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Book Reviews
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Book Reviews
Popular Musics, Popular Music and Identity, chapter outlining psychological strategies to
The Child as Music Critic, and How and manage overcoming performance anxiety.
Why Do Musical Preferences Change in The final section on Contexts contains
Childhood and Adolescence? For example, eight chapters on Historical Perspectives,
as before, Glenn Schellenberg discusses both Child As Musical Apprentice, Global
the fact and fiction around whether music Practices, Transcultural Childhoods,
makes children smarter. A particularly Non-Formal Music Experiences,
interesting addition is Paul Woodford’s Transformative Music Engagement and
examination of music appreciation Musical Flourishing, Transition from
classrooms – which he compares to isolated Adolescent to Adult Music Learner, and
medieval convents – where much of what is Fostering Lifelong Engagement in Music. In a
taught ignores music’s critical and creative similar fashion to the first edition, Gordon
potential for social change. Cox gives a historical account of Western
The third section on Differences children’s music education through time,
includes five chapters: Motivation, Building and addresses how music has been taught in
Gifts into Musical Talents, Inclusive Music institutions in accordance with that period’s
Classrooms, Music and Wellbeing During philosophy of what childhood should be
Illness, and Adolescent Music is Not about. Added in this edition, Stephanie Pitts
Problematic. Paul Evans discusses topics aptly argues that musical development does
such as growth or fixed mindsets in relation not stop when children leave school, as
to motivation, and a particularly interesting shown by the large number of adult leisure
updated section on the connection between listeners and amateur performers, whereas
identity and motivation. New to this edition, the music education curriculum’s short-term
Katrina McFerran examines the shift in goals towards giving annual concerts misses
teenage musical interests – which adults the mark of developing long-term lovers of
sometimes view as causing additional music.
problems – that can actually afford Previous reviews of the first edition
opportunities to resolve issues and provide criticized its flow from one chapter to the
feelings of validation. The fourth section on next, and it is valid to say that the collection
Skills contains six chapters on Playing an is rather fragmented, but this is what makes it
Instrument, Building Performance a practical handbook. For instance, readers
Confidence, Singing and Vocal can easily focus on the issue of parental
Development, Musical Play, The Individual involvement without having to sift through a
and Social Worlds of Children’s Musical lot of extraneous information. The authors’
Creativities, and Computer-Based inclusion of reflective questions and
Technology. Gary McPherson, Jane substantial reference lists at the end of each
Davidson, and Paul Evans address the chapter make this an excellent resource for
age-old questions of when, how, and why to university courses and a ‘jumping off point’
begin private instrumental study, with a for students’ individual scholarship. For
sufficiently large section on practice and example, Chapter 4, titled Musicality, ends
parental involvement. In one of the fresh with the question, ‘Can musicality be
chapters, Margaret Osborne discusses measured? What issues arise from such
performance confidence – performances can measurements?’ While there are no frothy
be instinctively perceived by students as pictures or links to websites, the rigour and
threatening – and spends much of the careful scholarship brought to these
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Book Reviews
discussions is what sets it apart from other and the practice of teaching music. New
resources. The text is small, the graphs are light is shed on possibilities for teachers and
informative, and the information is practical. the educational institutions in which we
The foremost, remaining criticism starts work. Four chapters make up the main body
before one even opens the book: the word of the text. In the opening chapter a rationale
‘musician’ in the title goes undefined. The is given for why we should reconsider the
authors imply that children are inherently ways we attend to established musical forms.
musical but this comes in sharp contrast to In particular, an appeal is made for a move
the traditional definition of a musician as away from the prevailing master-apprentice
someone who earns a living from playing model. Emphasis is placed, rather, on the
music. Most adults would connect being a make-up of formal learning environments in
musician with a paycheque, but the which students ‘act in tandem with their
information presented here suggests that teachers as creators and judges’ (p. 9). Allsup
after 28 to 30 weeks’ gestation even fetuses argues that music education should be
can perceive music which alters their heart human-specific, not practice-specific. And if
rates. Does that make them a musician? A all relationships are two-way then the case
discussion surrounding what it means to be a the author makes for the teacher as
musician, at what point one might consider co-author or reader is perhaps justified.
themselves a musician, and if everyone is Throughout the chapter, he makes reference
considered a musician, would be to the closed traditions which have
worthwhile. In summary, this updated dominated public education. He makes a
version of The Child as Musician does not number of bold claims which highlight the
just feature the same prior content with parlous state in which we currently find
updated cover art. The range of topics by the ourselves. For example, he is not convinced
leading scholars in music education research that we have sufficiently examined the
is impressive. Despite its price, this book is a problem of musical expertise; he asserts that
worthwhile investment for anyone seeking a routine expertise has no general application
comprehensive and easily readable in a diversity-affirming classroom; he
collection of the latest research. believes we need to depart from the
old-fashioned visions of child-centred
KAREN KING learning. At any rate, the reader is lurched
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY from their snug position and an appeal is
made for more open encounters.
Chapter 2 is mostly concerned with
doi:10.1017/S0265051718000013 what constitutes quality music teaching.
Remixing the Classroom: Toward an Open Following a brief enquiry into the purpose of
Philosophy of Music Education by Randell public schooling, the author snakes his way
E. Allsup. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana through various themes making some
University Press, 2016. 181 pp., enticing arguments as he goes. He affirms
paperback. £21.99. that a good teacher is: ‘a kind of catalyst, the
ISBN:978-0-253-02142-7 flint that sparks new learning, the spark that
helps light another generation’s course’
This is a provocative book in many ways as (pp. 43–44). The common notion that
the author presents us with offbeat ways to instruction in music is not the same as
tackle university music teacher education education in music is reinforced. Any music
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