Standing in the Shadows of Mozart: World Music, Music Education, and Curricular Change
Presenter: Dr. Deborah Bradley (University of Toronto and University of Wisconsin - retired)
This presentation begins with a brief look at the recent history of the calls for change in Music Education. Driven by concerns for social justice, pre-service teachers need not only exposure to a diverse array of musics, but a thorough understanding of pedagogies that are relevant for the increasingly diverse student populations they will encounter in the classroom. Despite these requirements, many schools of music remain wedded to conservatory models with a narrow focus on the western canon and the pedagogies that have developed in support of that canon. Thus both world music and music education remain “in the shadows of Mozart” in university music schools. This discussion focuses on some of the ways disciplines of music education and ethnomusicology might better support each other to bring about needed change.