From the western classics to the world: secondary music teachers' changing attitudes in England 1982 and 1998

Two parallel samples of secondary music teachers in England, taken from 1982 and 1998, reveal similarities and differences in their evaluations and uses of twentieth and pre-twentieth century Western classical music, folk music, popular music, jazz and ‘world’ music. Least change occurs with relation to folk and pre-twentieth century classical music; most with relation to popular and world musics. The status of classical music is high in each of the two time periods, but in different ways. By the end of the century, teachers’ views of musical value have overall, shifted radically towards more global perspectives, and their classroom approaches include far more integrated practical work involving performing, composing and listening, with an emphasis on cross-stylistic comparisons and musical universals

Group cooperation, inclusion and disaffected pupils: some responses to informal learning in the music classroom

This paper examines some personal and inter-personal issues concerning group-work and informal learning in the music classroom. It analyses data from a recent research project, which adopted and adapted the informal music learning practices of popular musicians, for use in the classroom. The discussion focuses on three aspects of the project. Firstly, it considers the issue of group cooperation, or the ways in which pupils interacted to organise their learning in small groups. This includes various approaches, identified as ‘group learning’, ‘peer-directed learning’ and ‘leadership’. Secondly, the paper addresses the topic of inclusion in relation to how individuals with differing needs and experiences were able to respond to the project, and the extent to which the learning practices allowed differentiation. Thirdly, weaving through the first two strands, the paper examines the inclusion of pupils who had been identified by their teachers as disaffected. This involves considering the roles of imaginative play and personal identity in the music classroom, with relation to both music’s cultural delineations and its sonic properties

Musical identities, learning and education: Some cross-cultural issues

In sum, the aims of this paper are to consider some of the ways in which individual musical identities are formed through formal and informal music-learning across a range of contexts afforded by the contemporary dialectical relations between local and global musical cultures; to suggest some ways in which both similarities and differences occur in the processes of musical identity-formation and the content of musical identities; and to consider some of the effects of globalisation and localisation in relation to the provision and content of formal music education. (DIPF/Orig.

Popular music education in and for itself, and for 'other' music: current research in the classroom

This article considers some ways in which the school classroom enters into, changes and complicates musical meanings, focussing particularly on the role of popular music and how it relates to classical music. I suggest that in bringing popular music into the curriculum, educators have largely ignored the informal learning practices of popular musicians. Popular music has therefore been present as curriculum content, but its presence has only recently begun to affect our teaching strategies. I examine how the adaptation of some informal popular music learning practices for classroom use can positively affect pupils’ musical meanings and experiences. This applies not only to the sphere of popular music, but also to classical music and, by implication, other musics as well. Finally, the notions of musical autonomy, personal autonomy and musical authenticity in relation to musical meaning and informal learning practices within the classroom are discussed

Editorial Introduction: Popular Music in Education, Special Issue

This Popular Music in Education (PME) special issue includes contributions discussing developments in several countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Singapore and the United States. It covers a range of approaches, exploring technology, hermeneutics, theory, guitars, jazz, songwriting, DIY/DIWO, politics and music industry perspectives. As music institutions have increasingly opened their doors to popular music, this has inevitably led to a greater level of interest in how you teach and learn popular music. PME is presenting a louder presence within Popular Music Studies (PMS), as the ground prepared by PMS has made space for a wave of new PME courses and students to sweep through educational contexts. In the wake of such expansion, this special issue intends to promote a further understanding of relevant issues such a

Aspirations for later life: a report of research carried out by the National Centre for Social Research on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (Research Report No 737)

This research report presents new survey findings on people’s aspirations for later life (that is, aged 60 onwards) in Great Britain. The survey sought to determine whether people hold aspirations for their later life and, if so, what these might be. In addition, it sought to provide an insight into what are the enablers and barriers to achieving these aspirations. Questions were asked of adults of all ages, not just those in middle and older age groups to explore when people start thinking about later life and how these attitudes change across the life cycle. This survey was carried out as part of the National Centre for Social Research Omnibus Survey. The sample was drawn from the Postcode Address File (PAF), commonly used in general population surveys. Face-to-face interviews were carried out in summer 2010. A total of 1,867 adults aged 16 years and over took part in the survey. However, it was assumed that respondents aged 45 to 65 years (i.e. those closer to retirement) would be most likely to have aspirations for later life, and so the number of respondents in this category was boosted, to allow more detailed analysis of their answers