The identity reconciliation of five elementary students across their landscapes of musical practice

Abstract

ABSTRACT Elementary-aged students likely participate in an in-school Community of Musical Practice (CoMP) in addition to CoMPs outside of school. Therefore, knowing a student’s entire Landscape of Musical Practice (LoMP) can help music teachers align in-school music practices with those outside of school to support students’ developing musical identities. We studied five students at an elementary school in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, along with five parents and one vocal music teacher, to determine to what extent, if any, the students’ musical identities were reconciled, renegotiated, or modulated by participating in multiple practices across their landscape. The students participated in multiple CoMPs across a LoMP and their musical identities were reconciled, negotiated, or modulated by competing demands. This study revealed theoretical terms that can aid in the understanding of how children inhabit and journey across a LoMP – the imaginary CoMP, the dabbler, and the steward.