UK Children Play Instruments as Part of Family Tradition, Not to Boost Social Status 英國兒童學樂器——重家傳輕功利

劉海鷗

British parents encourage their children to play musical instruments as part of a family tradition and not to boost their social status as Americans do， research says.

Dr Aaron Reeves， of the University of Oxford， found that UK parents did not see musical achievement by their children as character building or useful in getting university places or jobs.

Instead， it was usually only those parents who played instruments who encouraged their children to follow suit， he says in an article in the journal Cultural Sociology.

Dr Reeves， who analysed interviews with 44 people in the UK， says： “Respondents do not strongly associate musical practice with developing valued character traits nor with social or educational attainment.

“Instead， parental encouragement to play music is shaped by family ties and the parental perception of natural talent in their children.”

This contrasted with research carried out by other academics in America， he said. “Middle-class parents in the United States appear to associate cultural practice with other forms of utility， such as developing specific character traits and facilitating educational success. Middle-class families are very often marked by a pattern of ‘concerted cultivation1， where parents organise music-centred activities for their children， often in addition to school-based musical practice.

“These parents associate musical practice with increasing the possibility of educational success. The utility of music is not located in the practice itself， but in its capacity to increase the likelihood of educational success and also cultivate other valuable character traits. Parents who raise their children according to the logic of concerted cultivation are also more likely to provide them with a ‘sense of entitlement.”

Researchers had attributed this “to parental anxiety over the declining fortunes of educated Americans. These parents have become increasingly worried about providing their children with skills and aptitudes2 enabling them to stand out from their competitors in the job market.”

By contrast， Dr Reeves， says， “for British respondents， no such connection was made between what is perceived as an overbearing3 parenting style and future educational or career possibilities.

“The parents interviewed here did not connect music with utility but rather they implicitly focused on the value of music as a family tradition and， to a lesser extent， as something valuable in its own right. British parents who encourage their children to play musical instruments often articulate that support as an effort to forge family cohesion.”

One Scottish parent， a chemist by profession， said during the interviews： “Weve got two that are learning musical instruments...if we think its maybe worthwhile for them to keep on we try and encourage them， but we wouldnt force them because there just isnt much point in doing that.”

A housewife said： “My sons just turned five and I want him to do the guitar because his uncle does it...but its up to him.”

In some UK families， said Dr Reeves， music was even “perceived to be an obstacle to educational success， or at least ancillary4 to it.”

研究表明，英國父母鼓勵孩子學習樂器乃是沿襲家庭傳統，而不是像美國人那樣，寄望子女通過這種途徑提升社會地位。

牛津大學的亞倫·里夫斯博士研究發現，英國父母并不認為子女在音樂方面的成就可以幫助他們塑造性格、考上大學或獲得工作。

他在《文化社會學》一刊中撰文指出，通常只有那些自己也會彈奏某種樂器的父母才會鼓勵子女學習音樂。

里夫斯博士采訪了44名英國人，并得出分析結論：“受訪者并不認為音樂實踐與養成可貴品格、實現學業成功或取得社會成就之間有必然的聯系。

“相反，父母是否鼓勵孩子學習樂器，取決于家族關系以及是否認為子女有這方面的天賦。”

他進一步表示：“這與美國學者的研究結論大相徑庭。美國中產家庭的父母似乎將文化實踐與某種功用聯系在一起，比如培養特定性格品質、輔助學業成功。美國中產家庭普遍奉行‘協作教育，通常在學校音樂實踐之外，父母也會為自己的孩子組織各式各樣的音樂主題活動。

“這些家長認為學習音樂有望幫助子女在學業上表現出色。雖然音樂練習本身可能并無多少實際價值可言，但卻能增大孩子們在學業上取得成功的可能性，并幫助他們養成優秀的個性品質。不僅如此，遵循協作教育理念的家長還更傾向于賦予子女‘權利意識”。

學者們認為這一現象的產生應該歸結于“美國家長們的擔憂。如今，即使受過良好教育的美國人也面臨財富日益縮水的窘境。家長們因此愈加焦慮，希望能讓子女掌握更多技藝和才能，以便從就業市場的眾多競爭者中脫穎而出”。

恰恰相反，“英國受訪者倒并不認為‘協作教育這種父母主導操控的教育模式跟子女在未來學業或事業上取得成功有什么關系。”里夫斯稱。

“受訪的英國父母并不認為音樂有實用性;反之，他們更看重音樂在延續家庭傳統方面的價值，或往小了說，音樂本身的價值。鼓勵子女學習樂器的英國父母通常表示，支持孩子學音樂是為了促進家族的凝聚力。”

一名從事藥劑師職業的蘇格蘭家長接受采訪時談道：“我們家兩個孩子都在學習彈奏樂器。如果我們認為這對他們來說值得繼續，會嘗試鼓勵孩子繼續學習，但我們絕不會強迫他們，因為這樣做沒有意義。”

另一名主婦表示：“我的兒子剛滿五歲。他的叔叔會彈吉他，所以我希望他也能學習吉他。但決定權在他手上。”

里夫斯博士總結道，有些英國家庭甚至“將音樂看作是拖累學業的分心事，即使不是如此，至少也認為音樂只是輔助學業的”。? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?□

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者;單位：四川西南航空職業學院）