Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Music

The cultural Somali population has been growing within the American education system (Hassan & Smith, 2017), yet this population has largely been absent in secondary music programs. The purpose of this case study was to explore the perceptions of Somali-American community leaders and families about school music participation. The study focused on a school district in a suburban community in Ohio. The central question was: How do members of the Somali community perceive school music? Sub questions included: What types of music experiences do Somali families have? How do Somali families participate in music outside of school? What are Somali-American community members' perception of public school music? The seven participants were between 20-50 years of age and were either refugees or children of refugees from Somalia. They completed verbal interviews or a written questionnaire and were available for questions following the transcription of interviews. Data was analyzed through lenses of acculturation theories including assimilation (Portes & Rumbaut, 2001), group acculturation pathways (Sam & Berry, 2010), and religious impact on individual and group acculturation (Warner, 2007). The themes emerging from data included coexistence of culture and religion, generational divides, musical repertoire, responsibility, and belonging/identity. Participants expressed that although Somali culture supports music, the religious interpretations that some Somali families follow deters them from participating in certain music activities. For example, they viewed the typical repertoire of school music as not adhering to Somali family religious and cultural values and thus, considered participation in school music as being not always acceptable. Participants also referred to differences in age/generation as a factor that influences music participation As age increases, religious conservatism that perceives music participation as unacceptable increases. However, they also believe (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Eugenia Costa-Giomi (Advisor); Robert Ward (Committee Member); David Hedgecoth (Committee Member) Subjects: Music Education