Meaningful Musical Encounters in School Music Education

Abstract

In this article Johanna Ray argues for a more deliberate and systematic approach towards the phenomenon of music experience, for a growing pedagogical awareness among music teachers, and for the development of relevant educational designs for music lessons. Based on her study of strong musical experiences among teenagers, she concludes that through expansion of the educational space into other musical arenas, students are offered encounters with music in specific cultural, authentic and above all non-school settings, which break up everyday school routines. Ray concludes that ultimately it is important regarding any kind of musical encounter, regardless of whether it takes place during school music lessons or outside school, that it is perceived by the person to be genuinely significant.

This article was published in Arts, education and beyond, Anna-Lena Østern, Hannah Kaihovirta-Rosvik (Eds.), Åbo Akademi University, Report 8/2010

Author

Johanna Ray, PhD in Education, MA with emphasis on research in music education and studies in music psychology. Currently Researcher and teacher at TUM School of Education in Munich (Germany).

Photo: Christian Brandt