"Någonting annat" - estestiska musikämnen och körsång i gymnasieskolan 2014: förekomst och förutsättningar

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to study and describe the occurrence and conditions of aesthetic subjects and choral singing in Swedish upper secondary schools 2014. The paper is based on seven recorded individual interviews with three music teachers, four principals and one director of education in three upper secondary schools in Sweden. The study uses discursive psychology and the interviews were analysed with focus on music teachers and school leaders interpretative repertoires and rhetorical strategies and how they use the language to legitimate aesthetic subjects in an upper secondary school context. In the most recent upper secondary school reform of 2011 the aesthetic subjects are no longer mandatory. Today there are different ways to provide opportunities for the students to participate in music activities but since the government no longer decides how it shall be implemented it is up to the management of each school to determine the activities. The statement made by the informants are interesting in relation to the status of music subjects, but due to the limited scope of the paper, no general conclusions can be drawn. However, the status of the subjects appears to be low. The school leaders and the music teachers identify the competitive situation between school subjects as a part of the problem, since the educational system favour some subjects that are higher valued and give students extra credits, or courses that give admission to higher education. Time, financing and adoption are concepts used in rhetorical strategies in negotiations between the involved parties. Music teachers seem to be able to adapt to any circumstances in order to keep their educational activities since the subject is no longer mandatory in upper secondary schools. Music teachers and school leaders are thus positioning themselves to both be able to resolve situations and benefit from agreements.