Shapes of water:a multidisciplinary composing project visioning an eco-socially oriented approach to music education

Abstract This article presents a project, Shapes of Water, funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, which gave music education students the opportunity to compose children’s songs about climate change with the help of artists from two fields (contemporary circus and music) and a scientist (chemistry). The article outlines the ways in which the composing project challenged students’ attitudes toward composing as a method for educating children about climate change, and brings together the experiences of the artists and scientist during the project. Finally, three focus areas are presented with recommendations for a sustainable eco-socially oriented approach to music education

Exploring the possibilities of Dalcroze-based music education to foster the agency of students with special needs:a practitioner inquiry in a special school

Abstract The purpose of this practitioner research was to improve inclusion in music education practices by examining how Dalcroze-based music-and-movement teaching can foster the agency of students with special needs. In this study, the understanding of agency draws upon a feminist interpretation of phenomenological philosophy. It emphasizes the embodied dimensions of agency, such as the dialectical relationship between subjectivity and the body, and the ways the bodily perspective describes how our engagement in the world is affected by our practical aims. The feminist view pays close attention to the agency of marginalized individuals. Dalcroze pedagogy is an approach to musical learning that applies body movement in interactive group activities, integrates movement with listening and improvisation and aims to root musical understanding in perception and bodily experience. It also focuses on educational aims and holistic growth. To generate the data for the study, the researcher organized a teaching experiment at a special school. The data consisted of the music-and-movement lessons, video recordings of all the lessons, semi-structured interviews with all participants, field notes, and a research diary. The data were analyzed with different qualitative analysis methods. The research consists of four sub-studies, which have been reported in international refereed journal articles. The first article discusses the potential of music-and-movement teaching practice for students in a special school. The second article examines the methodological challenges and reflections related to an analysis of the development of agency. The third article examines the development of agency of one participating student, and the fourth article discusses the changes in agency observed in the whole student group. In the research, a clear change in agency was observed in one student, manifesting in advanced body skills, improved self-confidence and an ability to participate in group activities. Within a group as a whole, the music-and-movement activities allowed the students to develop their agency at both the individual and social levels. The dissertation argues that Dalcroze-based music-and-movement education offers tools for educators to support the agency of students with special needs through embodied engagement and non-verbal interaction, thus enhancing inclusion in music education.Tiivistelmä Tämä opettajatutkimus pyrkii kehittämään inkluusiota musiikkikasvatuksen käytännöissä tutkimalla, miten Dalcroze-pedagogiikkaan pohjautuvan musiikkiliikunnan avulla voidaan tukea erityistä tukea tarvitsevien oppilaiden toimijuutta. Tämä tutkimus lähestyy toimijuuden käsitettä fenomenologian feministisen tulkinnan kautta. Se korostaa toimijuuden kehollisia ulottuvuuksia, kuten subjektiviteetin ja kehon dialogista suhdetta, sekä kiinnittymistämme maailmaan toiminnan tavoitteiden kautta. Feministinen tulkinta huomioi myös marginalisoitujen ryhmien toimijuuden. Dalcroze-pedagogiikka on musiikkikasvatuksen lähestymistapa. Se yhdistää kehon liikkeen ja musiikin vuorovaikutuksellisten harjoitusten avulla, jotka aktivoivat oppilaan kuuntelua, luovuutta ja keksimistä. Se perustuu kokonaisvaltaiseen ihmiskäsitykseen ja tähtää kokonaisvaltaiseen kasvuun. Aineiston tuottamista varten tutkija organisoi vuoden mittaisen opetuskokeilun erityiskoulussa. Aineisto koostui videoiduista musiikkiliikunnan tunneista, haastatteluista, kenttämuistiinpanoista ja tutkimuspäiväkirjasta, jotka analysoitiin käyttäen erilaisia laadullisen tutkimuksen analyysimenetelmiä. Väitöstutkimus rakentuu neljästä osatutkimuksesta, jotka on raportoitu referee-artikkeleina kansainvälisissä julkaisuissa. Ensimmäinen artikkeli kuvaa Dalcroze-pedagogiikkaan pohjautuvan musiikkiliikunnan mahdollisuuksia erityistä tukea tarvitsevien oppilaiden parissa. Toinen artikkeli tarkastelee niitä metodologisia haasteita, joita ilmeni toimijuuden kehittymisen analysoinnissa. Yhden oppilaan toimijuuden kehittymisessä havaitut muutokset kuvataan tarkemmin kolmannessa artikkelissa, ja neljännessä artikkelissa tarkastellaan toimijuuden kehittymistä koko oppilasryhmän osalta. Tutkimuksessa yhden oppilaan toimijuudessa havaittiin huomattavia muutoksia. Ne ilmenivät oppilaan kehollisten taitojen, itseluottamuksen ja osallisuuden kehittymisenä. Ryhmän kaikille oppilaille musiikilliset harjoitukset tarjosivat mahdollisuuksia kehittää toimijuutta niin yksilönä kuin suhteessa ryhmän jäseniin. Tämä tutkimus osoittaa, että Dalcroze-pedagogiikkaan pohjautuva musiikkikasvatus tarjoaa keholliseen osallistumiseen ja non-verbaaliin vuorovaikutukseen liittyviä pedagogisia keinoja vahvistaa erityistä tukea tarvitsevien oppilaiden osallisuutta ja toimijuutta, mikä puolestaan edistää inkluusiota musiikkikasvatuksessa.Huomautus/Notice Painetussa virheellinen ISBN -tunnus: ISBN (print) 978-952-62-2586-9 pitäisi olla 978-952-62-2585-2. Printed version has incorrect ISBN: ISBN (print) 978-952-62-2586-9 it should be 978-952-62-2585-2

The effectiveness of music–movement integration for vulnerable groups:a systematic literature review

Abstract This systematic review synthesized the outcomes of previous intervention studies published from January 2000–October 2022 to evaluate the effectiveness of Dalcroze-based or similar music–movement integration among groups of individuals considered vulnerable (in relation to their abilities and health/wellbeing). The target groups addressed in previous intervention studies included individuals with special educational needs (such as disorders, disabilities, or impairments) or with a (risk of) decline in health and/or physical strength. Twenty articles met the review inclusion criteria. All studies showed beneficial outcomes for music–movement intervention except one that suffered from low adherence rates. In older adults, the benefits were cognitive, physical, social, and/or emotional, including improved postural stability, balance, gait safety, confidence in mobility, metamemory skills, dual-task performance, social and physical pleasure, autotelic/flow experience, enjoyment, health, and quality of life. In individuals with special educational needs, improvement was seen in relation to inclusion, reductions in compulsive and other problematic behaviors, self-regulation, perceptual and cognitive abilities and functions, linguistic and learning skills, auditory attention and phonological awareness, social interaction, engagement, and agency

Developing agency through music and movement

Abstract This ethnographic study examines the development of agency in students with special needs during an experiment of classroom music teaching in a special school. The experiment took place from August 2015 to March 2016 and was based on Emile Jaques-Dalcroze’s ideas of music and movement as a means of developing competencies, skills and understanding in music and life in general. The lessons included activities, such as quick reaction and follow exercises, singing with movement, body percussion exercises, dancing, movement improvisation, and relaxation exercises. The data consisted of video recordings of the lessons, and interviews with students, teachers, and teaching assistants. The data were analyzed using qualitative analysis software and thematic analysis. The analysis of the ethnographic data of this practitioner research showed that music-and-movement activities support the development of students’ agency by fostering (a) students’ own decision-making, (b) interaction with others, (c) expression of emotions and initiative, and (d) being recognized by others as active and able musicians. Consequently, this study encourages educators to advocate music and movement as a tool to support individual agency and active participation inside and outside the classroom

Inclusive music education:the potential of the Dalcroze approach for students with special educational needs

Abstract In this article, we discuss the potential of Dalcroze-inspired music education for students with special educational needs (SEN), based on preliminary findings of an on-going PhD study (ethnographic practitioner research) and the experiences of the first author when teaching music in a special education school for ten years. In that practice, the holistic approach based on Jaques-Dalcroze’s educational ideas was found to offer valuable and meaningful learning experiences and a tool for a deeper understanding of music, oneself and others. The research design consisted of a music and movement intervention for a group of Finnish grade 8 and 9 SEN students over a period of one school year. This paper draws on the first author’s reflections on the intervention (field notes and research diary) as well as on the teacher interview data. The preliminary results of the study indicate that the Dalcroze approach fosters equal opportunities for SEN students to experience music and to develop and demonstrate their skills, musical knowledge and agency. In the music–movement activities, the joy of collaboration with student peers and the teacher on the one hand, and enjoyment of each student’s bodily experiences on the other, are intertwined in the processes of embodied musical interaction. This interaction, primarily aimed at learning in and through music, evokes emotions as well as offers students opportunities to confront their emotions and make sense of learning situations and life in general

Applying music-and-movement to promote agency development in music education:a case study in a special school

Abstract In this article, we describe the agency development in one student with special needs through Dalcroze-based music-and-movement activities. The case study was conducted in the context of classroom music education in a special school. The data were produced via a teaching experiment (from August 2015 to March 2016), in which a group (n = 13) of 15- to 16-year-old students participated in added lessons (one lesson per week) provided by the first author. The lessons included a variety of Dalcroze-based activities, such as singing with movement, quick reaction and follow exercises, movement improvisation, body percussion exercises, dances, and relaxation exercises. The data consist of video-recordings of the lessons, a research diary, and interviews with teachers, teaching assistants, a therapist, and a specialist of special education. During the teaching experiment, the case student’s agency developed from being a passive outsider to being an active participant and leader. The change in agency was noticed also outside the classroom. The study suggests that using music-and-movement in a music classroom offers possibilities for nonverbal embodied interaction and thereby opportunities for the development of students’ agency and autonomy foremost by developing their body and social skills. On a more general level, the article contributes to developing such music education theory and practice that acknowledges the significance of experience in learning music and in embodied interaction, where individuals interact and make sense of the world through nonverbal communication. In addition, this study highlights the strength of such education in supporting the development of the whole human being

Embodiment and ethnographic sensitivity in narrative inquiry

Abstract In this article, we reflect on how aspects of the researcher’s embodiment may infuse narrative inquiry. For reflecting on the role of the researcher’s embodiment, we use an opportunity provided by a case study in which the development of one adolescent student’s agency during a teaching intervention was observed, analyzed, and presented in a narrative form. The case is a part of the first author’s ongoing ethnographic practitioner research, which examines the possibilities of Dalcroze-based music teaching in fostering students’ agency in the context of special music education in Finnish lower secondary school. The doctoral study focuses on students’ capacity for narrative self-expression through nonverbal communication, by telling stories out of and through the body as indicators of agency. In this article, we explore how different aspects of embodied interaction between a teacher-researcher and a participating student may infuse narrative analysis. We identify 4 ways in which the teacher-researcher and the student shaped the interpretation of the narrative that the student told through his body and bodily expression: clarity of experience, empathy, valence (of experience), and balance (of power relations and roles). While also contributing to the research in special and music education by dealing with inclusive aspects of music education, this article invites other narrative researchers to enter further dialogue on embodiment in narrative analysis by asking: What is the meaning of the relationship between the researcher and the participant in terms of embodied experiences, senses, feelings, perceptions, and emotions

Teaching practice in the training of special education teachers in Finland

Abstract The aim of this study was to explore the core of teaching practice as a part of the curricula for master’s degree in special teacher education. The data consisted of the curricula of teaching practice of all six universities in Finland that offer this program, along with the results of an electronic questionnaire administered to students. The curricula were obtained from the internet and the questionnaire was delivered to special education students at two of the six universities. Content analysis was used as a method. According to the results the curricula could be compressed into eight key elements, main of which were basic special education competence, advanced methods, collaboration, and interaction skills. Unfortunately, just 54 students responded to the questionnaire. However, they considered teaching practice a relevant part of their studies. They were satisfied with the supervision although, they commented, it could have been more frequent. The results are discussed using a four point frame of curriculum, pointing to the rare possibilities of students to negotiate or to feel empowered