Meanings of Tradition in Swedish Folk Music Education

Abstract

In this chapter, the evasive term tradition is discussed as it relates to musical practice and development in the context of a folk and world music course at a music academy in Sweden. Three dimensions emerged during interviews with the students: the temporal, the geographical, and the performative. Furthermore, musical development in relation to tradition is discussed in two ways: the evolution of tradition and the personal artistic freedom. Through inspiration from Rice's (Ethnomusicology 47(2): 151-179. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.hemeroteca.lasalle.edu.co/stable/3113916, 2003) argumentation for a subject-centered musical ethnography, the diversity of the individual voices is explored. The study shows that although it is possible to talk about the concept of tradition as homogeneous through the perspective of a collective, the nuances between individual perceptions may be significantly diverse. The close relation between the perception of tradition and musical practice implies that this is an area that can serve as a point of departure for further development of an artistic philosophy for students at undergraduate level. NR - 21 PU - SPRINGER PI - DORDRECHT PA - PO BOX 17, 3300 AA DORDRECHT, NETHERLANDS