Music education as opportunity for learning about the worldview of indigenous peoples at the Mexican education system: The case of Huasteca

Abstract

Music as a form of expression and communication has been a fundamental part of the human being throughout its existence. However, the development of music skills in non-academic spaces tends to be underestimated with the argument that they lack the required theoretical foundations within the learning of classical music. By moving through music education from social to institutional spaces, the standardization of knowledge has privileged abstract learning over that which takes place in practical environments. Music in its written form is conceived as a work of art in itself, creating a division between those who can interpret the ‘cultured’ music and those who cannot. Classical music is therefore considered as an object worthy of being consumed by the dominant social classes in order to reaffirm their position. This has an impact on the value given to music with indigenous roots. This article proposes to implement, in the Mexican educational system, a pedagogical model that considers the form of circulation of knowledge from the perspective of local cultures. In particular, the learning of the Huasteco ‘son’ musical genre is proposed as a means for the knowledge, diffusion and revaluation of the Huasteca culture and its worldview.