Contemplative Ecoaesthetics through Musical Arts: Reflection, Resonance, and Resilienc

This dissertation explores how a contemplative ecoaesthetic approach to arts education can cultivate awareness and reignite human connections with the natural world. My central questions explore educating with the intention of nurturing compassion and asking how artists can promote understanding of environmental and social justice issues that inspires action. I introduce how the evolution and acceptance of inaction, irreverence, and despair perpetuates both the destruction of the earth and oppression of people. In order to educate emerging artists through a socially engaged approach, educators need to reveal underlying sources perpetuating destructive perspectives. It is beyond my purpose to discuss in detail specific issues that result from destructive perspectives; and although I do not attempt to fully address the transdisciplinary nature of this evolutionary process, I do guide the reader to consider what lies beneath the surface and recognize distortion. I provide a structure and springboard to cultivate an artistically educational approach to the environmental crisis, peace education, and social justice issues in a way that is relevant to emerging artists. I researched contemplative practices; peace, justice, and sustainability education; sound and silence; and deep listening, all informing the creation of a 75-minute multimedia oratorio and the production of an ecoaesthetic musical arts curriculum. Methodologies include: arts-based inquiry, Indigenous methodologies, experiential education, sustainability education, contemplative practices, ecopedagogy, and deep listening. In the appendix I include exercises, practices, artistic responses, relevant readings, films and listening material for further investigation and use in curriculum.