Patterns of variation in sociomusical identity of school-goers in a condition of social vulnerability and musical gaps in their education

ABSTRACT

Sociomusical identity pursues integrative goals, as it establishes bridges between musical identities from a perspective based on transculturation and post-ethnicity. The current study aims to observe the influence of social groups in the construction of sociomusical identity, using a simple random sample comprised of 417 students who attend Chilean schools classified in a condition of social vulnerability. The chosen nonexperimental quantitative method is survey research, as two scales were applied to measure musical activities in different social groups. Results indicated that the musical performance variable explains social differences in the distribution of sociomusical capital because, just as Western culture fosters the musician-listener dualism, it also causes gaps in sociomusical identity. In conclusion, differentiation points in sociomusical identity are linked to social matters concerning musical performance, as school-goers’ musical practice is not encouraged inside nor outside of schools.

KEYWORDS:

• Musical identity
• sociocultural capital
• musician
• musical preferences
• cross-hybridization process

Acknowledgements

We thank to the ROTARACT San Fernando for supporting in coordination of data collection.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rolando Angel-Alvarado

Rolando Angel-Alvarado is an Assistant Professor at the Alberto Hurtado University and producer of the Guitárregas album entitled ‘Contrastes,’ available in Spotify, iTunes, and Amazon.

Amalia Casas-Mas

Amalia Casas-Mas is Full-Time Assistant Professor in Education at Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Her research interests have focused on the different cultures of musical learning in formal and informal contexts, especially in flamenco music within communities of oral tradition.

Guadalupe López-Íñiguez

Guadalupe López-Íñiguez is a Spanish musician and interdisciplinary researcher based in Finland. She is Associate Professor of Music Education at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki, Co-editor in Chief of ISME’s Revista Internacional de Educación Musical (RIEM), and a freelance cellist.

Lauren Johnson

Lauren Johnson teaches as an adjunct faculty in the TESOL programme at Brigham Young University and a doctoral candidate at the Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. Her research interests include dual immersion, identity, and sociocultural theory.