Music, Education, and Australians of East Asian Heritage: A Multiple Case Study

Abstract

This study examines the presence (or absence) of East Asian (primarily Chinese) music in Australian education settings (primarily in the state of New South Wales), in relation to the three learning environments—Formal, Home, and Community—of the East Asian music transmission ecosystem. It addresses how Chinese music might be taught and learnt; who might be well placed to teach it and how it might be resourced; the role parents (might) play in elevating the status of Chinese (or East Asian) music in their child’s education; and what can be learnt from community providers of Chinese instrumental music education about the music’s place in Australian cultural life. An introductory chapter provides an overview of the research and discusses the broad themes of Asia literacy in Australian education and multicultural music education in Australia. This is followed by a systematic literature review of Chinese music’s pedagogical applications in Western schooling contexts. Next are three case studies involving participant groups representing the three learning environments: preservice music teachers of East Asian heritage (Formal); East Asian-Australian parents whose children are involved in music learning (Home); and instrumental teachers at a private community-based Chinese music academy (Community). The study found that Chinese and other East Asian music forms were in a precarious position in most NSW educational settings. It identified a range of blockers to the inclusion of East Asian music forms in schools. It also found that within the last decade, Chinese music’s precarity is being challenged, both at the tertiary level and in the Sydney community as Australians come to understand that “Asia” is an integrated and highly present and contemporary part of Australian society.