”It’s so easy to feel inadequate” – music teachers’ discussions regarding music education and social aims

Abstract

ABSTRACT. - The aim of the present article is to discuss the social aspects of music education for children and young people. Societal challenges such as social vulnerability and increasing segregation have highlighted general educational aims such as fostering democracy, equality, social justice and inclusion. The empirical material comprises a focus group interview with teachers working in El Sistema, a music education programme that has both musical and social aims. Analyses of verbal constructions reveal the way teachers negotiate and legitimise their work through affective repertoires and subject positioning. A discursive practice is constructed, in which two different, often incompatible, positions emerge: the music teacher and the social worker. Among different subject positions available, those specifically constructed to fit the claim of a social commission prevail. Finally, the study´s result is discussed in relation to the conceptualisation of music education as a social practice, and music teachers´ understanding of their professional commitment towards both social and musical learning. Keywords: affective discursive practice, El Sistema, music education, social aspects