Is it possible to compose and educate interculturally? Experiences from the Spanish educational system

Abstract

Education in Spain is undergoing a needed revision to adapt the didactic methodologies in the educational system to the needs of a pluricultural, 21st century student body. This pluriculturalism has led educators to rethink how they teach, as they belong to a generation that has not directly experienced the causes and effects of a pluricultural situation, beyond the obvious fact that our country’s territory was shaped by migratory movements from different parts of the world. In other words, Spanish educators need training in the different educational options available for pluricultural contexts, including multicultural and intercultural education. These approaches can equip them to participate in the teaching/learning process using educational lines that are characterised by multior interculturalism (according to preferences, although current legislation establishes interculturalism as the model to follow in the classroom). In that sense, primary school music classes can exemplify the principles of intercultural education; the processes of interpreting music —either through improvisation or in a more controlled way— allow students to put communication between cultures into practice. This paper describes some lessons for working on composition at this educational level and reviews the different reasons for using musical composition as a model tool for intercultural music education.