Promoting Metron in Music Education

Flourishing has become a popular ideal in the educational debate. Could flourishing guide meaningful choices in education? My skepticism rests on unclear definitions of flourishing, a hidden insistence of theories of flourishing on selfish and individualistic themes, and an elitist vision of flourishing as the consequence of favorable conditions. To avoid the controversial aspects of flourishing theories, I will suggest that education could instead promote medium-term goals that, without directly aiming at students’ realization, nurture the base on which students can imagine their flourishing. Drawing on ancient Greek culture, I will discuss metron as an inspiring medium-term goal for music education. In its archaic meaning, metron, the right measure, is both a dynamic balance and an ongoing movement that regulates individual actions and guides individuals toward their realization. I believe that metron in music education could help students explore their possibilities and limits as individual and social agents toward a more nuanced understanding of their selves. Thus, I will consider how promoting metron in music classrooms could enhance students’ self-knowledge and foster their sense of self in and though musical interactions and critical reflections.