Navigating Identities: The Musical Lives of Second-Generation Immigrant Children in Miami, FL

Sandra Sanchez Adorno
Visiting Assistant Professor of Music

Thursday, March 23
3:30–4:30 PM
(immediately following recital hour)
Presser Hall, room 112

Light snacks will be provided.

The Workshop for Music and Creative Arts Scholarship is generously supported by the Brown Center for Faculty Excellence and Innovation.

Abstract:
The expanding social worlds of middle childhood prompt children to evaluate and explore their sense of self to better understand who they are and where they fit in (Erikson, 1968; Josselson & Harway, 2012). Children born in the U.S. to at least one foreign-born parent, also known as second-generation immigrants, often straddle multiple cultures, making their social contexts highly diverse and their experiences with identity exploration a complex one (Sebastian, 2008). This collective case study focused on the musical lives of four second-generation children in Miami, FL, U.S.A. to gain greater insight into music’s meaning in their lives and the role it plays in the negotiation and construction of their identities.

Data was collected through observations and semi-structured interviews in participants’ homes and communities and analyzed through the constant comparative method (Glaser, 1965). Examining children’s musical experiences illuminated not only who they were musically, but socially and culturally as well. Children explored and expressed aspects of musical, youth, ethnic, and gender identities through musical experience. Implications for music teaching and future research are provided.

Please direct queries to Peter Smucker, Workshop Coordinator