Investigating the impact of gender and culture on the Australian instrumental music teaching and learning context.

Abstract

This paper explores the impact that both gender and culture have on teaching and learning processes and structures in the Australian instrumental music context. It focuses on relevant issues pertaining to gender and culture in regard to social constructions and influence. Many (Barton, 2004; Campbell, 1992; Green, 1988; Harrison, 2003; Nettl, 1998; Shepard and Wicke, 1997) have noted the presence of social and cultural influence in music education contexts and believe that an understanding and acknowledgement of these are necessary in order for successful outcomes to be gained. However, little is actually known about the specific function that both gender and culture play in guiding how music teachers perceive their practice in the instrumental or studio context. Zhukov (1999) notes that research into instrumental music teaching is in its infancy and makes a concerted call for more research in this area. This paper attempts to do this by investigating how gender and culture impact on the instrumental music teaching and learning context. Consequently, the paper will highlight the background of both researchers' work and then present a literature review that explores what others have said in regard to gender and culture and the role they have in the music teaching and learning environment. It will then outline two case studies that investigated specifically the impact of these phenomena on the Australian instrumental music teaching and learning context. It will finally discuss implications that arose from the data for the contemporary music education context generally.