Community Music for Turkish Immigrants in Germany

Kurzfassung/Abstract

Turkish immigrant community is the largest ethnic minority group in Germany at the present time. Based on the existing state of social inclusion process, the present study discusses how the Turkish parents in Germany perceive music and music education. The study aims understanding the cultural phenomena, which influence the beliefs and perceptions regarding to the music education. By exploring the elements of transcultural music education, the paper aims generating and enhancing the ideas for possible community music projects, which could make contributions to the Turkish community’s inclusion process.

The case study applies various interview techniques and forms of systematic observation to generate qualitative data about the parents’ perceptions of and attitudes towards educational and developmental processes, social behaviour and self-concepts, bilingualism and flexibility in verbal expression as well as complex benefits of music education representing a main focus of interest. First findings from piloting encounters and main interviews demonstrate the high impact of cultural habits and socio-demographic backgrounds on the participants’ decisions about styles and modes of music education. These findings will be discussed along with suggestions and implications about how to apply them to the community music practices.