Hybridity and Convergence: Popular and “Classical” music and musicianship can live together

I often write and speak about music education curriculum and teaching/learning contexts in terms of hybridity and convergence. I differentiate these paradigms of curriculum to those that are more compartmentalized or specific to particular ways of knowing or doing music such as “strands” and classes that focus on a form of musicianship or type of music (particularly in relation to secondary K-12 music education). John Covach’s recent piece, Rock Me, Maestro, in the Chronicle of Higher Education is a great example of how hybridity and convergence can be applied to genres of music and related musical practices. He makes a couple of key points such as:

High-school musicians are playing in rock bands, practicing hard, and performing at ever-higher levels. But these talented and dedicated students are too often unwelcome at our postsecondary schools of music, even though many of those programs are facing enrollment challenges. If students do enroll, they will very likely be asked to check their pop passion at the door. Do not come as you are.

and, what I think is at the core of Covach’s article:

The ideal solution is not to create a series of parallel majors (one for pop, one for jazz, yet another for classical), but rather to create a major that has music at its core and specialties as its features. Students who study various styles should sit side by side in the same classrooms as much as possible. In today’s world, musicians need to adapt quickly to professional and artistic opportunities, and it is crucial that they be versatile and flexible.

To what extent are music programs (both K-12 and higher ed) helping people develop versatility and flexibility? (I recently mentioned how our music education program as ASU has a set of core principles, one of which is flexible musicianship)

I recommend reading Rock Me, Maestro and seriously considering what future music programs might look and sound like if we embrace ethics of hybridity, convergence, and equity among musics, musical practices, and ways of knowing or engaging with the world with and through music.