ABSTRACT

This study aims to explore the integration of Isan folk melodies into piano education as a cross-cultural approach to music pedagogy, and to develop piano lessons that preserve cultural heritage while enhancing the educational experience for students. The research followed a qualitative methodology, with informants selected purposively from four key groups: folk music experts, performance specialists, music academics and undergraduate piano students. Results show the effectiveness of newly developed lessons in promoting both cultural preservation and musical innovation. The findings further highlight potential for these integrated lessons to be used in various educational settings, contributing to the broader goal of fostering cultural understanding and appreciation in music education. The integration of Isan folk melodies into piano education represents a significant step forward in the cross-cultural approach to music pedagogy. Suggestions include integrating arts and cultural performances into public and private learning centers, offering additional potential for community engagement. The creation of Isan melody piano lessons in this study also demonstrates the potential for further educational applications and innovations in music learning, with the potential to be expanded into music learning materials tailored to various levels, incorporating historical or cultural content to enrich the educational experience.

Keyword :

REFERENCES

1. Bartleet, B. L., Grant, C., Mani, C., & Tomlinson, V. (2020). Global mobility in music higher education: Reflections on how intercultural music-making can enhance students' musical practices and identities. International Journal of Music Education, 38(2), 161-176. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761419890943 [Crossref]
2. Barton, G., & Riddle, S. (2022). Culturally responsive and meaningful music education: Multimodality, meaning-making, and communication in diverse learning contexts. Research Studies in Music Education, 44(2), 345-362. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X211009323 [Crossref]
3. Boonmatham, P., Pongpinigpinyo, S., & Soonklang, T. (2013). Musical-scale characteristics for traditional Thai music genre classification. In Proceedings of the 2013 International Computer Science and Engineering Conference (ICSEC) (pp. 227-232). IEEE. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/6694784 https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSEC.2013.6694784 [Crossref]
4. Boonno, S., Udtaisuk, D. B., & Boriboonviree, N. (2023). Music diversity in music education: A multiple case study of music teacher training programs in Thailand. International Journal of Music Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/02557614231200615 [Crossref]
5. Brener, D. (2011). Around the world at the piano. The American Music Teacher, 60(5), 22-27.
6. Chaichana, T. (2022). Jazz orchestra portraits of Thailand: Exploring hybridizations of Thai music traditions with jazz. Doctoral dissertation, Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
7. Chen, S., & Wong, K. Y. (2022). Assessment of preservice music teachers' multicultural personality: Multicultural music education perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 726209. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.726209 [Crossref]
8. Coessens, K. (2014). The web of artistic practice. In Artistic experimentation in music, (p. 69). Leuven University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt14jxsmx.10 [Crossref]
9. Damrhung, P., & Skar, L. (2020). Introduction: From performance research to performance ecologies in contemporary Thailand. Manusya: Journal of Humanities, 23(3), 311-327. https://doi.org/10.1163/26659077-02303001 [Crossref]
10. de Villiers, A. C. (2021). (Re) organizing the music curriculum as multicultural music education. International Journal of Music Education, 39(4), 383-393. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761420986219 [Crossref]
11. Dumlavwalla, D. T. (2019). The piano pedagogy scenes in India and the Philippines: An introductory cross-cultural comparison. International Journal of Music Education, 37(3), 390-406. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761419839169 [Crossref]
12. Elias, A., & Mansouri, F. (2020). A systematic review of studies on interculturalism and intercultural dialogue. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 41(4), 490-523. https://doi.org/10.1080/07256868.2020.1782861 [Crossref]
13. Everett, Y. U. (2021). From exoticism to interculturalism: Counterframing the East-West binary. Music Theory Spectrum, 43(2), 330-338. https://doi.org/10.1093/mts/mtab001 [Crossref]
14. Finchum-Sung, H. V. (2017). Foreword: Aesthetics of interculturality in East Asian contemporary music. World of Music, 6(1), 7-20. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44841967
15. Garzoli, J. (2018). Mawlam and jazz in intercultural musical synthesis. Rian Thai International Journal, 11(1), 1-18. http://www.rianthaijournal.org/book/rian-thai-volume-11-2018-number-1/
16. Giami, E. B., & Taoh, D. P. (2022). African pianism: De-Westernizing piano recital. International Journal of History, Culture and Music Studies, 7(3).
17. Ho, W. C. (2006). Popular culture in mainland Chinese education. International Education Journal, 7(3), 348-363.
18. Homhuan, W., & Sensai, P. (2024). The significance of percussion instruments in Isan Thai folk music within the context of music education and learning. Journal of Education and Learning, 13(1), 180-188. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v13n1p180 [Crossref]
19. Huang, H., & Thibodeaux, T. (2017). What we learned about music in China: Teaching piano lessons in the PRC. American Music Teacher, 66(6), 14-19.
20. Irving, D. R. M. (2014). Hybridity and harmony: Nineteenth-century British discourse on syncretism and intercultural compatibility in Malay music. Indonesia and the Malay World, 42(123), 197-221. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639811.2014.912408 [Crossref]
21. Jianjun, L., & Jia, L. (2022). Historical perspective of solo piano music of Thai composers. Multicultural Education, 8(6), 83-106. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6619017 [Crossref]
22. Khamhongsa, A., Seekhunlio, W., Sinlapachok, T., Yodnon, S., Malaisri, S., & Soigudrua, C. (2021). The creation of contemporary music from Isan folk melodies: The modern molam, All Thidsa Molam Band. Rigeo, 11(10).
23. Khuntajan, J. (2024). A study of Isan folk music creation using a sampler for music education. Journal of Education and Learning, 13(2), 85-93. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v13n2p85 [Crossref]
24. Klopper, C. (2010). Intercultural musicianship: A collective and participatory form of music exchange across the globe. Australian Journal of Music Education, 1(1), 48-57. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.691228316379466
25. Kvaal, C. (2018). Crossing affordances: Hybrid music as a tool in intercultural music practices. Nordic Research in Music Education, 18(1), 117-132. http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2490 526
26. Laovanich, V., Chuppunnarat, Y., Laovanich, M., & Saibunmi, S. (2021). An investigation into the status of Thailand's music education systems and organisation. British Journal of Music Education, 38(2), 131-144. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0265051720000327 [Crossref]
27. McKoy, C. L., & Lind, V. R. (2022). Culturally responsive teaching in music education: From understanding to application. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003208136 [Crossref]
28. Miller, T. E., & Shahriari, A. (2020). World music: A global journey. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367823498 [Crossref]
29. Moller, D. (2020). The way of bach: Three years with the man, the music, and the piano. Pegasus Books.
30. Morton, D., & Duriyanga, C. (1976). The traditional music of Thailand (Vol. 8). Universit y of California Press. https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520321335 [Crossref]
31. Myers-Moro, P. A. (1988). Thai music and musicians in contemporary Bangkok: An ethnography. Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, CA.
32. Patras, Y. E., Hidayat, R., Maksum, A., & Nurhasanah, N. (2022). Understanding multiculturalism education from Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Kelola: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan, 9(2), 125-135. https://doi.org/10.24246/j.jk.2022.v9.i2.p125-135 [Crossref]
33. Phulaiyaw, A. (2021). Lai lam piano: The Isan piano melodies. Review of International Geographical Education Online, 11(10), 1-12.
34. Rakena, T. O., Hall, C., Prest, A., & Johnson, D. T. (2024) Decolonising and indigenising music education: First peoples leading research and practice. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003288923 [Crossref]
35. Roongruang, P. (1990). Thai music in sound. Bangkok, Thailand.
36. Safdar, S., Mahali, S. C., & Scott, C. (2023). A critical review of multiculturalism and interculturalism as integration frameworks: The case of Canada. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 93, 101756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijint https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2023.101756 [Crossref]
37. Seeyo, W., Seekhunlio, W., & Chuangprakhon, S. (2024). Bridging Thai music notation to Western music scores through innovative conversion and evaluation. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 6(5), 2024073-2024073. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2024073 [Crossref]
38. Suwanthada, P. (2014). Music notation of traditional Thai music for piano solo. Veridian E-Journal, Silpakorn University (Humanities, Social Sciences and arts), 7(4), 203-210.
39. Tongjarat, K., & Woramitmaitee, N. (2021). An arrangement process of Isan folk music melodic patterns of Kalasin college of dramatic arts. Doctoral dissertation, Mahasarakham University.
40. Wismol, P. (2014). Different kinds of buzz: Hybridization of electronic music in Thailand. Rangsit University International Journal of College of Government (RSUIJCG), 1(1), 71-80.
41. Wisuttipat, N. (2015). Relative nature of Thai traditional music through its tuning system. International Journal of Creative and Arts Studies, 2(1), 86-97. https://doi.org/10.24821/ijcas.v2i1.1441 [Crossref]
42. Yan, M., Charoennit, E., Wang, Y., Ng, M. L., & Udang, L. N. (2024). Intercultural composition: The creation of chamber music in Ngiao Song based on the syncretism of the piano and Thai strings. The International Journal of Critical Cultural Studies, 22(2), 15-31. https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-0055/CGP/v22i02/15-31 [Crossref]