Analía Capponi-Savolainen: Children’s singing ecologies in culturally diverse societies
Full title of the dissertation: Children’s singing ecologies in culturally diversifying Finnish schools and society
- Opponent: Professor Margaret Barrett
- Pre-examiners of the dissertation: Professor emerita Inkeri Ruokonen (University of Turku), Professor Margaret Barrett(Monash University, Australia)
- Custos: Professor Heidi Westerlund (University of the Arts Helsinki)
Programme
Opening of the public examination
Lectio praecursoria
Statement of the Opponent
Examination of the dissertation
Closing statement of the Opponent
Audience questions
Closing of the public examination
Abstract
Children’s singing has been extensively studied in music education over recent decades by emphasising effective vocal skill-development and vocal pedagogy, approaching children’s cultures through song repertoires. However, little is known about the meanings that young children ascribe to singing, and their experiences of singing, in increasingly diversifying educational contexts, especially in times when global (e.g. UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child) and national policies (The Child Strategy in Finland) are urging societies to better take into account children’s perspectives in decision-making. The objective of this study is to construct a new understanding of young children’s singing, conceptualised as singing ecologies, and to highlight that singing in schools may have a much wider role than mere musical learning and vocal expression. The knowledge gap in music education is addressed by asking: What meanings do children ascribe to singing within their ecologies?
The ecological framework for exploring children’s singing was constructed through four interconnected dimensions: 1) the ecology of children’s development and its constituent processes as an existential matter; 2) the child’s voice and the production of space, and the power relationships embedded in diverse spaces in children’s everyday lives; and 3) ecological agency and singing as affordances; and 4) social-ecological systems thinking, which allows considering the school as ‘a bridging organisation’ in a culturally diversifying society. The concept of children’s spaces, drawn from childhood studies, is used to conceptualize children’s singing spaces as the key to understanding singing ecologies and the potential of singing to become an affordance in school. The case study’s empirical material was generated in an ethnographic framework through semi-structured interviews with 6–7-year-old first-grade children (N=22) and their teachers (N=4) in one culturally diverse school in the capital area of Finland. In addition, the empirical material included researcher observations and a diary. Narrative analysis methods were combined with thematic analysis within an ecological framework.
The findings show that first-graders are already aware of how their singing relates to their social-ecological relationships and are able to reflect verbally on their experiences. The analysis shows how children navigate between public and private singing and produce spaces of trust and freedom through singing. They produce singing spaces for their own uses: to handle everyday life struggles, to create new ways of acting and participating, and to exercise their political voice by addressing their stance. The analysis illustrates the importance of the qualities of the relationships that children experience in places of singing. They also recognise an existing gap between singing in school and singing outside school, as well as the meanings of singing in school, in which singing appears as an adult-led activity that is sometimes resisted. For the children, feeling connected with and accepted by others in school is fundamental. Children varied in terms of how eager they were to share their cultural differences and home cultures through singing and music education in their school. Furthermore, the analysis shows that young children seek for opportunities to produce in-between spaces of singing in school, for example in the school yard or even in secret in the classroom.
The dissertation contributes to a more complex, spatial, and relational ecological understanding of children’s singing in school, as narrated by the children themselves. It challenges learning-centred teaching practices in music education in schools, teacher education, in-service teacher training, and research suggesting a new awareness of children’s singing ecologies in educational institutions. It advocates for an awareness of the existential qualities of singing, which cannot be reduced to learning the use of the singing voice. More attention should be given to singing as a powerful activity and affordance to bridge home and school experiences, and to the school’s ability to function as a bridging organization through a curriculum of caring that can help young children navigate their singing ecologies and lives in a meaningful way.
Biography
M.Mus. Analía Capponi-Savolainen (Argentina-Finland) is a classical singer, vocal pedagogue, and doctoral researcher affiliated with the University of the Arts Helsinki, Sibelius Academy. Her research interests include children’s and youth’s singing, cultural diversity in music education, vocal pedagogy, singing across the life span, young children’s agency, identity work, and embodiment. In recent years, she has presented preliminary findings of her doctoral research in national and international conferences as well as in important cultural and educational policy events, receiving big interest from the teacher and student audience. Her work on children’s singing in the Finnish culturally diverse schools was part of the ArtsEqual research initiative (2015 – 2021), coordinated by the University of the Arts Helsinki and funded by the Academy of Finland. Analía Capponi-Savolainen has extensively taught at all levels of education, both in her native Argentina and Finland. She is a specialist in children’s singing pedagogy and the Suzuki approach, and currently delivers teacher education courses both in Finland and abroad. As a classical singer, she focuses on art song, particularly in vocal music from Latin America and Spain.
More information
Analía Capponi-Savolainen
analia.capponi-savolainen@uniarts.fi
Full title of the dissertation: Children’s singing ecologies in culturally diversifying Finnish schools and society
- Opponent: Professor Margaret Barrett
- Pre-examiners of the dissertation: Professor emerita Inkeri Ruokonen (University of Turku), Professor Margaret Barrett(Monash University, Australia)
- Custos: Professor Heidi Westerlund (University of the Arts Helsinki)
Programme
Opening of the public examination
Lectio praecursoria
Statement of the Opponent
Examination of the dissertation
Closing statement of the Opponent
Audience questions
Closing of the public examination
Abstract
Children’s singing has been extensively studied in music education over recent decades by emphasising effective vocal skill-development and vocal pedagogy, approaching children’s cultures through song repertoires. However, little is known about the meanings that young children ascribe to singing, and their experiences of singing, in increasingly diversifying educational contexts, especially in times when global (e.g. UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child) and national policies (The Child Strategy in Finland) are urging societies to better take into account children’s perspectives in decision-making. The objective of this study is to construct a new understanding of young children’s singing, conceptualised as singing ecologies, and to highlight that singing in schools may have a much wider role than mere musical learning and vocal expression. The knowledge gap in music education is addressed by asking: What meanings do children ascribe to singing within their ecologies?
The ecological framework for exploring children’s singing was constructed through four interconnected dimensions: 1) the ecology of children’s development and its constituent processes as an existential matter; 2) the child’s voice and the production of space, and the power relationships embedded in diverse spaces in children’s everyday lives; and 3) ecological agency and singing as affordances; and 4) social-ecological systems thinking, which allows considering the school as ‘a bridging organisation’ in a culturally diversifying society. The concept of children’s spaces, drawn from childhood studies, is used to conceptualize children’s singing spaces as the key to understanding singing ecologies and the potential of singing to become an affordance in school. The case study’s empirical material was generated in an ethnographic framework through semi-structured interviews with 6–7-year-old first-grade children (N=22) and their teachers (N=4) in one culturally diverse school in the capital area of Finland. In addition, the empirical material included researcher observations and a diary. Narrative analysis methods were combined with thematic analysis within an ecological framework.
The findings show that first-graders are already aware of how their singing relates to their social-ecological relationships and are able to reflect verbally on their experiences. The analysis shows how children navigate between public and private singing and produce spaces of trust and freedom through singing. They produce singing spaces for their own uses: to handle everyday life struggles, to create new ways of acting and participating, and to exercise their political voice by addressing their stance. The analysis illustrates the importance of the qualities of the relationships that children experience in places of singing. They also recognise an existing gap between singing in school and singing outside school, as well as the meanings of singing in school, in which singing appears as an adult-led activity that is sometimes resisted. For the children, feeling connected with and accepted by others in school is fundamental. Children varied in terms of how eager they were to share their cultural differences and home cultures through singing and music education in their school. Furthermore, the analysis shows that young children seek for opportunities to produce in-between spaces of singing in school, for example in the school yard or even in secret in the classroom.
The dissertation contributes to a more complex, spatial, and relational ecological understanding of children’s singing in school, as narrated by the children themselves. It challenges learning-centred teaching practices in music education in schools, teacher education, in-service teacher training, and research suggesting a new awareness of children’s singing ecologies in educational institutions. It advocates for an awareness of the existential qualities of singing, which cannot be reduced to learning the use of the singing voice. More attention should be given to singing as a powerful activity and affordance to bridge home and school experiences, and to the school’s ability to function as a bridging organization through a curriculum of caring that can help young children navigate their singing ecologies and lives in a meaningful way.
Biography
M.Mus. Analía Capponi-Savolainen (Argentina-Finland) is a classical singer, vocal pedagogue, and doctoral researcher affiliated with the University of the Arts Helsinki, Sibelius Academy. Her research interests include children’s and youth’s singing, cultural diversity in music education, vocal pedagogy, singing across the life span, young children’s agency, identity work, and embodiment. In recent years, she has presented preliminary findings of her doctoral research in national and international conferences as well as in important cultural and educational policy events, receiving big interest from the teacher and student audience. Her work on children’s singing in the Finnish culturally diverse schools was part of the ArtsEqual research initiative (2015 – 2021), coordinated by the University of the Arts Helsinki and funded by the Academy of Finland. Analía Capponi-Savolainen has extensively taught at all levels of education, both in her native Argentina and Finland. She is a specialist in children’s singing pedagogy and the Suzuki approach, and currently delivers teacher education courses both in Finland and abroad. As a classical singer, she focuses on art song, particularly in vocal music from Latin America and Spain.
More information
Analía Capponi-Savolainen
analia.capponi-savolainen@uniarts.fi