Name
566 - Creating common cultural ground in a culturally and religiously diverse city
Date & Time
Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Description
The ecological perspective recognizes the shaping influence of the various factors present in the ecological systems and subsystems in which children grow and develop (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). Within this framework, formal educational setting can be conceptualized as a bridging organization between children’s lived experiences within the home ecosystem and society’s expectations from its citizens in the ecosystem of school (Capponi-Savolainen, 2025), This paper will present a music enrichment center located in a city with diverse population including communities from three religions, speakers of multiple languages, and significant immigrant population. The center’s educational approach aims to create a quality "time capsule". A musical experience designed to foster values such as curiosity, collaboration and a sense of belonging within a shared cultural space. The program integrates Western art music and communal singing, culminating in an end-of-year live concert that showcases the repertoire the children have explored throughout their visits.Children aged 3 to 6 visit the center four times a year. Respect for each child’s home culture is foundational. Yet, the program also emphasizes the importance of understanding the national cultural context, including its language, traditions, and social norms. Accordingly, even in ____kindergartens, classes are conducted in the country's official language, with staff translation support when needed. The centers' team is working collaboratively to create a rich learning experience. Additionally, kindergarten teachers and parents receive all musical and background materials, including links to relevant resources ensuring continuity between the center’s activities and the children’s everyday environments. Drawing on Bourdieu, classical music's institutions, aesthetics, and practices reflect and reproduce middle-class values and social hierarchies (Bourdieu, 2002). The extent to which classical music functions as cultural capital is likely to differ both between and within nation-states according to whether it is recognized as a high-status signal. Simultaneously, "classical music mediates the social is through ‘refracting’ social identity categories, including class, race, gender, religion, or sexuality" (Bull, 2019, p. 17). In this way, music and social identity are intricately intertwined, shaping one another through subtle and complex interactions.Operating for over a decade, the center collaborates with professional and local musicians. The presentation will explore the programs' challenges and opportunities and outline strategies for deepening engagement with kindergarten teachers and communities, highlighting how music can serve as a bridge across cultural divides and foster inclusive, meaningful educational experiences.
Location Name
210A - Poster Gallery
Session Type
Poster Presentation
Presenter(s)
Hilla Ben Moshe, Edith Abendanan
Poster Board
12