The Musical Childhoods of Vietnamese and Vietnamese American Elders Raised in Vietnam between 1931–1975.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The presence of world music education in classrooms is fundamentally motivated by the goal of broadening students’ musical experiences beyond the western canon and influenced by the nation’s increasingly diverse population. Research surrounding world music education and resources for teaching music of the world’s cultures is ever-growing; however, world music curriculum still holds the potential to expand. One children’s music culture that has been largely unexplored is that of the Vietnamese. The purpose of this study was to explore the meanings of childhood musical experiences as they were perceived by Vietnamese and Vietnamese American elders who lived their childhoods in Vietnam between 1931-1975 and to translate and make use of this information in a culturally sensitive way to offer appropriate Vietnamese musical selections for the American context. This research provides information about the music transmission and repertoire of Vietnamese music and musical experiences and will contribute to the world music curriculum, encourage the embracing of diversity through celebration of musical cultures and identity, and provide a possible route through which music educators can find a path toward cultural responsiveness and sensitivity. This retrospective narrative inquiry included the stories of one Vietnamese and five Vietnamese American elders who were interviewed at their homes, at their children’s workplace, or via phone call. Data was collected over five months and consisted of audio recordings of the interviews, researcher transcriptions, and field notes of observations. Research questions included: 1) What experiences encompassed Vietnamese children’s music making between 1931-1975?; 2) What songs did children sing in Vietnam between 1931-1975?; 3) How do the research findings inform existing knowledge about Vietnamese American culture?; 4) What implications do Vietnamese children’s songs and music making have on American music education, particularly in areas of the United States that are densely populated by Vietnamese Americans?; 5) What contributions to world music curriculum might this research provide? Data were coded and analyzed for themes and sub-themes. Findings revealed childhood musical experiences including singing, playing games, playing instruments both alone and with others, watching cải luong theater, listening, being sung to, learning orally, aurally, through rote and through written notation, improvising, and composing. These experiences occurred in a multitude of ways in various temporal, spatial, social, and personal dimensions, and played a role in forming the participants’ childhood musical identities. A list of Vietnamese children’s songs, games, chants, ca dao, and other music was collected. This collection can be used in multiple ways as music educators see fit, including musical activities, co-curricular lessons, performance, listening activities, or other creative ways. Though the findings are focused on children’s repertoire, plenty of information is appropriate for secondary and tertiary musical study, including ethnomusicological studies. Conclusions and implications for music educators and researchers are presented at the end.