MusicEd
 








        
 


20. For those reasons, John Sloboda hypothesises that classroom music as currently conceptualised and organised is an inappropriate vehicle for mass music education. A more effective music education environment might be found in the free, mixed economy of out-of-school provision. Using colourful language, he reflects that "such anarchy may be a crucial breeding ground for the celebration of personal autonomy and cultural differentiation that is a prerequisite for a focused and goal-directed musical engagement in a post-modern society." This would essentially be "an anarchy of social relationships where boundaries between the teacher and student role are creatively redrawn."

   
 
   
  21. This is the territory of Youth Music (the NFYM) which through a range of initiatives is targeting new money into out-of-school music provision. That is exciting and very welcome. Yet most such initiatives are time limited. There needs to be a music service which both prepares the ground and sustains the momentum when the project ends. If John Sloboda is right, and the Government agrees, then we could find, once again that music is taken out of the mainstream curriculum, leaving the LEA music services providing for what in many areas would be mainly out-of-school provision.
   
  22. But let us not forget the inspiring reality of what thousands of young people are doing in school, district and authority-wide groups, bands and orchestras which emerges directly from the music they make in school. Ideally, you might say, music services would seek to provide for music in both contexts. Many do, which is why it is important music stays in the National Curriculum and that Youth Music continues to work collaboratively with music services in developing out-of-school music unconstrained by the requirements of the National Curriculum.
   
 
   
  23. All these issues will be thrown into sharp relief when Susan O'Neill's ESRC-funded research into factors influencing young people's participation and achievement in music is published in December, 2001 (www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ps/ESRC.htm) We will be reporting on that work. Meantime, you might be interested
 
- to look at Sue Hallam's full article and the fascinating research summaries in www.thepowerofmusic.co.uk ; and
- to let MusicEd have your views on John Sloboda's speculations.
   
  IKW/12.7.01
   
next
   
  You can also view and print this article in PDF format
(requires Acrobat Reader v4.0 or greater)