Speaker
Description
This paper examines the correlation between the EU’s eight key competences for lifelong learning, “Cultural awareness and expression competence”, and the arts education curriculum. We determine whether this competence is reflected at the programmatic level of education, and if there are any differences in its implementation across Member States of the EU. In the present paper, we focus on the findings from a comparative study of three Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. Findings demonstrate that the curricula share significant similarities. Each country defines arts education using common concepts of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that align with the EU’s recommendation on cultural awareness and expression competence. However, despite the EU’s revision in 2018, which emphasized ethical concerns regarding cultural ownership and the promotion of intercultural understanding, the arts education curriculum primarily focuses on skills related to creating and performing arts in various forms.
CV
Jonathan Lilliedahl, Ph.D., is Associate Professor in Education at Linnaeus University and in Music Education at Örebro University. His concentration is in the field of policy studies and curriculum theory, with particular concern for arts education policy issues. Throughout his career, he has been committed to examine the historical, cultural, and socio-political legitimisation of arts programmes in public education systems, especially with regard to music education. He is on the editorial board of Arts Education Policy Review, International Journal of Music Education, and Nordic Research in Music Education. His academic publications include articles in WoS-indexed periodicals such as the British Journal of Sociology of Education, British Journal of Music Education, Journal of Curriculum Studies, and Music Education Research.
