The Effects of a Chinese and Cuban Music Programme on the Cultural Understanding of Elementary Children

Authors

  • Lily Chen-Hafteck UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. University of California, Los Angeles, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37134/mjm.vol7.7.2018

Keywords:

China, Cuba, cultural understanding, multicultural music education

Abstract

This study aims to examine whether the American elementary students increase their cultural understanding after a six-week multicultural music programme on China and Cuba, considering factors of age, gender and learning needs. The use of Edwards’ (1994) levels of cultural understanding as a research tool and the way in which this approach can motivate children learning were examined. Participants were 110 second and fifth graders of two schools in New Jersey. Interviews were administered before and after the programme and classroom observations were conducted. Data indicated that such multicultural music programme has increased children’s cultural understanding and reduce their stereotypes on other people. Different levels of cultural understanding have been demonstrated. It was easy for children to achieve the basic level (i.e. Level 1: Knowledge) but it became more and more difficult as the levels proceed (i.e. Levels 2-4: Awareness, Sensitivity and Valuing). Therefore, multicultural music education can serve important educational goal of increasing cultural understanding, motivate student learning and provide an interdisciplinary education to students.

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Author Biography

Lily Chen-Hafteck, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. University of California, Los Angeles, USA

Lily Chen-Hafteck is professor of Music Education and Chair of faculty at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. She is a Fulbright scholar who holds a Ph.D. from University of Reading, U.K. and received postdoctoral research fellowship at University of Pretoria, South Africa and University of Surrey Roehampton, U.K. She has held leadership positions of International Society for Music Education (ISME) as member of its ‘Board of Directors’, chair of its ‘Young Professionals Focus Group and Early Childhood Commission’; served as the ‘Eastern Division
Representative’ of the Early Childhood Special Research Interest Group, National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and World Music Representative of California Music Educators Association (CMEA). She is the founder of the ‘Educating the Creative Mind’ project, funded by National Endowment for the Arts; and a co-investigator of ‘Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing’ (AIRS) project, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada.

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Published

2018-03-02

How to Cite

Chen-Hafteck, L. (2018). The Effects of a Chinese and Cuban Music Programme on the Cultural Understanding of Elementary Children. Malaysian Journal of Music, 7, 117–133. https://doi.org/10.37134/mjm.vol7.7.2018