A virtualitásról és zenei nevelésről on-line Környezetben/On virtuality and music education in online environments more

Refereed paper from The Changing Face of Music Education: Music and Environment (CFME09) International Conference, Tallinn University, Estonia (23–25 April 2009). Discusses the notion of virtuality in relation to contemporary musical experience and musical meaning, introduces the concept of 'glocalimbodied' musicality, and contemplates its implications for music pedagogy and learning, specifically online music education.
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Theoretical Background/Introduction
Universities have increasingly expanded their sphere of operations to encompass online learning environments in recent years, engendering substantial reforms that extend even to the level of doctoral studies (Lee & Boud, 2009). Online music education has been identified as a vital new growth area (Finney & Burnard, 2007), and already more than 400 students have enrolled in online courses as members of the world’s largest music education doctoral program (Hebert, 2008). Meanwhile, in the field of philosophy, musical meaning has increasingly come to be understood as inextricably connected to embodiment (Hebert, in press). Meaning in online music education, therefore, represents a previously unexamined paradox that serves as the crucial guiding question for this inquiry: To what extent may a ‘virtual’ embodiment retain the same profundity of meanings associated with traditional musical experience, thereby enabling similarly meaningful music making, learning, and teaching within online environments?

Aim/Main Idea
This paper interrogates the notion of virtuality and related concepts of embodiment and meaning in musical experience, specifically in terms of their applications in online education. Consider, for example, that if one accepts that the experience of profundity in music may be substantively articulated and socially shared (Davies, 2002), and that such musical meanings are conceptualized in terms of embodied metaphors (Johnson, 2007), it follows that the conditions of disembodied virtuality in online environments may lead to altered (or impaired) musical experiences. Alternatively, future incarnations of virtual musicality might embody an aesthetic that was previously unimaginable, following trajectories already established in creative online music communities. Either way, such axiological dimensions of virtuality surely have ‘real world’ artistic ramifications (Ostwald 2004). Consider issues raised regarding what are perceived as inevitable shortcomings and insurmountable quality assurance challenges associated with online music education (Austin, 2007; Phillips, 2008). I argue that this notion of virtual musical embodiment provides an ideal foundation from which to devise effective conceptual frameworks to evaluate the meaningfulness of music education in online environments. It follows that musical meanings in this context be considered in terms of qualities of virtuality. Based on this premise, I assert that many traditional programs, lacking in virtuality, are likely to succumb to a ‘blended learning’ format in the future, which embraces the most compelling features of live and virtual environments. Consequently, the need to redevelop educational guidelines and accreditation policies in response to the unique present (and future) challenges of online environments features prominently in my conclusions.

Method(s) and Main Contribution/Application
Although philosophical in method (Jorgensen, 2006), this essay makes frequent reference to current developments in music education practice in order to clearly illustrate its implications. I consider the ontological bases of virtual musical experience and epistemological bases of musical knowledge acquisition via virtual embodiment, the intended result being a clearer understanding of both the fundamental issues at stake and future possibilities for improvement of music education.

Implication/Conclusion
The conclusions of this paper have implications for music educators who are either contemplating expansion into the online environment or seeking to devise effective means of enhancing online program evaluation and quality assurance.