Abstract:

In this article, to develop a sociological perspective in music education, we first examined social and economic inequality and injustice through various sociological approaches. When establishing a sociological basis for music education, we have taken into consideration the functionalist theory, the conflict theory, symbolic interactions, and bureaucratization. These theories and approaches were used to evaluate education sociology, thus allowing us to make sociological assessments regarding music education. With functionalist theory; by contributing to the continued existence of music as a social entity, music education also contributes - as a tool of reproduction - to the legitimation and approval of the dominant ideology and system of values, and to their adaptation within the system. As such, when evaluating music education according to the conflict approach, we considered how cases of inequality and injustice in music education could be identified and resolved.  With regard to symbolic interactions, using labels such as successful or unsuccessful in music education further reinforces the inequalities that arise from the environment and the family in which children are raised. Bureaucratization, on the other hand, confers a rather bureaucratic characteristic to music education through the implementation of written rules and principles that shape course content, class notes and class meetings; the mandatory nature of music education for every student, which reduces the appeal of this class at a personal level; and the employment of music instructors based on a set of technical qualities, rather than a more comprehensive approach.

Abstract:

In this article, to develop a sociological perspective in music education, we first examined social and economic inequality and injustice through various sociological approaches. When establishing a sociological basis for music education, we have taken into consideration the functionalist theory, the conflict theory, symbolic interactions, and bureaucratization. These theories and approaches were used to evaluate education sociology, thus allowing us to make sociological assessments regarding music education. With functionalist theory; by contributing to the continued existence of music as a social entity, music education also contributes – as a tool of reproduction – to the legitimization and approval of the dominant ideology and system of values, and to their adaptation within the system. As such, when evaluating music education according to the conflict approach, we considered how cases of inequality and injustice in music education could be identified and resolved.  With regards to symbolic interactions, using labels such as successful or unsuccessful in music education further reinforces the inequalities that stem from the environment and the family in which children are raised. Bureaucratization, on the other hand, confers a rather bureaucratic characteristic to music education through the implementation of written rules and principles that shape course content, class notes and class meetings; the mandatory nature of music education for every student, which reduces the appeal of this class at a personal level; and the employment of music instructors based on a set of technical qualities, rather than a more comprehensive approach.

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