work of contemporary scholars is that in fortunate cases, they make themselves available for dialogue. I was privileged to have the opportunity to meet and discuss with Professors Kari Kurkela, Dvora Yanow, and Philip Alperson. Kari patiently answered my long list of questions about his work on good relationships to music. Spending several days in Amsterdam with Dvora to talk about interpretive research methodology was fantastically inspiring, challenging and reassuring. Finally, it will be evident from the thesis that my current thinking has profound affinities with Phil’s approach to music. What cannot be so easily expressed is how his way of doing philosophy influenced my entire outlook on academic work as intellectual and  human endeavour. Thank you for your cordial support and for great conversations. Åbo Akademi University provided intellectual, practical, financial and administrative support during the entire research process. Professor Anna-Lena Østern listened to early research plans and spurred me on from the very outset. Professors Kaj Sjöholm, Michaela Pörn, Michael Uljens, Ria Heilä-Ylikallio, Petri Salo, and Docent Gunilla Eklund offered both advice and encouragements. I wish to thank the Faculty’s administrative leaders and staff, including Mariann Sjöholm, Nina Bäckman, Agneta Eriksson, Michaela Lithén, Katarina Lövholm- Rodas, Anna-Maria Nordman and Anne Nummi, who have all been very helpful along the way. During the doctoral coursework, I benefited from excellent advice provided by Mikaela Björklund, Marita Lindahl, Lars Malmberg, Arvid Treekrem and Anna- Lena Østern. Torbjörn Sandén and Anna Smirnoff at the Åbo Akademi Centre for Lifelong Learning offered invaluable support for the teacher development project involved. Writing would have been a lot more lonely without discussions, support and laughs shared with fellow doctoral students, in particular Marina Bendtsen, Janne Elo, Christel Björkstrand, Charlotta Hilli, Katarina Rejman, Kari Carlsen, Eivor Romar and Jessica Aspfors. Several other scholars at Åbo Akademi have also at various times offered just the right piece of advice or friendly thing to say: Peter Ehrström, Gunborg Jakobsson, Karin Linnanmäki, Hannes Nykänen, Ann-Sofie Rönnblom, Markus Rönnblom, Claus Stolpe, and Minna Törmänen. Tarja Grahn-Björkqvist helped with layout and always added an encouraging word. Similarly, Nina Beijar, Jarl-Erik Lundberg, Roland Nylund, Ralf Vestberg, and the staff at the ICT service department provided not only technical assistance but also constant friendly cheers. Sören Granlund offered kind help with the cover. Much of the text has been written at the Tritonia Academic Library in Vasa, the best ‘room of one’s own’ imaginable with quiet space and a beautiful view over the seaside. Many thanks to Christina Flemming, Maria Byholm and all members of staff for your kind and efficient help. Outside of my own university, Jan-Christer Wahlbeck and Beryl Fagerlund directed my attention to the work of Tom Andersen and taught me how to work with multilevel reflecting processes. Early on, Thomas Regelski offered important advice on action research. The Sibelius Academy, my first alma mater, opened the door to what must currently be one of the world’s most effervescent and inspiring doctoral seminars on music education. Thanks to the generosity of Professor Heidi Westerlund, I found myself in a community of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers who are able to combine strong ambition and critical thinking with an atmosphere of warm benevolence. What you have been able to create is  unusual in many respects. Please know how deeply I appreciate your straightforwardness and zeal. Thank you, Analía Capponi-Savolainen, Lisa Fornhammar, Sigrid Jordal Havre, Tuula Jääskeläinen, Alexis Kallio, Hanna Kamensky, Johanna Korhonen, Anna Kuoppamäki, Tuulikki Laes, Susanna Mesiä, Laura Miettinen, Sari Muhonen, Hanna Nikkanen, Albi Odendaal, Aleksi Ojala, Anni Puittinen, Inga Rikandi, Guillermo Rosabal-Coto, Eeva Siljamäki, Katja Thomson, Vilma Timonen, Danielle Treacy, Tuulia Tuovinen, and several other participants for commenting on drafts and sharing discussions over the last few years. Many thanks also to Hannu Tolvanen. Taking part in a collaborative book project which focused on reflective music education and was hosted by the Sibelius Academy greatly helped my own thinking during the work with the dissertation. I wish to acknowledge all the co- authors, especially Laura Huhtinen-Hildén and Heidi Partti. Heidi Westerlund’s tireless efforts to make the Sibelius Academy an international hub for the philosophy of music education allowed me to meet and talk with leading scholars whose work I had read and been inspired by. From live and online seminars to informal conversations at the beautiful Kallio- Kuninkala Music Centre, I will never forget those amazing discussions. Thank you, Marja-Leena Juntunen, Lauri Väkevä, David Hebert, Sidsel Karlsen, Alexandra Kertz-Welzel, Roberta Lamb, Øivind Varkøy and Iris Yob, for commenting on work in progress, and for sharing your own stories from research and life. Cambridge University and its strong, dynamic Faculty of Education became a fantastic learning environment early in the process, courtesy of Professor Pamela Burnard. I wish to thank Pam for her invitations, for all the joy and energy she is able to infuse into a research project, and for her mentorship regarding highly intensive academic writing. Many thanks also to her colleagues for receiving a temporary guest with such kindness and enthusiasm. Professor Colleen McLaughlin introduced me to the work of John Elliott and offered advice and support which turned out to be decisive. Professor Keith Taber reminded me in his inimitable way to stay both ambitious and independent from the very beginning. Warm thanks to Ailbhe Kenny, Rosie Perkins, Tal-Chen Rabinowitch, Edel Sanders and Christine Yau for great comments during seminars. I also wish to thank Cambridge University Library for granting access to its astounding collections, a universe in itself. Sharp and supportive discussants and participants at international conferences and seminars helped me clarify my thinking at all stages of the work. I am grateful for very interesting conversations with Patrick Schmidt, Sven-Erik Holgersen, Cathy Benedict, Gary McPherson, Hal Abeles, Ulla-Britta Broman- Kananen, Tim Cain, Olle Zandén, Mark Whale, Sven Bjerstedt, Aslaug Louise Slette and Anne Jordhus-Lier.  The Association of Finnish Music Schools and the European Music School Union have been very helpful in providing material and statistics, answering questions and inviting me to discussions and seminars. Many thanks to Leif Nystén, Timo Klemettinen, Rolf Nordman and Minna Stenroos, and to Helena Maffli for additional expertise on the European perspective. Further archival searches were made possible thanks to kind help from Maija- Liisa Ojala, Petri Keskinen and Mikko Hartikainen at the Finnish National Board of Education, and from the knowledgable staff at the National Archives of Finland. Financial support from the Research Institute of the Foundation of Åbo Akademi, the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, the Waldemar von Frenckell Foundation, Högskolestiftelsen i Österbotten, Svensk-Österbottniska samfundet, Héléne och Walter Grönqvists Stiftelse, Ledningsgruppen för forskarutbildning vid Pedagogiska fakulteten vid Åbo Akademi, Gösta Branders’ Research Fund, and the Rector of Åbo Akademi University is gratefully acknowledged. Warm thanks to colleagues at the Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies for their interest and cheers. My music education colleagues have been wonderfully supportive and patient throughout the process: Mikael Pennanen-Dahlbäck, the late Marita Hammarström-Backman, and Maria Timoshenko. Friends and allies: Johanna Björkell, Björn Blomqvist, Lena von Bonsdorff, Gustav Djupsjöbacka, Camilla Cederholm, Carol Hartley, Nick Hartley, Hannah Kaihovirta, Henrik Lax, Krisse Lax, Henrika Lax, Erum Naqvi, Birgit Schaffar- Kronqvist, Johan Slotte, Inger Söderman, Per Østern. And finally, my closest and dearest family, thank you for your love and care. Nanna Björk. Eliane Corradi. Christophe Guillemeau. Tack. Merci.  Table of contents 1. Introduction.....................................................................................................1 1.1 Developing practices of music school teaching ..........................................3 1.2 Rationale, general aim and research questions..........................................11 1.3 Setting and positionings of the study ........................................................12 1.4 Structure of the thesis................................................................................19 2. Theoretical landscapes: Music education and the varieties of goodness..20 2.1 Aims and challenges of music school teaching: Previous research ..........20 2.2 Music, value, and robust praxialism..........................................................33 2.3 Music education and the good life ............................................................38 2.4 Finnish music school policy......................................................................52 2.5 ‘A good relationship to music’..................................................................57 2.6 ‘Creating the conditions’...........................................................................67 2.7 Summary and remarks...............................................................................73 3. Methodological discussion: Towards interpretive practice analysis ........75 3.1 Understanding teacher aspirations ............................................................75 3.2 The presuppositions and logic of interpretive research.............................77 3.3 Conversation as meaning-making .............................................................81 3.4 Collaborative inquiry as practice development and research....................85 4. Research design.............................................................................................89 4.1 Preparing for the study and recruiting participants ...................................89 4.2 Generating data .........................................................................................92 4.3 Analysing and interpreting data ................................................................98 4.4 Ethical considerations .............................................................................102 4.5 Trustworthiness.......................................................................................106 5. Stories from developing teacher practices ................................................108 5.1 Teacher 1.................................................................................................108 5.2 Teacher 2.................................................................................................120 5.3 Teacher 3.................................................................................................129 5.4 Teacher 4.................................................................................................141 5.5 Teacher 5.................................................................................................152 5.6 Shared themes .........................................................................................162 5.7 Learning from collaborative inquiry .......................................................174