Download files
Abstract
The central interest of this thesis is the nature of the transmission of musical knowledge, and its meaning and purpose to different societies and within different contemplations of life and beliefs. In my case, I will specifically refer to what I learnt from the fieldwork I carried out in Southern Italy (2004), in some South African contexts (2005), and in the village of Batuan (Bali, Indonesia; 2006, 2007). All such experiences will be put, so to say, in a 'dialogue' with each other in order to suggest a few considerations.
The methodological tools employed to sustain my argument are Clifford Geertz's concept of thick description, and the audio-visual material collected throughout my fieldwork, which will further support my commentary. Using Clifford Geertz's approach, I suggest that in exploring the relationship between human beings and the various practices of 'music' existing, as well as their contents and aims, we need to look at music not as an isolated element on its own, as mostly conceived of in the West, but rather as an integral aspect of life itself.
The facts and observations reported from my fieldwork show that what in the West is called music and music education can elsewhere be experienced and thought of in very dissimilar ways. In the village of Batuan, for example, music is not a special event, but an ingredient of the local community's life and its spirituality.
The final ruminations will speculate on the fact that in the West the fragmentation through which life is understood, and that has destroyed the bond between life and the arts, is also reflected in the educational system. In modern Western societies, the detachment of arts from life has created a craving and a need for artistic exclusivity, which celebrates the individualistic rather than the communal, and aesthetics rather than spirituality, unlike Bali, for example. As a starting point, we are asked to ponder whether, and how, in the West we can still entertain the hope to reconcile such a fragmentation with a more holistic approach, where music becomes equal to the other daily activities taking place within our community.