Exploring Cultural Beliefs of String Teachers in American and British Schools

• In Event: Emic Voices in Music Education

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the significant issues that penetrate the core of American and British string education in order to produce cross-cultural insights on music education. Following Tobin, Wu, and Davidson’s (1989) cross-cultural ethnographic study and the employed methodology (visual ethnography), I articulate tacit norms, beliefs, and values that provide insiders’ knowledge and in-depth narratives of implicit cultural themes underlying public school string teaching in both countries. Emerging themes that distinguish American and British string education include mass instrumental instruction, transferability of musical skills, and the teaching of discipline through music.

Author

• Khin Yee Lo, Indiana University