| Yuzawa, Japan is a small town nestled deep within the Japan Alps in southern Niigata Prefecture. Because of the area's abundant snowfall, it has acquired the name of "Snow Country," and the town itself has become a major destination for the country's skiers and winter sports enthusiasts. However, to its 9,000 permanent residents, normal life goes on, and with it, the education of its young people.; Yuzawa has one middle school, serving approximately 300 students between the ages of 13 and 15, that includes a full curriculum based on guidelines established by the Japanese Ministry of Education. Among the subjects required for every student in every grade level is music.; Why do the Japanese consider the teaching of music to be a required part of the curriculum? How is it taught? What are its objectives? How do the music students respond to instruction? What actually takes place in a Japanese middle school music classroom? This dissertation is an attempt to answer these, and similar questions, by way of a qualitative case study, conducted in the classroom over a period of 5 weeks. Based on the "educational criticism" model introduced by Elliot Eisner, it is a close examination and critique of the philosophy and methods of music instruction used in the Yuzawa Middle School music classroom. |
