Fostering Trauma-Informed and Eudaimonic Pedagogy in Music Education

Daniel Walzer

doi:10.3389/feduc.2021.647008

Abstract

The arts and entertainment sectors remain fragile because of the global pandemic. Unemployment, physical and emotional stress, social isolation, a loss of purpose, and a problematic future are just a sample of the ongoing traumas that music educators and practitioners experience under duress. As an inherently social activity, music-making becomes especially difficult when the threat of infection persists, further exacerbating somatic trauma and decreased health and wellness. The sudden loss of daily contact with others, coupled with multiple kinds of crises, complicates matters for educators. How does one flourish when their livelihood, personal connections, and sense of meaning-making disappear? Likewise, how ought the music educator navigate such uncertainty when teaching others? To address these issues, psychologists have often turned to Trauma-Informed Care (TIC), a collaborative model between the practitioner and client that recognizes and validates the impact of painful memories and experiences. This article advocates for a compassionate eudaimonic pedagogy model that prioritizes healing and self-care for teachers and students and cultivating an ethos of critical digital pedagogy—itself a form of eudaimonia. Drawing on Noddings’ (1992, 1995, 2002) Philosophy of Care, the article concludes with suggestions on future connections between eudaimonia and music education.

Highlights

There is a palpable sense of loss among musicians and artists in the wake of an unprecedented pandemic
Understanding that “loss” myriad financial, physical, emotional, and professional opportunities, I concentrate on the music educator’s loss of personal meaning and lack of close interaction with students and peers and how this tension requires a re-evaluation of eudaimonia educational best practice
Many music educators aim to live in a communally-focused, eudaimonic way, or as Elliott (2020) describes: “a life that pursues ongoing selfgrowth and happiness that follows from critically reflective activities” (p. 110)

Summary

Introduction

There is a palpable sense of loss among musicians and artists in the wake of an unprecedented pandemic. Understanding that “loss” myriad financial, physical, emotional, and professional opportunities, I concentrate on the music educator’s loss of personal meaning and lack of close interaction with students and peers and how this tension requires a re-evaluation of eudaimonia educational best practice. Many music educators aim to live in a communally-focused, eudaimonic way, or as Elliott (2020) describes: “a life that pursues ongoing selfgrowth and happiness (in the fullest sense of human flourishing) that follows from critically reflective activities”

Results

Conclusion