Glocalizing the Orff Approach: A Qualitative Inquiry into Its Integration and Transformation within China’s Music Education Ecology
List of Authors
Connie Lim Keh Nie, Dai Chen, Khairil Anwar Dean Kamarudin\
Keyword
Glocalization, Orff Schulwerk, Music Education, Teacher Agency
Abstract
The global dissemination of student-centered pedagogies often overlooks the complex processes of adaptation and transformation they undergo in local contexts. This qualitative case study investigates the implementation of the Orff Schulwerk approach within the distinctive ecosystem of secondary music education in China, characterized by its exam-oriented culture and standardized curriculum. Through in-depth interviews, participant observations, and document analysis with teachers at Jiazi Secondary School in Guangdong, the research explores how educators negotiate this globally sourced methodology. The findings reveal a spectrum of glocalization strategies, primarily conceptualized as pragmatic grafting—where Orff activities are strategically repurposed as tools for exam preparation—and creative hybridization—where teachers integrate local cultural resources like folk songs and linguistic rhythms. The study argues that teachers act not as passive implementers but as active, strategic agents who navigate systemic constraints while demonstrating significant cultural and pedagogical agency. This research contributes to the sociology of policy enactment by illustrating how global educational ideas are fundamentally recontextualized through daily practice, offering a nuanced understanding of teacher agency and the micro-processes of pedagogical change in non-Western settings. The findings suggest that the success of pedagogical innovations should be measured by their capacity for productive localization rather than fidelity to an original model.