Prof Ewie Erasmus [above, left] and Prof Liesl van der Merwe [right] were the guest editors of a special edition of the International Journal of Education & the Arts on positive psychology and music education that was published earlier this year. Eleven of the authors for this issue are affiliated with MASARA.

Positive psychology and music education are both well-established fields. However, the intersection and dialogue between positive psychology and music education are underdeveloped. In their editorial to this special edition, Profs Van der Merwe and Erasmus propose a framework for advancing positive music education.

The concepts in this framework (see figure above) are interrelated. The eight antecedents for Positive Music Education (PME) that emerged during the data analysis revealed that music teachers’ physical and mental health are integral to creating environments where PME can be fostered. Active engagement in challenging, yet achievable, musicking activities is a catalyst for PME since engagement in these types of musicking activities promotes the antecedents for the emergence of PME and will contribute to meaningful learning and flourishing. Furthermore, PME requires learners and teachers to experience and develop autonomy in musicking-related decisions, and musical accomplishment and competence.

In addition to active engagement in challenging musicking activities as a catalyst for PME, fostering positive relationships in the music education environment is at the center of PME. Data analysis revealed that learners and teachers can build positive relationships through music education if they actively engage in challenging activities within safe spaces that promote autonomy, accomplishment and competence, ultimately creating opportunities for collaborative learning and meaningful connection. These positive relationships play an integral role in promoting well-being. Furthermore, PME is promoted when music education promotes shared virtues and aligns with teachers’ and learners’ meaning and purpose in life.

Finally, the most important antecedent for PME, which is implicit in all the preceding antecedents, is positive emotions. This implies that the antecedents for PME do not emerge in a linear sequence, but are instead all intrinsically linked. Through fostering PME, these antecedents are continuously further enhanced to promote increased well-being and flourishing.

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Van der Merwe, L., & Erasmus, E. (2024). Editorial: A framework for positive music education. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 24(si2.0):1–14. https://doi.org/10.26209/IJEA24SI2.0