Exploring Community Music and Gezek in Music Education Context in Türkiye

Kurzfassung/Abstract

Community music is grounded in principles of participation, bottom-up learning, accessibility, inclusion, and cultural democracy. In Türkiye, the concept of community music is relatively new, but it holds significant potential for cultural preservation and social cohesion. Although community music lacks a universally established definition in academia, scholars and practitioners embrace this openness as a means to foster ongoing development and exploration (Higgins, 2012; Bartleet & Higgins, 2018). This flexibility is especially beneficial in intercultural and transcultural contexts, allowing for diverse and evolving interpretations. For instance, in Germany, the Munich Action Research Group has contributed to defining community music within a German context, aligning closely with English-language interpretations while also addressing specific cultural and educational nuances. This definition considers a variety of settings, including formal, informal, and non-formal contexts (de Bánffy-Hall, 2019). Furthermore, de Bánffy-Hall developed a comparative framework positioning community music alongside various music education forms in Germany, such as volksmusik, elementary music education, music mediation, and school music education. Her research indicates that community music in Germany can act as a “boundary walker,” fluidly navigating different educational settings and bridging gaps in the German music education system (de Bánffy-Hall, 2017; 2019).

Using this framework as a model, the authors propose a similar comparative approach in Türkiye to develop a Turkish-specific understanding of community music. By focusing on Gezek - a traditional Turkish form of community music making - this study aims to explore how traditional musical practices can be reinterpreted and revitalized through community music principles. Through document analysis, this study will review academic literature, policy papers, and historical documents on both Gezek and community music. This will help to identify how and where community music principles can be effectively integrated into the context of music education in Türkiye, providing a basis for future program development.