Lifespan engagement and the question of relevance: challenges for music education research in the twenty-first century

摘要

The scope of music education research has expanded significantly over the last 50 years. Nevertheless, many studies remain atomistic, with limited contexts for questions, methods, findings and implications. Such approaches may seek to validate instructional strategies within an established music education system, rather than developing a continuum of questions, perspectives and dynamic principles and applications that radically challenge existing assumptions. Ironically, attempts at more holistic research may offer innocuous description of observed phenomena, thus bypassing the rigorous analysis that could help advance current practice. In a global society, music engagement and learning are studied across cultures, ages, and ranges of opportunities. This context demands a robust and catalytic research approach, one in which inquiry logically derives from the ways in which systematic music education - across the full gamut of learner characteristics and settings - may embrace a fundamental human intrigue with music. Research thus offers a foundation for music education that empowers musical choice, connects music learning with larger musical realities, nurtures both independent and social engagement across the lifespan, and enhances our quality of life and the societies in which we live.