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In contrast to Mursell’s omnibus theory, Carl Seashore (1937) developed a philosophy known as the theory of specifics. His six Measures of Musical Talent paved the way for Edwin Gordon’s musical aptitude tests as they scientifically tested and rated students on their abilities of hearing specific musical elements. Seashore and Mursell squared off in fierce debates between their two theories in the 1930’s, and this dichotomy has continued to divide the music education profession with similar debates between Gordon and Reimer later in the twentieth century.
Antonio Damasio (1999) walks us through the psychological process of experiencing emotion and feeling, stating that first we experience a state of emotion triggered by an inducer, followed by a state of feeling represented nonconsciously, and ending with a state of feeling made conscious. Tait and Haack (1984) propose the notion that music encompasses memories and images of feelings, creating a space that we can utilize to teach artistic structures. Similarly, Csikszentmihalyi (1990) coined the term “flow” which is the complete immersion in an activity when skill matches challenge.
The pedagogies of Mursell (1948) and Leonhard (1972) revolve around the use of music to solve technical problems by creating an aural concept of sound. Tait and Haack (1984) state that an aesthetic performance should include the fusion of thought and feeling. Arnold Jacobs (Nelson, 2006) and Daniel Kohut (1985) take this a step further by discussing the role of having an aural concept and the use of trial-and-error practice.
In the final section I will compare the different philosophies of music education, the views on the psychological processes involved in music making, and the various pedagogies existing today to illuminate the rift between approaches on this topic in our profession. By synthesizing these different approaches throughout history, I hope to stimulate fresh thinking for new approaches in today’s beginning instrumental instruction.
Jill Wilson, Morningside College, Sioux City, Iowa An Examination of Iowa’s School Music Programs
The K-16 Music Summit is a consortium made up of music education leaders in the state of Iowa, including a representative from the State Department of Education. In a first-of-its-kind effort to help collect baseline data about the state of music education in Iowa, a committee of Summit members developed a survey distributed to all music educators in the state.
The goal was to gather information regarding the ensembles and courses being offered in music programs and the percentage of students participating. Survey questions focused on demographic information as well as staffing, facilities, and budget. Additional topics included the percentage of time spent in teaching other subjects or in non-musical duties, the number of non-certified staff teaching music, what role the parent booster organization played (should it exist), what community organizations were available for music participation outside of school, how many performances were expected, and the amount of rehearsal or class time per week. Data were collected through an electronic questionnaire distributed to all K-12 music educators through a state music education association fall mailing as well as through email “blasts” and links embedded in the web pages of a variety of music education organizations. The survey was
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