The formation of a field in musical education in elementary schools in the city of Fortaleza, Brazil

Abstract

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14244/198271991239

This research aimed to understand the formation of a field in musical education in public elementary schools in the city of Fortaleza, Brazil. The investigation was based on Bourdieu’s praxeological studies, and highlighted the dialectical relations between the field and habitus and the musical education concepts in contemporaneity as proposed by Kraemer (2000), emphasizing that the musical teaching skills are complex, dependent on other disciplines, in particular the humanities. Five teachers teaching music at public schools were interviewed. Methodologically, a qualitative approach was chosen under the ethnographic framework in education, based on the teacher training theories and studies of musical education. After analyzing the data, categorized by content analysis, it was possible to determine concepts of what the teachers meant by musical education, which may undergo changes and adaptations from the emerging educational needs on the school grounds. We conclude that the pedagogical and musical attitudes of teachers should be sensitive to social and cultural factors of students, given the complex picture that emerges from the educational environment. It was found that the formation of a field in musical education in public elementary schools of this city is still undergoing changes, and as such it should not be configured as a habitus, according to Bourdieu’s views. However, teachers’ practices do contribute towards the strengthening of the formation of a field defined in musical education in formal school.

Keywords: Musical education, Musical teaching practices, Praxeology.