Sites of Becoming: How Non-Formal Music Learning Helps Forge Musical Selves in Culturally Diverse Contexts

This paper explores how non-formal music learning functions as a powerful agent in forging musical selves. Through a qualitative re-analysis guided by reflexive thematic analysis, this study re-examines data from three previously conducted case studies through the lens of non-formal learning as “site of becoming.” These cases represent diverse music-making practices in Hong Kong: an amateur sacred choir, a traditional Chinese Chaozhou xianshi ensemble, and diasporic Filipino music-makers. Through this analysis, I generate five distinct facets of their musical selfhood: the performer, spiritual, heritage, social, and transcendence self, reviewing how participants form and negotiate these facets. Ultimately, this study illustrates the interplay between these sites and the formation of lived, embodied musical selves, offering insights into the educative potential of non-formal learning.