“We will fight Goliath”: Negotiation of space for musical agency in children’s music education

Abstract

Following a music philosophy debate deriving from the 1990s, this article puts the extra-musical and social outcomes of situated music educational practices at the fore. The Swedish replica of the choir and orchestra school El Sistema, a programme globally asserting social change and social impact, appeared useful for elaborating such outcomes in practice. Following this, the present study aims to empirically elaborate musical agency as an analytical concept to understand children’s experiences, while at the same time discussing musical agency in relation to a social discursive view on practice. A Swedish El Sistema children’s string orchestra was followed for three months and the material for analysis consists of audio recordings and observation notes from lessons, performances and family events, as well as documents surrounding the activities. Constructions of discipline, empowerment and space are revealed as affecting opportunities for musical agency. The study thus elaborates on discursive constraints and opportunities for agency negotiation while discussing social outcomes with and within music education.

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