A review of a new book edited by Susan Hallam & Andrea Creech
This book sets itself a difficult task. As the authors rightly acknowledge “The landscape of music education in the UK is constantly shifting and developing” – so the ink will barely have dried and there are sections that need revising…
Nevertheless, Susan Hallam and Andrea Creech have done a fine job in pulling the various strands together to present a comprehensive snapshot of music education today. Writers and practitioners who work for (or have an association with) the Institute of Education have been commissioned to write the chapters.
The book is well structured and is presented in three sections.
The first provides a review of the benefits of music education which will be useful for those who need justify the place of (and find funding for) music in the school curriculum and beyond. This is followed by a brief history of music education in the UK and an overview of some recent developments.
The second section looks at a range of current issues in music education and includes chapters on singing, inclusion, listening, creativity, ICT, assessment, and teacher education.
The final section considers the contexts for learning, including chapters on formal learning through all the phases from early years to HE. There are also chapters on the provision made by music services, private music teachers and the informal sector.
Rather than provide a superficial summary of the entire book, let us focus on just a few chapters in some detail:
Learning through Life. The chapter starts with some useful background to the development of the notion and rationale for lifelong learning. The authors go on to consider the different contexts for learning:
* formal – studying for a recognised qualification.
* Informal – learning which does not lead towards a qualification
* non-formal – ‘unintentional’ learning! (for example listening to music on the radio)
There then follows a detailed discussion of providers, participants and the motivations and benefits of lifelong learning. This is complemented by illuminating case studies including the ‘Call that Singing’ project, the Sage’s Silver Programme and Live Music Now. An excellent chapter rounds off with a consideration of some of the challenges and implications for practice.
The role of technology makes for a particularly interesting read. The authors (Evangelos Himonides and Ross Purves) begin by sorting out what we mean by music technology, ICT and IT and wisely conclude that we are probably best off using these terms loosely and interchangeably! Following a powerful advocacy for the various benefits that music technology in education can afford, there is some background on the recent government support for embedding ICT in education. The rest of the chapter is given over to a consideration of the Teaching & Learning Research Programme’s holistic principles of effective teaching and learning. These principles are generic rather than subject specific and provide a useful checklist for assessing the value of a technology prior to implementation.
Creativity is another comprehensive chapter which covers all the main bases. An opening section stresses the importance of creativity and generating new ideas in the Global economy. This is followed by a potted history on how composing and improvisation were brought into the music curriculum. It begins with the Plowden Report, moving through Swanwick’s spirals on to more recent research on the nature of creative individuals and groups. Creativity in Primary music (based on an assumption that Rose Review would/will be implemented next Autumn) and the new 14-19 Creative and Media Diploma are given some space. I am surprised that there is no discussion on the Creativity statements from the New KS3 Secondary Curriculum. This might have been worth pursuing. There are useful sections on creativity in World Musics and ICT. I would have liked to have seen something on the use of ICT in performance as well as composition – an area which will become more significant as we move further into the 21st C. The sections on the importance of developing instrumental skills and the relevance of notation offer much sensible advice and the chapter finishes with a consideration of some of the challenges facing teachers who want to foster ‘creative’ work in their classrooms.
Initial and ongoing education of music teachers
Education or training? The terminology is discussed before moving on to a survey of the various routes into teaching and the issues some of them present. The debates surrounding the importance of subject expertise are well covered before the chapter moves on to its concluding section on CPD. Again the pathways and issues are well presented. The final section, on ways forward for music and teacher education, has this statement:
“Rather than just concentrating on gaining knowledge of the latest curriculum or pedagogical enterprise, opportunities for teachers to network, discuss, argue, learn think challenge and generally professionally develop should be paramount……”
This, I thought, would be an obvious cue to say something about the impact that teachingmusic.org.uk is making. But no. In fact nothing on this in the rest of the book either. Here lies the book’s only serious omission. There is hardly any discussion on the growing importance of the potential of the internet’s various social networking sites to support teaching and learning. And I really think there should be in a book which is about 21stC education.
In conclusion.
This book deserves to be read well into the 21st Century. So, I would urge the publishers (IoE) to consider setting up some companion webspace to facilitate easy update and revision. There are already corrections which need to be made. Find Your Talent, Rose Review are no longer with us. The Music Manifesto site disappears as I write this review. And new considerations are emerging. The Musical Bridges project is taking a serious look at transition in KS2-3 Music. ‘Bigger picture’ initiatives under the Whole Education umbrella will impact on how we teach and learn music.
Then there is the possibility that all this may be overhauled following the Henley Review….
There is no doubt that this book will be especially useful for those entering the music education profession. Indeed it is the only book that presents the spectrum of music education under one cover, making it an excellent starting point for serious investigation.
It is also an essential read for those already immersed in music education. Our diverse, disparate community can use the book to help gain a deeper understanding of what goes on in other sectors – and in turn help to foster more meaningful partnerships, which are going to be important in the future.
