劉海鷗

British parents encourage their children to play musical instruments as part of a family tradition and not to boost their social status as Americans do， research says.

Dr Aaron Reeves， of the University of Oxford， found that UK parents did not see musical achievement by their children as character building or useful in getting university places or jobs.

Instead， it was usually only those parents who played instruments who encouraged their children to follow suit， he says in an article in the journal Cultural Sociology.

Dr Reeves， who analysed interviews with 44 people in the UK， says： “Respondents do not strongly associate musical practice with developing valued character traits nor with social or educational attainment.

“Instead， parental encouragement to play music is shaped by family ties and the parental perception of natural talent in their children.”

This contrasted with research carried out by other academics in America， he said. “Middle-class parents in the United States appear to associate cultural practice with other forms of utility， such as developing specific character traits and facilitating educational success. Middle-class families are very often marked by a pattern of ‘concerted cultivation1， where parents organise music-centred activities for their children， often in addition to school-based musical practice.

“These parents associate musical practice with increasing the possibility of educational success. The utility of music is not located in the practice itself， but in its capacity to increase the likelihood of educational success and also cultivate other valuable character traits. Parents who raise their children according to the logic of concerted cultivation are also more likely to provide them with a ‘sense of entitlement.”

Researchers had attributed this “to parental anxiety over the declining fortunes of educated Americans. These parents have become increasingly worried about providing their children with skills and aptitudes2 enabling them to stand out from their competitors in the job market.”

By contrast， Dr Reeves， says， “for British respondents， no such connection was made between what is perceived as an overbearing3 parenting style and future educational or career possibilities.

“The parents interviewed here did not connect music with utility but rather they implicitly focused on the value of music as a family tradition and， to a lesser extent， as something valuable in its own right. British parents who encourage their children to play musical instruments often articulate that support as an effort to forge family cohesion.”

One Scottish parent， a chemist by profession， said during the interviews： “Weve got two that are learning musical instruments...if we think its maybe worthwhile for them to keep on we try and encourage them， but we wouldnt force them because there just isnt much point in doing that.”

A housewife said： “My sons just turned five and I want him to do the guitar because his uncle does it...but its up to him.”

In some UK families， said Dr Reeves， music was even “perceived to be an obstacle to educational success， or at least ancillary4 to it.”

研究表明，英國(guó)父母鼓勵(lì)孩子學(xué)習(xí)樂(lè)器乃是沿襲家庭傳統(tǒng)，而不是像美國(guó)人那樣，寄望子女通過(guò)這種途徑提升社會(huì)地位。

牛津大學(xué)的亞倫·里夫斯博士研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，英國(guó)父母并不認(rèn)為子女在音樂(lè)方面的成就可以幫助他們塑造性格、考上大學(xué)或獲得工作。

他在《文化社會(huì)學(xué)》一刊中撰文指出，通常只有那些自己也會(huì)彈奏某種樂(lè)器的父母才會(huì)鼓勵(lì)子女學(xué)習(xí)音樂(lè)。

里夫斯博士采訪了44名英國(guó)人，并得出分析結(jié)論：“受訪者并不認(rèn)為音樂(lè)實(shí)踐與養(yǎng)成可貴品格、實(shí)現(xiàn)學(xué)業(yè)成功或取得社會(huì)成就之間有必然的聯(lián)系。

“相反，父母是否鼓勵(lì)孩子學(xué)習(xí)樂(lè)器，取決于家族關(guān)系以及是否認(rèn)為子女有這方面的天賦?！?/p>

他進(jìn)一步表示：“這與美國(guó)學(xué)者的研究結(jié)論大相徑庭。美國(guó)中產(chǎn)家庭的父母似乎將文化實(shí)踐與某種功用聯(lián)系在一起，比如培養(yǎng)特定性格品質(zhì)、輔助學(xué)業(yè)成功。美國(guó)中產(chǎn)家庭普遍奉行‘協(xié)作教育，通常在學(xué)校音樂(lè)實(shí)踐之外，父母也會(huì)為自己的孩子組織各式各樣的音樂(lè)主題活動(dòng)。

“這些家長(zhǎng)認(rèn)為學(xué)習(xí)音樂(lè)有望幫助子女在學(xué)業(yè)上表現(xiàn)出色。雖然音樂(lè)練習(xí)本身可能并無(wú)多少實(shí)際價(jià)值可言，但卻能增大孩子們?cè)趯W(xué)業(yè)上取得成功的可能性，并幫助他們養(yǎng)成優(yōu)秀的個(gè)性品質(zhì)。不僅如此，遵循協(xié)作教育理念的家長(zhǎng)還更傾向于賦予子女‘權(quán)利意識(shí)”。

學(xué)者們認(rèn)為這一現(xiàn)象的產(chǎn)生應(yīng)該歸結(jié)于“美國(guó)家長(zhǎng)們的擔(dān)憂(yōu)。如今，即使受過(guò)良好教育的美國(guó)人也面臨財(cái)富日益縮水的窘境。家長(zhǎng)們因此愈加焦慮，希望能讓子女掌握更多技藝和才能，以便從就業(yè)市場(chǎng)的眾多競(jìng)爭(zhēng)者中脫穎而出”。

恰恰相反，“英國(guó)受訪者倒并不認(rèn)為‘協(xié)作教育這種父母主導(dǎo)操控的教育模式跟子女在未來(lái)學(xué)業(yè)或事業(yè)上取得成功有什么關(guān)系?！崩锓蛩狗Q(chēng)。

“受訪的英國(guó)父母并不認(rèn)為音樂(lè)有實(shí)用性;反之，他們更看重音樂(lè)在延續(xù)家庭傳統(tǒng)方面的價(jià)值，或往小了說(shuō)，音樂(lè)本身的價(jià)值。鼓勵(lì)子女學(xué)習(xí)樂(lè)器的英國(guó)父母通常表示，支持孩子學(xué)音樂(lè)是為了促進(jìn)家族的凝聚力?！?/p>

一名從事藥劑師職業(yè)的蘇格蘭家長(zhǎng)接受采訪時(shí)談道：“我們家兩個(gè)孩子都在學(xué)習(xí)彈奏樂(lè)器。如果我們認(rèn)為這對(duì)他們來(lái)說(shuō)值得繼續(xù)，會(huì)嘗試鼓勵(lì)孩子繼續(xù)學(xué)習(xí)，但我們絕不會(huì)強(qiáng)迫他們，因?yàn)檫@樣做沒(méi)有意義?！?/p>

另一名主婦表示：“我的兒子剛滿(mǎn)五歲。他的叔叔會(huì)彈吉他，所以我希望他也能學(xué)習(xí)吉他。但決定權(quán)在他手上?！?/p>

里夫斯博士總結(jié)道，有些英國(guó)家庭甚至“將音樂(lè)看作是拖累學(xué)業(yè)的分心事，即使不是如此，至少也認(rèn)為音樂(lè)只是輔助學(xué)業(yè)的”。? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?□

（譯者為“《英語(yǔ)世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎(jiǎng)?wù)?單位：四川西南航空職業(yè)學(xué)院）