The bloom of youth: conceptualising a theory of educative experience for Irish traditional music in post-primary music education in Ireland

The world of Irish traditional music is one defined by its multiple, porous, and overlapping experiential contexts. This dynamic, living, and continuously evolving system of meanings, values, and intentions is sustained by its communities of individuals who engage in complex and adaptive processes of transmission. Moving from an overview of the broad historical trajectory of Irish traditional music in postprimary music education, which includes a consideration of its present-day position as a core and compulsory aspect of the Junior and Leaving Certificate Music syllabi, this thesis explores the nature of experience of Irish traditional music as it interfaces with and negotiates the realities of the post-primary music classroom. Traversing these diverse and disparate musical landscapes, the primary focus of this thesis is its conceptualisation of a philosophically charged theory of educative experience for the experience of Irish traditional music in post-primary music education. Within this theoretical paradigm, the pedagogical considerations of Irish traditional music resonate and are deeply embedded. An integrated action research-grounded theory methodological approach with an overarching constructivist philosophy defined a longitudinal investigation which was conducted amongst a cross-section of post-primary music teachers and in a post-primary music classroom context. The emerging theory, acutely reflexive and grounded in the experience of the participants, leans into a breadth of literature which supports a dialectical exploration of the philosophical, theoretical, and practical concerns of Irish traditional music in this educational context. Orientating the theoretical paradigm within a philosophical habitus based on the concept of ‘educative experience’, the nine principles which comprise this theory address the complex nature of transmission of Irish traditional music in this educational context. This includes an explication of the aural learning process, and an exploration of the various ways in which participants engaged with Irish traditional music to construct and gain meaning. In addition, this thesis challenges us to reconsider how we think about Irish traditional music in terms of its deeply rooted informal learning associations. Unveiling the phenomenon of an experience of Irish traditional music, the reality of experience is revealed as occurring along a continuum of formal and informal aspects of learning which interweave and unite towards the common goal of educative experience.