Whose Music?

Music Education and CD

C')
Cultural Issues 0
By Roger Rid e o u t

Debatesaboutwhat
musicto studycan
C') r)
A lny music teacher who has planned a holiday concert raisequestions
knows about the politics underlying the selection of :3
appropriatemusic. Some students do not sing carols or relatedto the very C-A
cite lyrics that refer to fictional characterssuch as elves, C)
goblins, or Harry Potter. Still others do not sing the
national anthem. To these students or their parents, such songs purposeof music
represent cultural traditions or heritages that have values incom- :3
patible with their own. These are some of the political realities of
education.
school music, and most music educators navigate these waters
with varying degrees of comfort, planning their public perform-
ances and school activities to be inclusive and to reflect what they
hope will be a value-neutral approach to music study. Still, ques-
tions remain about whose music to study and perform and why.
Recently,some music scholars have suggested that we need to
reconsider the basis for music selection. Their concern is not that
a particular musical work has been chosen for performance.
Rather, they believe that the aesthetic justification we give to
music education and the highly personal and reflective musical
meaning we claim to engender through music study favor the
European art-music tradition at the expense of all other musical
traditions. David Elliott, in particular, argues that the aesthetic

Roger Rideout is graduate pro-

gram director and professor
of music education at the
University of Massachusettsin
Amherst.He can be reachedat
rideout@music.umass.edu.

Musiceducators use a varietyof approachesto selecting

repertoirethat meets the diverse needs of students.

MARCH 2005 39

Downloaded from mej.sagepub.com at Uniwersytet Warszawski on June 9, 2015

 Opponents insist that the socio-
Three Positions logical view replaces music with cul-
ture. Rather than use class time to
explore the potential value inherent
* The aesthetic position is based on the argumentthat humansinherently in the art form, works become reflec-
strive to improvethemselves,to move upwardin their knowledge and per- tions of nonmusical concepts. If I
spective. By studyingmusicalmasterworks,students will grow toward new might be allowed an overly simple
understandingsand perceptions. analogy, it is this. The aesthetic posi-
* The sociological position is based on the beliefthat,first and foremost, all tion, exemplified by Reimer, is based
music reveals aspects of a particularsociety and culture.The goal of music on what is called a teleological argu-
education should be to help students understandhow music expresses cul- ment, namely that humans inherent-
tural values. ly strive to improve themselves, to
* Our pragmatic political reality is that the real goal of music education move upward in their knowledge
is to provide a musicalexperience for all involvedand to ensure publicsup- and perspective. Through study of
port for continuingthe school music program. great works, the child grows upward,
as it were, to new dimensions of per-
sonal understanding and perception.
rationale for music study denigrates the performance. Rather, the work Only those musical works that lead
the social and cultural heritages of transcends its origin and stands out- to this highly internalized, reflective,
music.1 According to Elliott, rather side any cultural or political associ- quasi-spiritual development are wor-
than studying music of the students' ation. Their defense of performing thy of study and performance. By
own time and cultural place, music the work is based on a belief that contrast, the sociological position is
educators using an aesthetic ration- such great works are the core of our based on the belief that, first and
ale seek to develop an internalized musical heritage and that, through foremost, all music reveals aspects of
value system within each student their study, students come to new a particular society and culture.
that ignores these social and cultural dimensions of understanding the Becoming knowledgeable about
elements. power of music and its function in these aspects and skillful in using
their lives. them for personal music expression
Aesthetic MusicEducationor ... Certainly,as a profession we believe should be the goals of music educa-
To understand both lines of think- that music has a value in and of itself tion. This view leads outward, as it
ing, we need a little background. For and that no person can claim to be were, to broader awareness of the
the past thirty years, American music educated who does not understand the musical culture of the child's time
education has been based, to a large inherent power of music to express the and place. Which view has the
degree, on the writings of Bennett human condition.3 The problem with greater merit?
Reimer. In his three editions of A this line of thinking for scholars such
Philosophyof Music Education,Reimer as Elliott is that relatively recent A Middle Ground?
has given an elegant defense of music music, such as Americanjazz, musical To many music teachers, both
education and provided untold thou- theater, and other nationalistic and arguments seem forced. As a profes-
sands of music educators with a popular styles of the twentieth century, sion, music education does not sup-
rationale for music study.2One of the aren't seriously considered for study port any one musical tradition over
basic tenets of Reimer'saesthetic argu- because they fall short of the model set another. What teacher hasn't willing-
ment is that the essential knowledge by the great masterworks. This socio- ly sought arrangements of pop tunes
and value to be gained from music logical line of thinking suggests that or planned concerts in light of the
study is found in the music itself, not music educators should help students audience's reaction to the music
in any utilitarian or ceremonial func- understand the expressions of their being performed? What teacher does-
tion it might serve. own musical heritage. Proponents of n't scour the music store bins and
Most music teachers have used this view, ranging from teachers who catalogues looking for arrangements
this argument to defend the study present world music to those who that can serve the multicultural
and performance of works that some explore its underlying issues,4 believe objectives of the curriculum? In our
in a community might consider that music educators should examine performances, we generally try to
inappropriate. For example, many a the cultural and social heritage of their reach out and engage parents and the
high school choir director has students and the function of schooling community by programming music
defended performing the Schubert in their students' lives. Music teachers of many traditions, eras, styles, and
Mass in G or the Mozart Requiemon should select music that leads students genres. What one feels, personally,
its aesthetic value as a masterwork to a broader understanding of their about the worth of a given piece of
of the Western art-music tradition. cultural expressions in music. The val- music means little when the real goal
Educators argue that the work's reli- ues that students develop as a result of is to provide a musical experience for
gious association, which some might such study will be more meaningful all involved and ensure public sup-
find unacceptable, is not the point of because of their connection to stu- port for continuing the school music
study and should not interfere with dents' lives outside school. program.
40 MUSIC EDUCATORS JOURNAL
 In light of this pragmatic political
reality,the question of whose tradition Suggested Reading
is most worth honoring seems like a
second-order one. Yet, the essence of * Adorno,Theodor. Introduction to the Sociologyof Music.New York:Seabury
these arguments still haunts us. Who Press, 1976.
owns the music we study? Whose * Crafts,Susan D., Daniel Cavicchi,and Charles Keil.My Music.Hanover,NH:
musical tradition and values are we Wesleyan UniversityPress, 1993.
presenting to our community? Is the * Small,Christopher.Music, Society,Education.Hanover: University Press of
essence of music learning personal New England,1996.
enlightenment or cultural immersion?
Are those two options antithetical, or the value of their musical experiences Notes
can they complement each other? in the classroom and performancehall. 1. David J. Elliott, Music Matters (New
These arguments,as summarizedin The actual works of music arejust the York:OxfordUniversityPress,1995);and
the Three Positions sidebar, ask us to catalysts that set this matrix into David J. Elliott, "ContinuingMatters:
reexamine the way we think about motion, not the objects of learning. Myths, Realities,Rejoinders,"Bulletinof
music making. To put the issue simply: Dewey's insights may allow a mid- the CouncilforResearchin MusicEducation,
Do we study the Mozart Requiem dle ground between aesthetic music 132 (1997): 1-37.
because we believe that the work can education and the sociological view. 2. Bennett Reimer, A Philosophy of
serve as a musical lens through which The works listed in the Suggested Music Education (Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
the student or performer can explore Reading sidebar add additional voices Prentice-Hall,1970); Bennett Reimer,A
the deepest expressions of the human to the conversation. This debate is Philosophy of Music Education, 2nd ed.
psyche, or do we form the school important because it allows music (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall,
equivalent of the garage band so that educators to explore the various 1989);andBennettReimer,A Philosophy
of
students can explore their known dimensions of musical value forma- Music Education:Advancingthe Vision, 3rd
musical heritage through improvisa- tion in students and to state clearly ed. (Upper Saddle River,NJ: Prentice-Hall,
tion and replication? and effectively what we believe should 2003).
It should come as no surprise that be the purpose of music education. 3. SusanneKatherinaLanger,Philoso-
many sociological supporters prefer The formulation may be challenging, phy in a New Key, 3rd ed. (Cambridge,
guitar classes, jazz bands, composition but each of us must understand the MA: HarvardUniversity Press, 1969).
classes, and chamber ensembles to the issues, make a judgment, and work 4. Bennett Reimer,ed. WorldMusicsand
large-ensemble tradition of American diligently to ensure that our curricula MusicEducation:Facing the Issues (Reston,
high schools. Their reasoning is that and instruction lead children to a VA:MENC, 2002).
through these more individualized greaterunderstanding of the power of 5. John Dewey, Art as Experience(New
forms of musical study students can music in their lives. York:CapricornBooks, 1958). a
explore their own music heritages and
develop individual musical expres-
sions. To them, the study and perform- m
o z
ance of the "work" as a high water z
mark of musical creation and expres-
Wo
MON3WV
MENCResources
sion should be replaced by an
exploratory process centering on stu-
dent values as determined by peers, The followingMENCpublicationsoffer more informationon issues relat-
parents, the community, and personal ed to repertoire selection. Visit http://www.menc.org/publication/
experience. books/booksrch.html or call 1-800-336-3768 for more information.Some
When such questions arise, some of journal articles may be availablethrough periodical databases at your local
us turn to John Dewey'sArt as Experi- college, university,or publiclibrary.
ence for guidance.5 Dewey asked
Americanmusic education to structure * "Musicwith a SacredText,"MENC'sposition statement on sacred
music learning by "doing" music, music in schools is availableat http://www.menc.org/publication/
whether composing, improvising, per- books/religO.html
forming, or listening. In Dewey'sview,
students come to value that which * Persellin,Diane,ed."SpecialFocus:Selection of Repertoire."Special
they experience as valuable. Active, issue, MusicEducatorsJournal87, no. I (2000). Includesarticles on
conscious learning engages students choice of repertoire, use of multiculturalmusic, and specific sug-
to construct opinions and values about gestions for particularensembles.
the music being studied and per-
formed. Parents, siblings, peers, the * Rodriguez,Carlos X., ed. Bridgingthe Gap:PopularMusicand Music
school, teachers, and the community Education.Reston,VA:MENC,2004.Addresses issues related to the
all contribute to the criteria that stu- use of popularmusic in schools. Item #1675.
dents use to determine for themselves
MARCH 2005 41