Music Education Philosophy
Dr David J.
Elliott
The Praxial
Philosophy
Who is Dr. David Elliott?!?
Has been at New York University since 2002
Professor of Music Education
Graduate Advisor for Music Education
Department of Music and Performing Arts
Professions
An award winning composer and arranger
Has published music with Boosey and Hawkes
A specialist in Music Education Philosophy
Previously
He was at the University of Toronto for 25 years
Taught and coordinated Music Education
Taught as a Visiting Professor of Music Education
at:
Indiana University
Northwestern University
University of Cape Town
University of North Texas
the Irish World Music Centre at the University of
Limerick
Presentations
The International Society for Music Education
National conferences in Australia, Canada, Japan,
South Africa, the USA, Israel and New Zealand
Queens University (Belfast)
University of Durban-Natal
University of Auckland
The Sibeluis Academy of Music (Finland)
University of Stockholm
University of Porto
Hong Kong Chinese University
University of Sydney
University of Southern California
Eastman School of Music
Presentations Continued
The Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music
The Hartt School of Music
Michigan State
Temple
Penn State
University of South Florida
University of Oklahoma
Boston University
University of Texas
University of Maryland-College Park
UCLA
Ithaca College
University of Minnisota
His Qualifications
He has four degrees
Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto
Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto
Master of Music from the University of Toronto
Ph. D. from Case Western Reserve University
The
Praxial
Philosophy
The Basis of the Praxial Philosophy
The Praxial Philosophy gives us an explanation of the
nature and values of music. The philosopy focuses on
a multidimensional concept of music and musical
works, musical understanding, music's values in
human life and many ways of achieving these values.
Dr. Elliott believes that “music making (of all kinds)
and the rich kind of music listening required to make
music well, should be at the center of the music
curriculum.”
The Praxial Philosophy insists upon a comprehensive
and reflective approach to music teaching and
learning.
Time For Some Work
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Dr. Elliott lists three
questions as the basis for his
philosophy and therefore of
music education.
What do you think these
questions might be?
What would they be for
you?
Take some time to think
about it and write down
three questions that may be
the basis of music
education.
The Three Questions
1.Why teach music?
2.What should music
teachers teach?
3.How should music
education be carried
out?
A Little More Work
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Out of these three
questions Dr. Elliott
has come up with
seven points of music
education.
Try to come up with
seven points to go with
either your questions
or his.
The Seven Points
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Why teach music?
Aims
What should music Teachers
teach?
Knowledge
How should music education
be carried out?
Learners
Teaching-Learning Process
Teachers
Evaluation
Teaching-Learning Context
Aims
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Music instills in people important values such as:
self-growth and self-knowledge. Music shares a
unique emotional experience of musical
enjoyment. These are the most important values of
music and music education. These values are the
central aims.
Values are accesible, achievable and applicable to
all students providing that teachers develop their
students musicianship and musical listening ability
progressivly and in balanced relation to a variety
of significant musical challenges.
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Music education also tends to contribute to the
development of a person's self-esteem and selfidentity.
Music gives us numerous ways of giving artistic
form to our powers of thinking, knowing, valuing,
evaluating, believing and feeling.
Knowledge
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Teachers should teach musicianship.
Musicianship is the key to achieving the values
and aims of music education.
Dr. Elliott believes that verbal knowledge is
secondary to procedural knowledge.
Learners
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Musicianship, Dr.
Elliott believes, is not
something that people
are born with, it is not
something naturally
given.
Instead, musicianship
is a form of cognition –
a rich form of thinking
and knowing that is
educable and
applicable to everyone.
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Dr. Elliott tells us that “all music students should
be taught in the same basic way: through
performing, composing, arranging, conducting and
listening. Listening should be taught and learned in
direct relation to the music that students are
learning to make and, also, in relation to recorded
music presented in relation to and in the context of
their active music making.
“ The difference between and among music
education programs across grade levels, school
regions [etc] are not the controls of the curriculum
but, rather the kinds and levels of musical
challenges chosen for one's students. In addition,
music programs will differ in the kinds of musicmaking media chosen for one's students.”
Teaching – Learning Process
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A very important part of our job is to teach
students how to continue to develop their
musicianship in their future.
Developing musicianship is a particular kind of
learning process that students can engage in and
learn how to employ themselves.
“Achieving musicianship involves learning to
reflect critically on the creative promise of the
musical ideas one generates and selects”
Teachers
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Teachers are the basis (obviously) of music
education.
In order for proper music education to occur,
teachers need to be musically competent
themselves!
Musicianship and teaching ability are
interdependent. One without the other is
insufficient.
“To teach music effectively, we must know our
subject:music. We must embody and exemplify
musicianship.”
Evaluation
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Evaluation and assesment are two distinct things.
Assesment :
Assesment in music education is meant to provide
feedback to students about the quality of their
growing musicianship.
Learners need feedback about why, when and how
they are meeting musical challenges in relation to
musical standards and traditions.
Assesment also provides useful
data to teachers, parents and the
surrounding educational
community.
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Evaluation:
Evaluation is primarily concerned with grading,
ranking and other procedures for purposes of
student promotion and curriculum evaluation.
“Students also need to learn how to assess their own
musical thinking by learning what counts as good
music making and listening in a given musical
style. Assessment is the joint responsibility of
teachers and students.”
“There is no justification for using standardized tests
in music. There is justification, however, for (a
moderate number of) written tests and assingments
about the verbal knowledge components of
musicianship (music theory and history). Overall,
conventional methods of evaluation are
inappropriate in music education because they rely
too heavily on linguistic thinking.”
Teaching – Learning Context
The Praxial Philosophy tells us to “focus on
achieving self-growth and musical enjoyment in the
thoughtful actions of music making and listening.”
“Teachers and students should work-together to
meet the musical challenges involved in realistic
musical projects through reflective music making.
“The music teaching-learning environment is, itself,
a key element in the music education enterprise.”
“The Praxial curriculum is, itself, informative.”
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Putting it all Together
“In sum, when small and large performing ensembles
are developed and carried out in relation to [these]
principles, and when performing is supplemented
with improvising, composing, arranging, conducting
and music-listening projects, then the music
classroom becomes a reflective musical practicum;
an approxiamtion of real music practice situations, or
music cultures. The music-practicum content feeds
back to students by revealing 'what counts' in their
developing musicianship.”
Dr. David Elliott Describes his
Philosophy
It is not a performance based philosophy [though
others may see it as such]. “Musical values and
musicianship (including musical-listening abilities)
are best achieved through active music making of all
kinds; to me, performing and improvising are first
among equals.”
“What would you say about the
relationship between the 'National
Standards' and the Praxial
Philosophy?”
“The USA's National Standards are an excellent
advocacy statement. What they advocate (in essence)
is that school music programs should teach all forms
of music making and listening to all students.
However, the National Standards are not the same as
a philosophy of music education. That is, the
Standards do not provide critically reasoned
explanations of why music belongs in the curriculum
or what knowledge is most worth learning by all
music students.
As an effort of advocacy I support the National
Standards fully. And because they encourage schools
and communities to employ qualified music teachers
to teach all studens, I endorse the National Standards.
Also, to the extent that the Standards
emphasize quality music making and
listening in context, the praxial philosophy
provides strong philosophical support for
the Standards. But, becuase the nature and
quality of music education depends on
many key issues that the standards do not
address, their value as a basis for
curriculum and instruction is limited.”
Dr. Elliott Explains Why He
Disagrees With Reimer's
Philosophy
“Reimer (1989) says that a philosophy of music
education must rest on a 'convincing' concept of
music: 'a concept about what is of ultimate value
about our art and the teaching of it' (p.11)
Reimer's chosen concept of music rests on two
theories of music:Suzanne K. Langer's theory and
Leonard B. Meyer's theory. The trouble is: a) Langer
and Meyer contradict each other about the nature of
music and b)most experts over the years have
debunked both theories.
So, Reimer's philosophy of music education is invalid
and unreliable. He has no dependable source of
beliefs about music on which to base his
recommendations for music teaching and learning.
Chief among these recommendatinos is Reimer's idea
(via Langer and Meyer) that we should teach all
children to listen to music 'aesthetically' (for musical
elements alone). To me, this is musical miseducation
because listening 'aesthetically' greatly diminishes the
richness of music listening and musical works.”
Resources
www.davidelliottmusic.com
www.nyu.edu
Any Questions?
Take what you have learned from Dr. David
Elliott and attempt to put it into practice.