Arab students’ perceptions of university music education in the United Arab Emirates: A discussion of music education and cultural relevance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore with five Arab young adults their perceptions of Western and Arabic musical cultures as well as their perceptions of the Western classical vocal teaching they experienced at an American-modeled university in the United Arab Emirates. Of interest were issues of cultural relevance and the role of music and music education in Arab society. Data collection methods for this study included individual, semi-structured interviews with each participant and three focus group discussions. This paper will explore the following four themes from the interviews: Theme 1: Western classical university music teaching was incongruent with Arabic classical music teaching. Theme 2: Despite the incongruencies, participants found the university music experience to be transformative. Theme 3: Participants have a strong personal connection to Arabic music. Theme 4: Lack of music education has cultural ramifications; however, it is a complex issue. Using Paris’ conception of culturally sustaining pedagogy as a theoretical lens through which to view participants’ perceptions of music and music education in the United Arab Emirates as well as the juxtaposition of heritage and emergent musical traditions within a globalized traditional society, issues of cultural relevance, personal transformation, and musical identity will be further discussed.