Musik- och kulturskolan i senmoderniteten: reservat eller marknad?
Author
Summary, in English
Title: The community school of music and art in late modernity: Reservation or market?
This thesis focuses on the education at Swedish community school of music and art. The aim of the study is to investigate how teachers at those schools talk about their own activities, and thereby also to explore, describe and analyse how the teaching is manifested. In the study 27 teachers from six different community schools of music and art participated. All together about 10 hours of group conversation were recorded and subsequently transcribed in to text for further analysis. In line with the theoretical approach of the thesis naturally occurring talk was strived for. The study uses two discourse analytical perspectives, both founded in social construction- ism and post-structuralistic theory. Discursive psychology, influenced by ethnomethodology and conversation analysis in the field of social psychology, and discourse theory, inspired by the work of Foucault. The combination of the approaches is considered as more productive than a one-sided use of one or the other. In order to create options for discussing the conditions society offers on the basis of the macro-discourses generated by the data, theories of modernity has been chosen as a relevant approach. The results are divided into four areas; Change (Förändringen), Future (Framtiden), Frustration (Frustrationen) and Freedom (Friheten), all describing distinctions between systems of difference. Each area is extensively analysed. In the discussion the changed conditions in the teachers work at the schools of music and art are discussed in relation to the tendencies of late modernity. The teachers in the present study are experiencing a loss of influence concerning teaching and are explaining this in terms of an in- creasing demand for participation from the students. At the same time, the changed students are seen as responsible for the changes in the lesson contents. The changed condition in society consequently illuminates what has happened at the schools of music and art. Both teachers and students are by cause of the cultural liberation more free as the norms of the traditional have lost most of its power. This gives consequences for the students, who more actively seek influence according to the music of the lessons. On behalf of the teachers one consequence can be seen in their increasing openness to new ideas and in a higher wish to manage a pleasant teaching for their students. In conclusion, as long as traditions were able to guide the contents of the activities and the students adjusted to it, there was no need for greater clarity. However, in late modernity, when ideas that were once obvious are getting questioned, things come to another situation. A scenario for the future without control documents, would, according to this study, lead to an abandoning of the ambition, and the schools of music and art would transfer into an amusement park for the ”ego children”. But with an increasing distinctness on the mission, it is my conviction that the cultural heritage will also be better able to survive in late modernity. There is no doubt that community schools of music and art have capacity to carry on a market adapted activity and at the same time to mediate a tradition.
This thesis focuses on the education at Swedish community school of music and art. The aim of the study is to investigate how teachers at those schools talk about their own activities, and thereby also to explore, describe and analyse how the teaching is manifested. In the study 27 teachers from six different community schools of music and art participated. All together about 10 hours of group conversation were recorded and subsequently transcribed in to text for further analysis. In line with the theoretical approach of the thesis naturally occurring talk was strived for. The study uses two discourse analytical perspectives, both founded in social construction- ism and post-structuralistic theory. Discursive psychology, influenced by ethnomethodology and conversation analysis in the field of social psychology, and discourse theory, inspired by the work of Foucault. The combination of the approaches is considered as more productive than a one-sided use of one or the other. In order to create options for discussing the conditions society offers on the basis of the macro-discourses generated by the data, theories of modernity has been chosen as a relevant approach. The results are divided into four areas; Change (Förändringen), Future (Framtiden), Frustration (Frustrationen) and Freedom (Friheten), all describing distinctions between systems of difference. Each area is extensively analysed. In the discussion the changed conditions in the teachers work at the schools of music and art are discussed in relation to the tendencies of late modernity. The teachers in the present study are experiencing a loss of influence concerning teaching and are explaining this in terms of an in- creasing demand for participation from the students. At the same time, the changed students are seen as responsible for the changes in the lesson contents. The changed condition in society consequently illuminates what has happened at the schools of music and art. Both teachers and students are by cause of the cultural liberation more free as the norms of the traditional have lost most of its power. This gives consequences for the students, who more actively seek influence according to the music of the lessons. On behalf of the teachers one consequence can be seen in their increasing openness to new ideas and in a higher wish to manage a pleasant teaching for their students. In conclusion, as long as traditions were able to guide the contents of the activities and the students adjusted to it, there was no need for greater clarity. However, in late modernity, when ideas that were once obvious are getting questioned, things come to another situation. A scenario for the future without control documents, would, according to this study, lead to an abandoning of the ambition, and the schools of music and art would transfer into an amusement park for the ”ego children”. But with an increasing distinctness on the mission, it is my conviction that the cultural heritage will also be better able to survive in late modernity. There is no doubt that community schools of music and art have capacity to carry on a market adapted activity and at the same time to mediate a tradition.
Department/s
Publishing year
2010
Language
Swedish
Publication/Series
Studies in music and music education
Full text
Document type
Dissertation
Topic
- Music
Status
Published
Supervisor
- Göran Folkestad
- Claes Ericsson
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1404-6539
- ISBN: 978-91-976053-6-6
Defence date
21 May 2010
Defence time
10:00
Defence place
Musikhögskolan i Malmö
Opponent
- Thorolf Krüger (Professor)