Affordances in music education

The affordances of objects in music education, such as tablets or musical toys, necessitate a domain-specific conceptual understanding to guide perception and bodily action, extending utilitarian values toward musical and educational goals. This article explores the concept of affordances in music education and elucidates the application of various types of affordances—specifically, cognitive, educational, mental, affective, and social—in the contexts of teaching and learning music. Several characteristics of affordances in music education were observed: (1) music serves as a form of communication, enabling learners to transcend established protocols in human interactions; (2) music is intertwined with the transmission of sociocultural and aesthetic values, as evidenced by historically informed musical practices and traditions; (3) engagement in music-making nurtures learners’ creativity and personal growth, fostering experiences that can be transferable; (4) music learning reveals individuals’ emotional capacities and expressiveness; and (5) music-making entails collaborative work, facilitating the development of interpersonal relationships and the construction of a community rooted in the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Practical recommendations for enhancing affordances in music education can heighten its awareness to music educators and foster explicit learning design in the development of educational tools. These suggestions have the potential to unlock possibilities that may otherwise remain unrealized. Copyright © 2024 The Author(s).