Has music education changed since 1970? On students who rock. . .

David Bornstein recently wrote two opinion pieces for the New York times regarding music education. The first “Beyond Baby Mozart, Students Who Rock” focuses on Bornstein’s perspective on the state of music education and the Little Kids Rock organization. The second “Rock is Not the Enemy,” does a nice job of integrating a wide range of reader comments from the first opinion piece.

In the first opinion piece Bornstein writes:

Music education hasn’t changed fundamentally since the 1970s. Students are still taught to read notation so they can recite compositions that they would never listen to on their MP3 players or play with friends. The four “streams” in music education — orchestra, chorus, marching band and jazz band — have remained constant for four decades, while a third generation is growing up listening to rock and pop music.

I appreciate that Bornstein used the term “fundamentally,” which allows for the fact that change has occurred. The gist of what he is getting at in terms of the “four streams of music education” is fairly accurate given recent research (Abril and Gault, 2008; Elpus and Abril, 2011) – though strangely he mentions marching band and jazz band but does not mention concert band, wind ensemble, or general music, the latter of which addresses almost all students in most elementary schools and many middle/jr. high schools.

However, missing from both opinion pieces is recognition of the many music educators who are creating innovative and forward looking programs. Take the various programs and projects described in “Alternative Approaches in Music Education” edited by Ann Clements for example:

I’ve noticed over the years that New York Times articles or opinion pieces about education rarely include the voices of educators. It would be wonderful to have music educators provide some examples of the positive change they are making and innovative programs they are implementing. We know you are out there!

Here is what I submitted to the comment section of the “Rock is Not the Enemy” opinion piece:

Interestingly, music educators have integrated popular music in their programs for decades, though with some encouragement and debate. In 1939 Lilla Belle Pitts (at the time 2nd V.P. of MENC now the National Association for Music Education) wrote in the Music Educators Journal “As to the field of popular music, in spite of its obvious effect upon music and non-music students alike, it is an area virtually unexplored and unexplained by music educators in general. Whether such experiences are regarded as negative, mis-educative, or of possible educative value, one’s position is not strengthened by ignoring interests which require interpretation.” Pitts continues, urging her peers to integrate popular music in their programs. Decades later music educators are developing pedagogies for contemporary musical practices, becoming comfortable teaching concert band one period and rock band the next. We are broadening our students’ aural skills and music literacy, whether through learning popular music by ear or remixing music with creative commons licensing. Schools may eventually perform music such as Raul Yanez’s and DJ Radar’s Concerto for Turntable and Orchestra, proving that popular and classical music can coexist.

The 2011 Suncoast Music Education Research Symposium on Popular Music Pedagogies gives a sense of the current landscape of music education research on popular music teaching and learning. Such research and work of the UK Musical Futures Project are impacting the integration of popular music in music education positively. I am inspired by the hard work of music educators across the US applying their deep knowledge of how students learn music through contemporary musical practices. Likewise, I am inspired by young people expressing themselves through music, whatever the genre. Although faced with devastating budget cuts music educators are indeed transforming music education in exciting ways while maintaining the most successful aspects of their craft.

Please consider contributing your perspective and experience in the comment sections of Bornstein’s “Beyond Baby Mozart: Students Who Rock” and  “Rock is Not the Enemy” New York Times Opinion pieces.