This paper examines the tradition of ‘teaching’ in the arts, taking, as a case in point, recent attempts by music educators to make school music more appealing to students. Research is cited which would seem to call into question the effectiveness of years of so-called curriculum development in music, and the point is made that the reforms may not have been sufficiently radical. By reference to the writings of R. G. Collingwood and H.-G. Gadamer an argument is developed around the notion that the arts cannot in fact be ‘taught’ and that the troubles connected with, in this case, school music, arise from the failure of music teachers at all levels to acknowledge this fundamental intuition. The paper follows Collingwood further in suggesting an account of arts teaching which sees the arts as a way of having ideas, and the purpose of an education in the arts as helping someone find their authentic, expressive voice.

This paper reviews the implementation (1988) of a practical music-making curriculum in Scotland for 14—16 year olds in the context of its reliance on activity-based learning experiences. Such experiences, which result in the pupil taking part in subject-related activities such as performing, inventing, and active listening, enable knowledge and skills to be applied and developed in a variety of ways, and in so doing reinforce previous learning and allow new opportunities for learning and teaching. This approach has a theoretical foundation in a wide variety of literature, and the paper focuses on literature concerning creative and aesthetic activities, and more specifically the role of active-learning experiences in a musical context.

The term ‘visually impaired’ is applied generally to include those who have relatively good functional eyesight as well as those with little or no perception of images or light. Its use is preferable to the more emotive and frightening word ‘blind’, but nevertheless ‘visually impaired’ still contains a substantial degree of mystery and unknown for those teachers who rarely or never come into contact with children and/or students who have poor vision. This is due mainly to the difficulty of conceiving and appreciating what can and cannot be seen by someone who is visually impaired, and this itself then confuses the reaction to the needs of that person. These requirements are often a subtle mix of practical support, and understandably, most teachers would expect these to be the concern of established support systems. This is, however, not always the case, particularly as more and more visually impaired children are studying within mainstream education rather than at special schools, and as visually impaired students take up opportunities in further and higher education. It is, of course, no reflection on procedures and organizations that are concerned with the visually impaired in education to stress the need for increased awareness amongst teachers in mainstream education. This is particularly important because the most significant developments in technology have occurred within the last 10—15 years, and the cost has reduced so that it has become more widely accessible.

Existing classifications of West African musics seem to have a limited applicability as models for music education in schools and colleges. Hence, a more comprehensive classification, highlighting a range of syncretic forms, is merged with a structure in Ghanaian drum ensembles to yield a sequential, two dimensional, model. It is then argued that the model can be used as a framework for teaching West African musics in primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions. A more general discussion is followed by an integrated arts application; finally, a musical perspective, including compositions by the present writer, is presented.

Most university students of music, including many who are accomplished both academically and as instrumentalists, consistently under-achieve in the subject areas commonly known as ‘techniques of composition’. Why this is so, and how this aspect of the university curriculum has come about in Britain and Ireland, are the subjects of this paper. At a time when formal methods are being replaced by free composition in the secondary school music curriculum, the future direction of third-level studies is very much in doubt. Because school-leavers are less well equipped than formerly in musical rudiments and basic harmony, some university music departments have abandoned techniques teaching altogether – those where it is retained being seen as bastions of conservatism. In view of the obvious shortcomings of existing methods their demise is understandable. Future developments, however, must not be determined by reaction, but guided by research.

This paper utilizes the vocabulary and methodological concepts of field theory to explore how play can arise in and through performance. Field is defined as a space or potential for action. The action of play is grounded in an open and expanding space which through a dialectic interplay of feelings motivates self-exploration. The action of musical performance is grounded in a reaching out movement through which the performer forges and sustains a musical voice. The field can create a space for play when the music-making re-directs or challenges the focus of the musical voice. The methodological approach recognizes and respects differences in the way music is made in different cultural traditions. It also articulates a need to develop instructional strategies which treat musical style as a ritualistic process and which define the role of the teacher as a musician.1