Australian perspectives on Indigenous music education

Abstract

This study examined the contextual and philosophical pretexts underpinning the learning and teaching of music indigenous to Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Papua New Guinean peoples through the eyes of six Australian participants. The personal nature of responses and unique cases posed by each participant were examined through a qualitative multi-case study. Six Australian teachers having worked or working within the fields of Indigenous music education and Indigenous education were interviewed. The findings reveal several motivations for the learning and teaching of Indigenous music and education including the desire to provide a diverse and significant education for all students, particularly Indigenous students, as well as political motivations geared toward attitudinal change. The importance of culture bearers as examples of living practitioners of Indigenous musics was recognised. Culture bearers were also integral to fieldwork practices and were placed in positions of authority within classroom teaching. Challenges identified included cultural sensitivities and protocols, teachers’ positions as ‘outsiders’ of Indigenous cultural traditions, resource production and access to culture bearers. A three-part framework incorporating Indigenous content, processes and perspectives is suggested for classroom practice.