Using Song Composition as a Tool to Normalize Music in Hawai‘i Classrooms

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 10:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Celebrating Indigenous Heritage: Elevating the Arts, Language, and Culture Through Research (Table 7)

Abstract

Although a consensus exists that music is a powerful force and can be used as a vehicle to accomplish multiple endeavors—to express identities; perpetuate histories and worldviews; teach, conscientize, and mobilize others on a broad range of political and social issues—there is minimal research on how to actualize these endeavors in music classrooms. This study examines the process involved in guiding students through the composition and performance of their songs. The findings suggest that students felt personally empowered by the song composition and performance project because they felt ownership over their compositions. The process helped them to articulate feelings about issues that impact their lives and the performance of their compositions allows them to be tools for conscientization.

Author

• Kamuela M. Kimokeo, Windward Community College