The construction of social inclusion through music education: Two Swedish ethnographic studies of the El Sistema programme

Abstract

ABSTRACT -- Drawing on theories from sociology and music education, as well as closely linked disciplines, the article discusses how social inclusion is constructed in the choir and orchestra school El Sistema. The objective of the programme in Sweden is to use music as a vehicle for individual and social development as well as to serve as an intercultural meeting place and thereby for social inclusion. The results, generated from two ethnographic studies, in Gothenburg and Malmö, show that there are different ways of constructing social inclusion within El Sistema. Viewed from an integrative sociological perspective on music education, the students are primarily positioned as representatives of the El Sistema community, rather than as independent agents in control of the music and their learning. However, the programme also allows for temporarily interrupting the community rationale by enhancing teachers’ agency and allowing the children to participate on their own terms—though this is mainly limited to the social events. Keywords: social inclusion; music education; discourse analysis; El Sistema; culture; agency; space