Equity in music education in Finland: A policy window opened through the case of “Figurenotes”

Abstract

This article illustrates how a social innovation, Figurenotes, has contributed and can contribute, through conceptual change, to the advancement of equity in Basic Education in the Arts (BEA), Finland’s publicly funded system of extracurricular music education. BEA has traditionally been characterised by structures and pedagogical practices–such as the use of Western standard music notation–that influence the accessibility of music studies. The theoretical framework for this interview study consists of change-theoretical concepts: namely, social innovation, multiple streams, and policy windows. The findings are presented at two levels. First, the innovation process of Figurenotes is described to explain social innovation development. Second, three different strands of discourse on the concept of special music education expose the educational policy change generated by this innovation. The findings suggest that the use of Figurenotes has raised awareness of inequity in the institutional agenda and has encouraged this problem to be addressed through the public policy process. The opening of this policy window is critically discussed in relation to the establishment of the field of special music education, and in relation to inclusion and equity policies as well as exclusion.