Musicing, cultural diversity, and intercultural humility in Finnish liberal adult education

Abstract

This qualitative case study examines the interplay between music and cultural diversity in an ensemble course involving learners from varied cultural and linguistic backgrounds at a Finnish liberal adult education institute in the Helsinki metropolitan area. The study draws on a teacher-researcher reflective field journal and two semi-structured focus-group interviews with ten participants from weekly 90-minute ensemble sessions across two semesters in 2023-2024. Musicing with culturally diverse musical materials combined teacher-guided reflection. Through thematic analysis, three interrelated processes were identified: challenging assumptions, building inclusive micro-spaces, and developing transculturally oriented outcomes. Across these processes, intercultural humility emerged as an ongoing disposition of self-reflection, dialogic listening, and ethical co-creation. Findings indicate that multicultural learning environments, when supported by teacher-guided intercultural engagement, may not immediately produce transcultural artistic results but can create conditions for transculturally oriented outcomes over time. This approach appears promising for rethinking the public role of music pedagogy in increasingly pluralistic societies.