Note from the Editor: For our first article of 2019, we are pleased to publish this article by Jennifer Mellizo. In it, the author proposes a globalist model and includes A Call for Responses. We welcome and encourage thoughtful responses to this article. Responses are treated as articles and follow normal blind-review and editing procedures. Please adhere to our submission format and guidelines. Darryl A. Coan, Editor
Abstract: Although there have been isolated pockets of discussion about the connection between music participation and global citizenship identifications, in many ways music education has remained on the sidelines of the wider global education movement. Sociocultural understanding has been discussed as a positive byproduct of music education, but not usually as an explicit goal. Yet, as Campbell (2013) argues, the consequences of an ever-changing, increasingly diverse and connected world “are considerable for systems of music education, and for individual teachers” (16). It is imperative for practitioners and scholars to consider the ways in which learning experiences in the music classrooms can cultivate higher levels of global competency without diminishing musical learning. Through this article, I propose a developmental framework for understanding the unique potential of music education to function as global education (MEGE). My core argument is grounded by the work of scholars who contend music education cultivates a sense of belonging, releases imagination, and fosters empathy. However, the framework I propose points this work more intentionally toward globalist ends and applications. Specifically, I argue music educators have unique potential to help students extend and deepen their understanding of “community” (Greene 1995). If today’s students can develop strong in-group affiliations at multiple levels of community (e.g., local, cultural, national/governmental, and global), they can become the types of citizens who will solve problems that extend beyond geographical borders, and collectively transform our world into a more just and humane place.
Author: Jennifer M. Mellizo – University of Wyoming Laboratory School, Laramie, WY, USA
Published 01/07/2019
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