Dissonance Seeking Democratic Harmony: On the Epistemic Demands of Deweyan Music Education

• In Event: Democratic Conditions for Learning

Abstract

In this conceptual essay, we develop a Deweyan democratic analysis of identity and inclusion in music education. Following work by Deweyan political theorist Amy Gutrmann (1987/1999), we argue that music education is rightly regarded as a site for “conscious social reproduction” governed by principles of “nonrepression” and “nondiscrimination”. We identify ways identity based forms of oppression can create dissonance in students’ relationships with music education programs in schools. We suggest ways that schools may seek greater harmony by seeking insight from underrepresented perspectives in creating and enacting music curricula, towards better realizing Dewey’s ideal of cultivating “full and free” relations between diverse members of society.

Authors

• Travis R. Gratteau-Zinnel, Iowa State University

• Nicolas Jordan Tanchuk, University of Winnipeg