Abstract
Estonian multiculturalism concept requires public socio-cultural space. Different culture groups’ successful communication results in collective identity. Music, with musical thinking as its action mechanism, supports basic school students’ collective identity. The research question is - what are the opportunities provided by the effect of music education on the development of basic school students’ collective identity? This study aimed to find out about the effect of music education on the development of basic school students’ collective identity. The focus was on the potential of music textbooks to support collective identity of the students of forms 8 to 9 of Estonian and Russian medium schools. The research methods applied are content analysis and the image reading method. The research results allow us to conclude that basic school music education textbooks contain a sufficient amount of varied and instructive information to create preconditions and a basis for the education and development of students with a qualitatively new personality – with high level of ethnic and social consciousness, empathy, and a strong spirit of Estonian citizenship or collective identity.
Highlights
The multiculturalism concept of the Estonian state was born out of the social need to recognise and respect society’s cultural diversity
The research question is - what are the opportunities provided by the effect of music education on the development of basic school students’ collective identity? This study aimed to find out about the effect of music education on the development of basic school students’ collective identity
The focus was on the potential of music textbooks to support collective identity of the students of forms 8 to 9 of Estonian and Russian medium schools
Summary
The multiculturalism concept of the Estonian state was born out of the social need to recognise and respect society’s cultural diversity. Multiculturalism requires public socio-cultural space in which groups bearing different cultures can interact and communicate. Shaping positive national self-consciousness is one of the priorities of the education system of Estonia, requiring construction of the Estonian identity so that it would not conflict with the historically developed numerous (nearly a third of the population) Russian-speaking diaspora. Successful communication between nationalities can result in the indigenous population and the diaspora being able to develop a common collective identity. The article is based on a study which aimed to find information that creates a potential basis for the development of students’ collective identity in the music textbooks for grades 7 to 9 of Estonian and Russian medium schools. The research methods applied were content analysis and the image reading method
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