The arts as purpose of living: Spirituality and lifelong perspectives of arts learning in Japan

A commonly held assumption about the arts is that artistic development flourishes in childhood (Gardner 1994). This assumption often serves as a hindrance for the formation of a view that artistic development continues in later life and arts education is available for adults (Matsunobu 2012; Roulston 2010). This is especially so in music. The widespread assumption that music training is required in childhood for one to be a good musician instils an image that musical engagement in later life cannot be rich enough without early training (Roulston 2010). Cultural perspectives suggest different ways. Just as artistic traditions and practices vary from culture to culture, cultural orientations to artistic development and pedagogy manifest different paths. While research on artistic development and creativity generally tends to focus on children’s development and capacity in the West, cultural perspectives urge us to look at them as maturing further during adulthood. Investigating the relationship between one’s spiritual trajectory and stylistic changes of one’s musical engagement within a lifetime span is of particular interest. Copyright © 2015 Mike Fleming, Liora Bresler and John O’Toole.