Submitted as part of MUSIC 4V03 - Current Issues in Music Education

PDF Document attached below.

Originally written for MUSIC 4V03 – Current Issues in Music Education

Early music education, as with any other form of early education, has long lasting impacts on the student, and a simple mistake made early on can affect the student for years to come. Likewise, given the right attention and appropriate educational method, a student can benefit greatly and advance far beyond what they could have achieved without such help. In the field of music education, there are several “tried-and-true” techniques which hold sway today. Among them are the Kodály and Dalcroze methods, which hail from Hungary and Switzerland, respectively. Both these methods focus on the development of a connection between the aural and kinaesthetic senses, and achieve this goal through a combination of exercises intended to guide the student toward deeper understanding of musical concepts. However, while support for these methods are readily published and available, criticisms from experienced music educators also appear. A primary criticism of the Kodály method originates from Hungary, the country with the highest adoption of said method. However, while criticism can be found for almost all educational models, the Kodály method has maintained a healthy uptake, and quantitative results in Hungary itself show promise compared to the traditional teacher-teachee method.

Originally written for "Current Issues in Music Education (MUSIC 4V03)"

Vincent Rufino contributed to the March 2007 issue of the Music Educator's Journal (MEJ) in order to put forward his opinion of the International Baccalaureate Program (IB), as well as its implementation in school districts throughout the United States. He reflects on the successes of the program, as well as its drawbacks, and attempts to persuade other educators to adopt the program. As a music educator himself, he also provides a reflection on his own experiences in implementing the program, and strategies toward resolving problems that may arise. As the IB program is an international program, its pros and cons can be extended for use in Canadian schooling systems as well. An important distinction must also be drawn here, in that the IB program is in essence, a replacement of the local provincial curriculum in favour of a foreign standard that does takes into account neither the educational level of the community, nor the individual learning challenges inherent to each child.

Should music education serve the needs of some students or all students? Is the purpose of arts education to develop professionals or a literate populace (or both)?

The function of music education is often debated in our society. There are those who consider the cost of music education too steep for its potential gain, while others tend to see the investment as a more intangible commodity, whose value is not measured in dollars and cents, but rather in an improvement of society through enlightenment and appreciation. Betty Hanley attempts to answer this question in her article “What's Ahead? Challenges for Music Education in Canadian Schools”¹. She touches on several important factors affecting the business of music education today, including the under-appreciation of specialist teachers, music education in the elementary sector, the dumbing down of the curriculum (and its intrinsic effect on musical standards), and the public opinion of music as a serious subject of study. Furthermore, she analyses the affect on these issues by looking through the eyes of a post-modern society, where the older values of “high art” and “aesthetic judgement” are cast aside, and new, innovative outlooks are presented. Lastly, Hanley communicates the merits of constructivism and collaboration, as a new way of instructing our next generation.

Oftentimes, people are taken aback when they find out I am pursuing undergraduate studies in Music. After all, while it's quite normal to find out someone is a "Science Major" or "Business Major", there is definitely an underrepresentation of "Music Majors" in the general population.

Why is this?

I've informally summed it up into the following categories, those who:

1. Didn't know one could study music in university
2. Don't consider music a worthwhile pursuit of one's life, and
3. Are surprised that a person of Asian descent is pursuing such a field

Self-depreciation is another characteristic of the oppressed, which derives from their internalization of the opinion the oppressors hold of them. So often do they hear that they are good for nothing, know nothing and are incapable of learning anything — that they are sick, lazy, and unproductive — that in the end they become convinced of their own unfitness.

The peasant feels inferior to the boss because the boss seems to be the only one who knows things and is able to run things.