Page 21 - Glasbenopedagoški zbornik Akademije za glasbo v Ljubljani / The Journal of Music Education of the Academy of Music in Ljubljana: Mostovi med formalnim in neformalnim glasbenim izobraževanjem, leto 15, zvezek 31 / Year 15, Issue 31, 2019
P. 21
Ana Èoriæ, DEVELOPING COMMUNITY MUSIC ACTIVITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION...
saying that higher education today requires teaching students for flexibility in different
social and cultural changing contexts, as well as interdisciplinary work and collaborative
teaching and learning. In the World Declaration of Higher Education for the 21st Century
(UNESCO, 1998) it is written that one of the core missions of universities, in general, is
„to educate highly qualified graduates and responsible citizens and to provide
opportunities1 for higher learning and for learning throughout life“ (article 2).
Furthermore, it is written that higher education institutions should „educate students to
become well-informed and deeply motivated citizens, who can think critically, analyse
problems of society, look for solutions to the problems of society, apply them and accept
social responsibilities“ (article 9). This demand can and should be applied at music
academies as places that have to raise future music professionals as responsible citizens
which supports the idea of ‘opening the doors’ of the institution to the society. To cover
this fact, Polisi (2016, p. 13) says that „there should be no dividing line between artistic
excellence and social consciousness“.
The idea that music education can contribute to change social climate and increase social
justice explained as ‘activist music education’ by Juliet Hess (2019) is based on
empowering voices of youth to be active in the society. Their creative professional
engagement in the local community makes a ‘bottom-up’ approach to community
engagement, which means that they start to make community-driven projects (shaped by
themselves), rather than institution-driven approach. A community-based approach is
based on the relationship between people and contexts, which means that the most
effective learning happens right in the community itself and it is based on each person’s
experience. Thus, musicians should use the potential of music to engage politically in the
world, connect with others, share experiences through telling stories and music, connect to
the history and various contexts and to think critically about the world (ibid.). This idea
has roots in critical pedagogy established by Paulo Freire (1971). According to
Abarahams (2005), key principles of critical pedagogy are saying that education is: (1) a
conversation where students and their teachers pose problems and solve problems
together; (2) expanding students’ and teachers’ mindsets; (3) empowerment (it comes
through conscientization); (4) transformative for students and teachers; (5) political
because it is questioning issues of power and control. Critical pedagogy puts focus on
developing the potential of both teacher and students, who come out from the process
deeply transformed. In the context of music education, Abrahams (2005, p. 9) poses
several questions that each teacher has to ask himself/herself when planning an
instruction: „Who am I? Who are my students? What might they become? What might we
become together?“ In the context of learning at the university, these questions are crucial
to re-think the curriculum and develop new possibilities to learn which will be connected
to the community, because they engage imagination, intellect, creativity and performance.
Here it is crucial to mention Freire’s understanding of ‘praxis’ as the combination of
action and thoughtful reflection. Partnership between the teacher and students in this
process makes teachers become facilitators of the whole process because it removes
traditional roles where the learning process is based on the transmission of knowledge
1 Open spaces (espaces ouverts).
19
saying that higher education today requires teaching students for flexibility in different
social and cultural changing contexts, as well as interdisciplinary work and collaborative
teaching and learning. In the World Declaration of Higher Education for the 21st Century
(UNESCO, 1998) it is written that one of the core missions of universities, in general, is
„to educate highly qualified graduates and responsible citizens and to provide
opportunities1 for higher learning and for learning throughout life“ (article 2).
Furthermore, it is written that higher education institutions should „educate students to
become well-informed and deeply motivated citizens, who can think critically, analyse
problems of society, look for solutions to the problems of society, apply them and accept
social responsibilities“ (article 9). This demand can and should be applied at music
academies as places that have to raise future music professionals as responsible citizens
which supports the idea of ‘opening the doors’ of the institution to the society. To cover
this fact, Polisi (2016, p. 13) says that „there should be no dividing line between artistic
excellence and social consciousness“.
The idea that music education can contribute to change social climate and increase social
justice explained as ‘activist music education’ by Juliet Hess (2019) is based on
empowering voices of youth to be active in the society. Their creative professional
engagement in the local community makes a ‘bottom-up’ approach to community
engagement, which means that they start to make community-driven projects (shaped by
themselves), rather than institution-driven approach. A community-based approach is
based on the relationship between people and contexts, which means that the most
effective learning happens right in the community itself and it is based on each person’s
experience. Thus, musicians should use the potential of music to engage politically in the
world, connect with others, share experiences through telling stories and music, connect to
the history and various contexts and to think critically about the world (ibid.). This idea
has roots in critical pedagogy established by Paulo Freire (1971). According to
Abarahams (2005), key principles of critical pedagogy are saying that education is: (1) a
conversation where students and their teachers pose problems and solve problems
together; (2) expanding students’ and teachers’ mindsets; (3) empowerment (it comes
through conscientization); (4) transformative for students and teachers; (5) political
because it is questioning issues of power and control. Critical pedagogy puts focus on
developing the potential of both teacher and students, who come out from the process
deeply transformed. In the context of music education, Abrahams (2005, p. 9) poses
several questions that each teacher has to ask himself/herself when planning an
instruction: „Who am I? Who are my students? What might they become? What might we
become together?“ In the context of learning at the university, these questions are crucial
to re-think the curriculum and develop new possibilities to learn which will be connected
to the community, because they engage imagination, intellect, creativity and performance.
Here it is crucial to mention Freire’s understanding of ‘praxis’ as the combination of
action and thoughtful reflection. Partnership between the teacher and students in this
process makes teachers become facilitators of the whole process because it removes
traditional roles where the learning process is based on the transmission of knowledge
1 Open spaces (espaces ouverts).
19
