Music As Meditative Inquiry: Dialogical Reflections on Learning and Composing Indian Classical Music

Authors

Ashwani Kumar, Mount Saint Vincent UniversityFollow
Adrian Downey, University of New BrunswickFollow

Abstract

This dialogical paper explores Ashwani Kumar’s concept of music as meditative inquiry and its implications for teaching, learning, and living. The notion of music as meditative inquiry is rooted in Kumar’s journey of learning, composing, and researching Indian classical music. This paper makes use of an emerging methodological framework called dialogical meditative inquiry (DMI), which has been theorized by Kumar. Due to its emphasis on meditative and holistic listening, DMI goes beyond a usual interview where the intent is to elicit specific information. Through employing DMI to explore Kumar’s ideas regarding music, meditative inquiry, and creativity, this paper engages with the following themes: 1) the role of rigour, discipline, and passion in learning music through the meditative inquiry approach, 2) the pursuit of music for spiritual and meditative exploration as different from using music as a means of entertainment, and 3) the implications of music as meditative inquiry for teaching, learning, and living with particular emphasis on the importance of creative play, experimentation, and originality.

Recommended Citation

Kumar, Ashwani and Downey, Adrian (2019) "Music As Meditative Inquiry: Dialogical Reflections on Learning and Composing Indian Classical Music," Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal: Vol. 4: Iss. 1, Article 9.
Available at: https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/atj/vol4/iss1/9

Streaming Media