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Cultural appropriation and the challenges of culturally responsive practices in music education

Hofvander Trulsson, Ylva LU orcid and Johnson, David Thorarinn (2025) p.43-65
Abstract
Music education research in Sweden and across the Nordic countries has investigated questions of cultural diversity in music education for several decades. Greater cultural diversity in music education has also been a longstanding curricular goal. While interest in broadening cultural diversity in music education has been high, the extent to which these aspirations have impacted singing repertoire in the Nordic countries has been little researched. Central concepts and principles of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) remain undertheorized and can benefit from stricter definition within our field (Gay, 2015; 2018). In this chapter, we examine the concepts of cultural appropriation and diversity as they pertain to CRP in the context of... (More)
Music education research in Sweden and across the Nordic countries has investigated questions of cultural diversity in music education for several decades. Greater cultural diversity in music education has also been a longstanding curricular goal. While interest in broadening cultural diversity in music education has been high, the extent to which these aspirations have impacted singing repertoire in the Nordic countries has been little researched. Central concepts and principles of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) remain undertheorized and can benefit from stricter definition within our field (Gay, 2015; 2018). In this chapter, we examine the concepts of cultural appropriation and diversity as they pertain to CRP in the context of Swedish compulsory music education and policy. We ask how cultural appropriation can be defined in the context of CRP to advance collaborative learning in the music classroom based on minority cultural heritage. Scholarship from several relevant fields of study is considered including recent Nordic research into culturally responsive practices in the music classroom. The definitions and categories considered in the present study have been developed as part of the ongoing Swedish pedagogical development project “Alla barns sångskatt” (All children’s songs) which aims to bring student voices (9–10 years old) from diverse cultural backgrounds into music education. The project also aims to strengthen interdisciplinary learning, combining singing, dancing, and language pedagogy. The goals, methods, and ethical considerations of this initiative are outlined in this chapter as they relate to CRP. To broaden singing repertoires in schools and promote greater cultural diversity, educators and researchers together need to consider how we view questions of ownership, identity, and responsibility as they pertain to music learning. Developing concepts such as hybridity, relationship building, and exchange may be an appropriate and productive path forward for music education as it seeks to develop CRP ethical frameworks for educators and students.



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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Musikkpedagogikk : mangfold og baerekraft - mangfold og baerekraft
editor
Varkøy, Øivind and Graabræk Nielsen, Siw
pages
23 pages
publisher
Cappelen Damm Akademisk
ISBN
9788202882655
9788202878160
DOI
10.23865/cdf.253
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a57e3c1f-9389-4724-97df-ea5e01ac69b2
date added to LUP
2026-04-07 11:18:34
date last changed
2026-04-10 03:37:06
@inbook{a57e3c1f-9389-4724-97df-ea5e01ac69b2,
  abstract     = {{Music education research in Sweden and across the Nordic countries has investigated questions of cultural diversity in music education for several decades. Greater cultural diversity in music education has also been a longstanding curricular goal. While interest in broadening cultural diversity in music education has been high, the extent to which these aspirations have impacted singing repertoire in the Nordic countries has been little researched. Central concepts and principles of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) remain undertheorized and can benefit from stricter definition within our field (Gay, 2015; 2018). In this chapter, we examine the concepts of cultural appropriation and diversity as they pertain to CRP in the context of Swedish compulsory music education and policy. We ask how cultural appropriation can be defined in the context of CRP to advance collaborative learning in the music classroom based on minority cultural heritage. Scholarship from several relevant fields of study is considered including recent Nordic research into culturally responsive practices in the music classroom. The definitions and categories considered in the present study have been developed as part of the ongoing Swedish pedagogical development project “Alla barns sångskatt” (All children’s songs) which aims to bring student voices (9–10 years old) from diverse cultural backgrounds into music education. The project also aims to strengthen interdisciplinary learning, combining singing, dancing, and language pedagogy. The goals, methods, and ethical considerations of this initiative are outlined in this chapter as they relate to CRP. To broaden singing repertoires in schools and promote greater cultural diversity, educators and researchers together need to consider how we view questions of ownership, identity, and responsibility as they pertain to music learning. Developing concepts such as hybridity, relationship building, and exchange may be an appropriate and productive path forward for music education as it seeks to develop CRP ethical frameworks for educators and students.<br/><br/><br/><br/>}},
  author       = {{Hofvander Trulsson, Ylva and Johnson, David Thorarinn}},
  booktitle    = {{Musikkpedagogikk : mangfold og baerekraft}},
  editor       = {{Varkøy, Øivind and Graabræk Nielsen, Siw}},
  isbn         = {{9788202882655}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  pages        = {{43--65}},
  publisher    = {{Cappelen Damm Akademisk}},
  title        = {{Cultural appropriation and the challenges of culturally responsive practices in music education}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.23865/cdf.253}},
  doi          = {{10.23865/cdf.253}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}