The dissertation explores how gender and sexuality can be integrated into music education in primary schools, based on the national curriculum (LK20).
For Year 7, the music subject includes a competence goal where pupils are asked to explore 'how gender, gender roles, and sexuality are presented in music and dance, and create expressions that challenge stereotypes'.
– The dissertation examines how teachers approach this competence goal, the challenges they encounter, and the opportunities available, writes Eirik Skjelstad to inn.no.
– It also addresses how music can serve as an important arena for young people who challenge traditional gender norms, helping them explore their identities, he continues.
Eirik Skjelstad completed his PhD the Teaching and Teacher Education (PROFF) Programme.
The title of Skjelstad's dissertation is: 'Challenging the Binaries: a Queer Perspective on Norwegian Music Education'.
The first article focuses on teachers' experiences and interpretations of the curriculum. The second examines the story of a non-binary 13-year-old and their experiences with music and identity. The third discusses how addressing topics such as gender and sexuality involves pedagogical risks but also presents opportunities for learning.
– The dissertation demonstrates that music education has the potential to be a vital arena for diversity and inclusive practice in schools, says Eirik.
Main findings in the doctoral work:
- Music education in Norwegian public schools often operates within heteronormative frameworks, where teachers interpret the curriculum's competence aims through traditional gender norms.
- Formal and informal music education practices can serve as significant arenas for the exploration and negotiation of identity, particularly for youth who challenge traditional norms for gender and sexuality.
- The inclusion of topics such as gender and sexuality in music education involves uncertainty and potential discomfort but also opportunities for deep learning and reflection. This aligns with the concept of 'the risk of education'.
- Teachers need more knowledge and tools to feel confident in integrating gender and sexuality perspectives into their teaching.
- Queer perspective as a critical tool: applying a queer perspective challenges normative frameworks in education and promotes a dynamic understanding of identity as a continuous and non-essential process.
- Popular culture and music play a central role in youth identity development, which can be utilised as a resource in teaching.
Contact information:
- eirik.skjelstad@inn.no
- Phone
- +47 62 51 77 90