Examining the Impact of a Cross-Cultural Exchange on U.S. Choral Directors

Abstract

Despite demographic shifts in the U.S. that indicate an increase in ethnic and cultural diversity among youth (Frey, 2020), Western classical music and its respective pedagogical practices continue to dominate music education (Kindall-Smith et al., 2011). In response, new perspectives call for educators to honor students’ diverse backgrounds by contextualizing music within its original cultural framework (Lind & McKoy, 2016; Hess, 2019). While cross-cultural exchange programs provide music educators with historical context and authentic pedagogical approaches (Rapaport, 2007), there remains limited literature on the music education profession (Bartleet et al., 2020). The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a Philippine cross-cultural exchange on U.S. conductors and how this immersive experience influenced their professional perspective regarding choral literature and established instructional practices. The research questions were: (1) what were the conductors’ perceptions of their experience as a part of a cross- cultural choral exchange program between the United States and the Philippines? (2) How did conductors’ insights gained from the exchange program inform their understanding of choral music and choral music education? (3) To what extent did participants experience transformational learning according to Maddas’s 2014 adaption of Mezirow’s Transformational Learning Theory? I designed this qualitative inquiry as an embedded case study, focusing on five participants within the same cross-cultural exchange to the Philippines in 2025. I selected Maddas’s 2014 adaptation of Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory as the theoretical framework because it provided a model for understanding how adult learners critically reflect on and transform their established frames of reference and assumptions (Mezirow, 1991). Data sources included two semi-structured interviews, diaries, and unstructured observations. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method (Thomas, 2021). Reflexive journaling, bracketing, data triangulation from multiple sources, and member checks helped to establish trustworthiness of this study. Six themes emerged from the data: (a) Motivations for participation; (b) Participant reflections of the itinerary; (c) New perspectives on Filipino choral music; (d) New perspectives on Filipino choral pedagogy; (e) Intended application of new knowledge; and (f) Transformative learning steps. Participants reported an increase in new knowledge and pedagogical practices, greater cultural awareness, and intentions to include their musical learnings with their choirs. The implications of this study suggest that cross-cultural exchange programs can have a transformational impact on choral music educators.