Sustaining Cultures and Families in Community Music: A Single Case Study on Family Engagement

• In Event: Critical Approaches to Music Education

Abstract

This study explored the phenomenon of critical family and community engagement (FCE) in the context of an urban, intergenerational community music program. The emerging field of critical FCE operates with an asset-based approach to families and intersects with culturally sustaining pedagogy by foregrounding relational trust and disrupting power. Participants described an affirming, pluralistic environment co-created by families and teachers. The parent-teacher relationships within the program were characterized clear communication, shared power and elements of relational trust. While the active participation of parents allowed the children’s home cultures to flourish within the program, there was an absence of parent engagement at the organizational level, suggesting that large-scale decisions were ultimately unilateral. Implications for community music and future research are discussed.

Author

• Danielle Girard, Indiana University