The Perspective of a Rural Ontario, Canada, Francophone Music Educator: A “Sense of Place”

• In Event: Roundtable Session 19
  In Roundtable Session: Sites for Inquiries Into Life Writing and Curriculum

Abstract

Current academic literature related to the lived experiences of Francophone music educators who teach in Francophone First Language schools in Canada is limited. Studies that investigate how ‘place’ influences these praxes are also sparse. This study explores how the real life ‘stories’ of a rural elementary music educator provide insight into her music education praxis and how her rural place influences her actions, beliefs and curricular decision making process. As the character of rural communities in Canada are in a constant state of fluctuation due to urban assimilation and other outside influences, historical and cultural contexts through music education may ground educators in their ‘place’, in essence instilling an attachment to place, or ‘sense of place’.

Author

• Janet Spring, Lakehead University