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Constructions of Musical Ability: Discursive Evidence from High School Instrumental Music Students
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Constructions of Musical Ability: Discursive Evidence from High School Instrumental Music Students

Adam Harry
Action, criticism, & theory for music education, Vol.25(2), pp.24-54
02/01/2026
DOI: 10.22176/act25.2.24
url
https://doi.org/10.22176/act25.2.24View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Music education research has consistently demonstrated that students’ beliefs about musical ability impact their motivation, self-concepts, and involvement in music education. Few researchers have used social constructivist perspectives to analyze ways that discourses about musical ability inform students’ beliefs, relationships, and behaviors. In this discourse analysis, I use a critical disability studies lens to critically analyze discourses about musical ability used by twelve high school instrumental music students in a series of two semi-structured interviews. The participants evoked discourses about technical mastery, communication, movement, talent, effort, dedication, and passion to construct musical ability, produce types of musicians, and develop a social hierarchy. These discourses were grounded in neoliberal values and able-bodied norms, and infused notions of musical ability with moral dimension and social power. These discourses informed classroom participation, managed teacher and peer relationships, impacted students’ sense of belonging, and constrained possibilities for inclusivity in music classrooms.
 critical disability studies discourse analysis Foucault Musical ability postmodern social constructivism

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