Finding balance in a mix of culture: Appreciation of diversity through multicultural music education

Abstract

This study explores the understandings of cultural diversity as enacted in multicultural music education and is located in Victoria, which is identified as the most culturally diverse state in Australia with a population that comes from various countries and speaks many languages. This cultural diversity is reflected in the schools. This phenomenological qualitative case study explores how Sri Lankan/Australian students use music in their construction of self-identity in multicultural Australia. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data that were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three themes were identified as significant to the understanding of the participants concerning multicultural music studies. These themes are: Development of respect, Construction of self-identity and tolerance through appreciation of multicultural music, and Benefits of community music-making for school students. These findings contribute to the understanding of providing multicultural music education programs for students, which appears to be a pressing global challenge.