Philosophy of Music Education

'Tristan chords and random scores': exploring undergraduate student experiences of music in higher education through the lens of Bourdieu

by Gwen Moore

Within a theoretical framework drawn from Bourdieu, this article explores the relationship between undergraduate... more Within a theoretical framework drawn from Bourdieu, this article explores the relationship between undergraduate students' experiences of music in higher education and their musical backgrounds and prior music education experiences. More critically, this study aims to discover whether ideologies surrounding musical value impact on the student experience in higher education. A survey of undergraduate students of music (N=60) at a higher education music department in the Republic of Ireland was conducted. Preliminary data suggest that students' musical habitus and cultural capital impact on their experience of music within the field of higher education. Implications of findings from this study suggest a reappraisal of curricula and assessment at secondary level and of musical value and curriculum content in Irish higher education.

Musikalische Bildung - ein lexikalischer Versuch

by Juergen Vogt

in: Zeitschrift für Kritische Musikpädagogik (ZfKM), 2012, S.1-25

Wherefore the Musicians?

by Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández

This essay offers a critique of the dominant music education paradigm by challenging the myth of the musician as the... more This essay offers a critique of the dominant music education paradigm by challenging the myth of the musician as the locus of music making. Exploring the concept of the ‘musician’ through three different ways of conceptualizing the arts, the essay offers a strategy for recasting the fundamental assumptions that underlie music education as a particular cultural practice. The aim of the essay is to offer a different starting point for thinking about and envisioning the intersection of music education and social justice by considering what different views of “the musician” as a fundamentally social agent imply for music education. This critical analysis does not seek to displace but rather to affirm the role of music-making (whether by people called musicians or not) in the public sphere of a democratic society.

Musicking in the city: Reconceptualizing Urban Music Education as Cultural Practice

by Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández

Challenging prevailing ideas of urban music in order to expand normative conceptions of urban music education, this... more Challenging prevailing ideas of urban music in order to expand normative conceptions of urban music education, this essay proposes a reconceptualization of urban music education as cultural practice. Music educators, particularly those working in urban classrooms and committed to social justice, need to work both with and against the prevailing narrow conception of the “urban” that shapes the way we think about both urban music and urban education. Drawing on insights from contemporary cultural theory, the essay extends a definition of the urban as cultural practice and points to the possibilities that such a framework might offer for a reconceptualization of urban music education.

Music listening circles: Contributions from development education to democratising classical music

by Danilo Chaib

Cite article as: Chaib, D (2010) 'Music listening circles: Contributions from development education to democratising classical music developments' in Policy & Practice: A Development Education Review, Vol. 10, Spring 2010, pp.42-58, available at: http://www.developmenteducationreview.com/issue10-focus1

Development education (DE) has made and continues to make a significant contribution to music education. Specifically,... more Development education (DE) has made and continues to make a significant contribution to music education. Specifically, Freire’s culture circles have evolved into two musical and literacy education approaches towards dialogic learning in Spain.  Through the work of many scholars these Freirean circles have now morphed into two new categories: a) ‘tertulias dialógicas literarias’ or ‘dialogical literacy circles’ reflecting the literacy approach; and b) ‘tertulias dialógicas musicales’ or ‘dialogical music listening circles’, reflecting the musical education approach. In this article, Danilo Martins de Castro Chaib examines how the theory underlining the practice of the music circle impacts and alters our understanding of how Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital relates to Iris Young’s cultural imperialism. It will look at the social groups that support these circles such as the federations and confederations created by the participant groups. It will also examine how particular practices coming from the field of development education assist these culture circles in achieving their key objective, i.e. the wider appreciation of music and literature by facilitating the creation of new interpretations and developing tastes born of the particular cultural background of each participant.

Music Education as Dialogue Between the Outer and the Inner. A jazz pedagogues' philosopy of work

by Elin Angelo

Changing Places: Openness, pedagogy and Heidegger

by Christopher Naughton

Co-authored with Dr.David Lines

This paper describes the theoretical ideas behind a music education project in Auckland, New Zealand. The project,... more This paper describes the theoretical ideas behind a music education project in Auckland, New Zealand. The project, ‘Changing Places’, involves the exploration, sharing and working through of pedagogical differences between music and early years tertiary students in music learning situations involving children. Some key philosophical notions from Heidegger are employed in the project. In particular, Heidegger’s critique of modernist, calculative and aesthetic thinking is linked to the difficulties impacting on music education pedagogy, which is seen as limiting and ineffective. The Changing Places project employs Heideggerian strategies and concepts to unsettle predetermined notions of music pedagogy and encourage and foster a more open pedagogical style of thinking in the music education of young children.

Musikpädagogik nach 1945

by Juergen Vogt

In: Richard Klein, Johann Kreuzer & Stefan Müller-Doohm (eds.): Adorno Handbuch, Stuttgart: Metzler 2011, S.160-166

https://www.metzlerverlag.de/index.php?mod=bookdetail&isbn=978-3-476-02254-7&show=KUR

Rethinking Patriotism: National Anthems in Music Education

by David Hebert

Hebert, D. G. (2006). “Rethinking Patriotism: National Anthems in Music Education,” Asia-Pacific Journal for Arts Education, Vol. 4, No. 1 (pp. 21-39).

Asia-Pacific journal for arts education: Ya Tai yi shu jiao yu xue bao, 4(1) 21-39.

The first international panel on patriotism in music education convened at the Fifth Asia-Pacific Symposium for Music... more The first international panel on patriotism in music education convened at the Fifth Asia-Pacific Symposium for Music Education Research (Seattle, 2005), with representatives from the U.S., Japan, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and China. Patriotic music education is found to exemplify an intriguing gap between music education theory and practice. While the notion that patriotism would serve as an objective for music education is determined to be antithetical to contemporary music education philosophies, signs of a recent increase in patriotic content are noted within school music education programs of both Japan and the U.S. The development, lyric content, and educational use of national anthems are examined and compared. Characteristics of Gimn Rossijskoj Federatsii (Russian Federation) and God defend New Zealand are contrasted with Kimi ga yo (Japan) and The star-spangled banner (U.S.). Explanations are sought for increases in patriotic content, which are attributed to such factors as corporate partnerships and an 'anything goes' approach to advocacy among music organizations, as well as Taylorization of teacher education programs. The paper concludes by proposing discussion questions for the panel.

A virtualitásról és zenei nevelésről on-line Környezetben/On virtuality and music education in online environments

by David Hebert

Parlando: Zenepedagógiai folyóirat, 48(4). In Hungarian translation, Mariann, Ábrahám.

Refereed paper from The Changing Face of Music Education: Music and Environment (CFME09) International Conference,... more Refereed paper from The Changing Face of Music Education: Music and Environment (CFME09) International Conference, Tallinn University, Estonia (23–25 April 2009). Discusses the notion of virtuality in relation to contemporary musical experience and musical meaning, introduces the concept of 'glocalimbodied' musicality, and contemplates its implications for music pedagogy and learning, specifically online music education.
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Theoretical Background/Introduction
Universities have increasingly expanded their sphere of operations to encompass online learning environments in recent years, engendering substantial reforms that extend even to the level of doctoral studies (Lee & Boud, 2009). Online music education has been identified as a vital new growth area (Finney & Burnard, 2007), and already more than 400 students have enrolled in online courses as members of the world’s largest music education doctoral program (Hebert, 2008). Meanwhile, in the field of philosophy, musical meaning has increasingly come to be understood as inextricably connected to embodiment (Hebert, in press). Meaning in online music education, therefore, represents a previously unexamined paradox that serves as the crucial guiding question for this inquiry: To what extent may a ‘virtual’ embodiment retain the same profundity of meanings associated with traditional musical experience, thereby enabling similarly meaningful music making, learning, and teaching within online environments?

Aim/Main Idea
This paper interrogates the notion of virtuality and related concepts of embodiment and meaning in musical experience, specifically in terms of their applications in online education. Consider, for example, that if one accepts that the experience of profundity in music may be substantively articulated and socially shared (Davies, 2002), and that such musical meanings are conceptualized in terms of embodied metaphors (Johnson, 2007), it follows that the conditions of disembodied virtuality in online environments may lead to altered (or impaired) musical experiences. Alternatively, future incarnations of virtual musicality might embody an aesthetic that was previously unimaginable, following trajectories already established in creative online music communities. Either way, such axiological dimensions of virtuality surely have ‘real world’ artistic ramifications (Ostwald 2004). Consider issues raised regarding what are perceived as inevitable shortcomings and insurmountable quality assurance challenges associated with online music education (Austin, 2007; Phillips, 2008). I argue that this notion of virtual musical embodiment provides an ideal foundation from which to devise effective conceptual frameworks to evaluate the meaningfulness of music education in online environments. It follows that musical meanings in this context be considered in terms of qualities of virtuality. Based on this premise, I assert that many traditional programs, lacking in virtuality, are likely to succumb to a ‘blended learning’ format in the future, which embraces the most compelling features of live and virtual environments. Consequently, the need to redevelop educational guidelines and accreditation policies in response to the unique present (and future) challenges of online environments features prominently in my conclusions.

Method(s) and Main Contribution/Application
Although philosophical in method (Jorgensen, 2006), this essay makes frequent reference to current developments in music education practice in order to clearly illustrate its implications. I consider the ontological bases of virtual musical experience and epistemological bases of musical knowledge acquisition via virtual embodiment, the intended result being a clearer understanding of both the fundamental issues at stake and future possibilities for improvement of music education.

Implication/Conclusion
The conclusions of this paper have implications for music educators who are either contemplating expansion into the online environment or seeking to devise effective means of enhancing online program evaluation and quality assurance.

Pluralism and Minority Rights In Music Education: Implications of the Legal and Social Philosophical Dimension

by David Hebert

With Marja Heimonen, Visions of Research in Music Education.

Examines issues associated with minority rights in music education from the perspectives of social and legal... more Examines issues associated with minority rights in music education from the perspectives of social and legal philosophy. Specific cases are discussed, including educational policies pertaining to Native Americans in the U.S., Maori and Pacific Islanders in New Zealand, and Okinawans and Zainichi Koreans in Japan. The problem of children's rights in international law is discussed in relation to music activities in educational contexts. The notion of 'soft law' is explained in detail as well as specific applications to music. Concludes with discussion of how cultural heritage and rights to 'one's own music' are increasingly problematized by the phenomenon of cultural hybridity.

Musicianship, Musical Identity, and Meaning as Embodied Practice

by David Hebert

Hebert, D. G. (2009). Musicianship, Musical Identity and Meaning as Embodied Practice. In T. Regelski & J. T. Gates (Eds.), Music Education for Changing Times: Guiding Visions for Practice (pp.39-55). Dordrecht and New York: Springer Press.

Based on topics that frame the debate about the future of professional music education, this book explores the issues... more Based on topics that frame the debate about the future of professional music education, this book explores the issues that music teachers must confront in a rapidly shifting educational landscape.

The book aims to challenge thought and change minds. It presents a star cast of internationally prominent thinkers in and beyond music education. These thinkers deliberately challenge many time-worn traditions in music education with regard to musicianship, culture and society, leadership, institutions, interdisciplinarity, research and theory, and curriculum. This is the first book to confront these issues in this way.

This unique book has emerged from fifteen years of international dialog by The MayDay Group, an organization of more than 250 music educators from over 20 countries who meet yearly to confront issues in music teaching and learning.

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Extending the idea that music has new meanings, David Hebert argues for music (and therefore music education) as embodied culture, and thus urges a more visceral music learning process. Citing examples from a variety of well-known musical traditions, Hebert supports a music education rationale based on humans' capacity for being multi- musical, bringing this capacity to bear on music learning much more systematically than traditional music teaching systems do in most classrooms. This stretches the students (and, of course, the teacher) and encourages them to reach toward the unfamiliar with both confidence and curiosity.
To bring this off within school programs, teachers must recognize that factors of identity play important roles, both in terms of personal self-actualization and in collective identities that are embodied and maintained by institutions. In pursuit of this idea, Hebert explores "fundamentalism" as a feature of identity that resists what he calls "hybridity" and change, but which yields when meaningful avenues for embodied musical experiences are expanded for students. Hebert closes with implications for policy and practice in music teaching and learning.

Rock music in American schools: Positions and practices since the 1960s

by David Hebert

International Journal of Music Education

The challenge that rock music has historically faced in achieving widespread acceptance within American music... more The challenge that rock music has historically faced in achieving widespread acceptance within American music education can be attributed to six common arguments: 1) Rock music is aesthetically inferior; 2) Rock music is damaging to the health of youth; 3) School time cannot be spent on the vernacular; 4) Music teachers are not trained in rock; 5) Rock music encourages rebelliousness and anti-educational behavior; and 6) Rock music curriculum is difficult to acquire. The strengths and weaknesses of each of these six claims is herein analyzed, and the authors' conclusions discuss the potential benefits of rock music studies.

Multiculturalism and Music Education (editorial introduction to special issue)

by David Hebert

Hebert, D. G. & Karlsen, S. (2010). “Editorial Introduction: Multiculturalism and Music Education,” Finnish Journal of Music Education, Vol.13, No.1 (pp.6-11).

Introduces a special issue in English devoted to current polices and practices related to multiculturalism and music... more Introduces a special issue in English devoted to current polices and practices related to multiculturalism and music education, particularly within Europe. Offers a definition and overview of issues and concepts in multicultural music education as well as discussion of various critiques of the field and normative positions regarding the role that cultural 'authenticity' should play in music instruction. Introduces articles by contributors who discuss music education among various ethnic minorities in Europe.

Wind Bands and Cultural Identity in Japanese Schools

by David Hebert

Hebert, D. G. (2012-published). Wind Bands and Cultural Identity in Japanese Schools. Dordrecht and New York: Springer. (Series–Landscapes: arts, aesthetics, education).

This well researched volume tells the story of music education in Japan and of the wind band contest organized by the... more This well researched volume tells the story of music education in Japan and of the wind band contest organized by the All-Japan Band Association. Identified here for the first time as the world’s largest musical competition, it attracts 14,000 bands and well over 500,000 competitors. The book’s insightful contribution to our understanding of both music and education chronicles music learning in Japanese schools and communities. It examines the contest from a range of perspectives, including those of policy makers, adjudicators, conductors and young musicians. The book is an illuminating window on the world of Japanese wind bands, a unique hybrid tradition that comingles contemporary western idioms with traditional Japanese influences. In addition to its social history of Japanese school music programs, it shows how participation in Japanese school bands contributes to students’ sense of identity, and sheds new light on the process of learning to play European orchestral instruments.

Content Level » Research

David G. Hebert, PhD is a Professor of Music with the Grieg Academy, Bergen University College, Norway. He previously held academic positions with universities in the USA, Japan, Finland, Russia, and New Zealand, and has directed (or currently directs) music research projects on 6 continents. Widely published and cited as a scholar of global music education, he is chair of the Historical Ethnomusicology special interest group of the Society for Ethnomusicology.

Keywords » All-Japan Band Association - European orchestral instruments - Japanese composers - Japanese influences - Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra - Yamaha - japanese schools - music education - wind bands - young musicians

Foreword (by Bonnie Wade).- Part I: A social history of wind bands in Japanese schools. Chapter 1: Introduction: The world’s finest school bands and largest music competition.- Chapter 2: Where are these bands from?: An historical overview.- Part II: An ethnography of wind bands in Japanese schools. Chapter 3: An invitation to the Tokyo middle school.- Chapter 4: The band rehearsal ritual and its participants.- Chapter 5: Instruction in the Japanese school band.- Chapter 6: Scenes from the 50th AJBA national band competition.- Chapter 7: Winning in the band: Views from beneath and within.- Chapter 8: Winning in the band: Views from above and beyond.- Chapter 9: Japanese composers and wind band repertoire.- Chapter 10: Leadership and duty in the ensemble.- Chapter 11: Cooperative learning and mentorship in band.- Chapter 12: Organizational training of the Japanese band director.- Chapter 13: Corporate giants: Yamaha and the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra.- Chapter 14: Metaphors of a Japanese band community.- Chapter 15: Musical identity in the band: Social class and gender.- Chapter 16: National identity in the Japanese school band.- Chapter 17: Ensemble ethos: Theorizing cultures of musical achievement.- Chapter 18: Conclusions.- Afterword.- Glossary.- Index

Patriotism and Nationalism in Music Education

by David Hebert

Forthcoming multi-author book, co-edited with Alexandra Kertz-Welzel.

Patriotism And Nationalism In Music Education
by David Hebert and Alexandra Kertz-Welzel (edt.)
ISBN-13 : 9781409430803
ISBN-10 : 1409430804
Publisher : ASHGATE PUBLISHING
Format : Hardback
Pub Date : August 2012
Status : Not yet published [complete manuscript now in press]

Music has long served as an emblem of national identity in educational systems throughout the world. Patriotic songs... more Music has long served as an emblem of national identity in educational systems throughout the world. Patriotic songs are commonly considered healthy and essential ingredients of the school curriculum, nurturing the respect, loyalty and 'good citizenship' of students. But to what extent have music educators critically examined the potential benefits and costs of nationalism? Globalization in the contemporary world has revolutionized the nature of international relationships, such that patriotism may merit rethinking as an objective for music education. The fields of 'peace studies' and 'education for international understanding' may better reflect current values shared by the profession, values that often conflict with the nationalistic impulse. This is the first book to introduce an international dialogue on this important theme; nations covered include Germany, the USA, South Africa, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and Canada.


Hebert, D. G. & Kertz-Welzel, A. (Eds.) (2012, Ashgate, forthcoming/in press). Patriotism and Nationalism in Music Education. [Contributors: Simon Keller, Jane Southcott, Kari Veblen, Ambigay Yudkoff, Carlos Abril, CheeHoo Lum, Eugene Dairianathan, Amy Beegle, Wai-Chung Ho, Marja Heimonen, David G. Hebert, Alexandra Kertz-Welzel].

Musikkbegrepet som sort boks (Opening the Black Box of Music) Et forsøk på en dekonstruksjon av begrepet musikk i vestlig tenkning, med utgangspunkt i en lærebok i musikk for ungdomsskolen

by Anders Rønningen

Published in Norwegian, in Nordic Research in Music Education. Yearbook Vol. 12 2010, 81-100

Opening the Black Box of Music
The present article critically examines the concept of “music” as it is used in... more Opening the Black Box of Music
The present article critically examines the concept of “music” as it is used in textbooks
in Norwegian schools on grades 8-10 (Opus – Music for lower high school). How
“music” is understood has relevance of course to both music as a school subject, and
the more common sense public use of the term, particularly in relation to multicultural
issues. By using Bruno Latour’s notion of Black Boxes – a concept developed to focus
on how science and scientific facts often hide the action, interests and processes
behind them and function like closed and neutral entities – it is argued that “music”
is (wrongly) presented as culturally independent and universal. By hiding the culture-
and power-related factors that constitute the concept, the dependence of Western
thinking and understanding of the concept is exnominated. The black box of music is
opened by using some of the insights gained from an article by Robert Walker, which
discusses the Western ideology encapsulated in the notion of music. This is relevant
in today’s global and multicultural context when “music” is also used to denote
musics foreign to the Western concept, especially with regard to multicultural music
education, in which the exnominated notion of music is in danger of systematically
devaluating foreign musics, as their concepts may significantly differ.

Vom Nicht-Verschwinden der Inhalte aus der Musikdidaktik, in: Inhalte des Musikunterrichts, hg. v. Jürgen Vogt, Christian Rolle & Frauke Heß (= Wissenschaftliche Musikpädagogik Bd.4), Münster (LIT) 2010, S.6-13.

by Juergen Vogt

Modale Zeiten. Temporale Perspektiven einer pädagogischen Introduktion in Musikkultur, in: Unterricht in Musik - Rückblick und aktuelle Aspekte. Symposion der WSMP zum 90. Geburtstag von Heinz Antholz, hg. v. Thomas Ott & Jürgen Vogt (= Wissenschaftliche Musikpädagogik Bd.3), Münster (LIT) 2008, S.16-28

by Juergen Vogt

Musikpädagogik auf dem Wege zur Vermittlungswissenschaft oder auf dem Holzweg?, in: Musikpädagogik auf dem Wege zur Vermittlungswissenschaft?, hg. v. Martin Pfeffer, Christian Rolle & Jürgen Vogt (= Wissenschaftliche Musikpädagogik Bd.2), Münster (LIT) 2008, S.6-15.

by Juergen Vogt