An International quartet of voices: sharing songs and culture beyond borders

Abstract

Providing students with opportunities to experience culturally diverse music traditions is an important, yet complex task for music educators. In this study, the author participants (four tertiary music educators from different places in the world) facilitated a series of online workshops based on songs from culturally diverse settings with a group of pre-service teachers at a Spanish university. Through autoethnographical vignettes, they share their individual and collective experiences. This paper foregrounds the importance of disrupting the hegemonic cycle of focusing on Western music in education programmes and the importance of fostering transnational collaborations between music educators in different parts of the world. Findings indicate that music educators who are willing to share their unique musical perspectives and experiences beyond cultural and geographic boundaries can cultivate learning environments that are diverse, inclusive, relevant, timely, meaningful, and fun for all involved.