Embracing Cultural Diversity through Music: An Ethnomusicological Perspective on Learning in a Multicultural Classroom

Abstract

The multicultural music classroom is a space where students from various ethnic, linguistic, religious, and musical backgrounds engage and negotiate meanings via shared learning experiences. The purpose of this research is to investigate how classroom conversations and interactions serve as venues for self-expression, cultural identity negotiation, and co-construction of meaning in the context of music education in a multicultural society. Using a qualitative research approach based on ethnomusicological viewpoints, the study combines participatory learning theory, Edward Sapir's idea of language and meaning-making, and Jacques Lacan's theory of subject construction through symbolic systems. Data were gathered through participant observation, classroom discourse analysis, discussions, and student presentations in a graduate-level intercultural music course. The research discovered that the multicultural music classroom is more than just a location for learners to learn music; it is also a sociocultural milieu in which they may construct meanings, express themselves, and negotiate cultural positions via language and social interactions. Classroom discussions, responses to questions, and presentations enable students to justify and explain their worldviews and identities in light of their personal experiences, cultural memories, religious beliefs, and musical preferences. Music develops a common sense of meaning, encouraging international debate, critical thinking, and global civic awareness. According to the study, participatory learning in multicultural music education goes beyond instructional efficacy to help learners develop identities, negotiate cultural differences, and establish mutual understanding, all of which promote respectful coexistence in today's multicultural communities.

Keywords: Ethnomusicology, Multicultural Music Education, Identity Negotiation, Meaning-Making, Participatory Learning