Introduction
Music education is basically a field of study which is mainly associated with teaching and learning music (Elliott, David, 45). Children from elementary schools often learn how to play musical instruments like keyboards, sing in small choirs as well as learning about the musical sound elements in addition to the history of music. In primary and secondary schools learners usually have an opportunity to perform in a certain musical ensemble like the school bands and school choir and orchestra.
Music education has had contributions from traditional and modern philosophers (Regelski, Thomas 28) This field is guided by three philosophies but this paper will concentrate more on two; praxial music education and aesthetics music education and how the teachers ought to teach using either of the philosophical approaches to enhance music education.
In the recent past, there have been growing debates and discussions that the so-called paraxial music education has vehemently opposed the aesthetic philosophy as a guiding concept. To the die-hard of the praxial philosophy, aesthetic object, experience as well attitude are concepts that a lot of music teachers find them confusing (Elliott, David, 45). As a matter of fact, some racialists have advised music teachers to desert the purport of aesthetics. This is mainly because it represents a narrow scope of music rather than capturing the multidisciplinary musical practices. The aesthetic philosophy of music education refers to a directly contemplative intellectual experience.
A renowned scholar; David Elliot has been more categorical arguing that a truly musical experience ought not to be aesthetic in value and nature but rather a matter of action. John Dewey was more inclined to the concept of aesthetic philosophy. According to him, this concept is much of social construction as a personal experience, part of everyday life but not transcendental. In addition to this, aesthetics is more integral to artistic actions and not an art object. The aesthetic concept is a matter of quality of interaction in context but not a universal property of an object and most importantly, it is embodied in nature and not abstract.
The heated discussion between these two concepts-practical and aesthetics- concerning music seem to have developed in the practical question. That is whether music education ought to be based on listening as advocated by the aesthetic or on performance.as advocated by praxial philosophy (Elliott, David, 45). Preparing, developing, and planning a music curriculum may begin by deliberating on the kind of art music-making and performance the learners will pursue during the short and long-term periods.
There are five forms of music-making the teachers can teach; composing, performing, improvising as well as arranging and conducting. The music teaching curriculum should focus more on music-making especially through musical performing and improvising. However, conducting, composing in addition to arranging ought to be thought with reasonable frequency and more importantly, in relation to musical practices and the works the learners wish to pursue through musical performing.
Music education as an aesthetic concept
This concept advocated the teaching of music subjects in schools for the development of aesthetic sensitivity as well as connoisseurship to the composition of formal properties. Aesthetics hold the notion that the work of music is an art the moment it serves no useful purpose other than contemplation of its own official properties.
This concept puts more emphasis on the works of music as well as listening for formal properties while at the same time deemphasizing performance and its elevation of Western European music and negating its non-musical values. With time most of the teachers began to ignore this concept by questioning its intellectual validity since it failed to address certain issues in the field of music and more so new insights that were gained by ethnomusicology. This led to a philosophical paradigm in music education called racialism.
Music education as a Praxial concept
The practical philosophy of music education puts more emphasis on the notion that music should be perceived in relation to values and meanings that are evidenced in the actual music listening, making, and in addition, musical outcomes in particular cultural contexts. Those who advocate for the practical approach believe that teachers should teach music with respect to their own native contexts as well as standards. To them, music normally involves processes and products which are intertwined (Reimer, Bennett 46).
Aesthetic philosophy classroom education
According to many advocates of aesthetic philosophy, training for jobs is obviously not a sufficient role for teaching music in schools. To them, this philosophy emphasizes educating for duties of self-governing citizenship and more importantly, for the enjoyment of things of mind and spirit which are beneficial to human life. As a teacher of music, one ought to behave in a creative way as he/she promotes it to the learners( Reimer, Bennet, 37).
The teacher value the modeling of aesthetic behaviors which are important to the learners in the acquisition of these values. Music education aesthetics portrays that a learning conception as well as teaching environments as one single system that can promote aesthetics and earning styles. A music teacher, ought to present different issues and ideas to assist learners to view various concepts from different perspectives.
That is, for the student to be in a position to react aesthetically to issues. It is also essential for the teacher and the learners to continuously analyze as well as evaluating both the process and the products of creative actions. The music teacher ought to nurture in the learners the character of self-confidence since this process of aesthetic philosophy involves risk-taking (Goble, J& Scott,25).
The aesthetic and creative behaviors should be rewarded in the process of learning. Music education has a powerful influence on learner’s personal development in addition to long-term happiness. The music teachers who are nurturing and developing a personal philosophy of aesthetic music education can encourage the learners to perceive and consequently respond with sensational feelings to musical and other artistic phenomena. They can as well model an aesthetic response to nature, art, and most importantly to music. The music teachers can teach an aesthetic as well as holistic point of view of the world.
Practical philosophy of music education
The music teachers who advocate for Praxialism philosophy aim to develop certain skills in the learners. Most importantly, it develops listening abilities for the learners’ present and future enjoyment as amateur music makers as well as audience listeners. To enhance these, the teachers ought to assist learners to listen attentively to many aspects of music works. This basically involves learning to listen to both recorded and live performances for the learners to get the rationale as well as appreciate the products and the processes of performing, improvising, composing, and arranging (person Philip 216).
The teachers who use this practical approach find it essential in developing in learners musical understanding and integration; the so-called practical and mental skills. This kind of integration brings together; doing, feeling, making, and thinking of music performance. The music teachers of this philosophical approach ought to teach their students to listen by learning to listen to a wide variety of dimensions of their performances, listen to other people’s performances as well as learning to listen to recorded music. Both the teachers and their students should develop musical creativity strategies such as taking on roles as coaches, models in addition to being guides and constructive listeners (Elliott, David, 45).
References
Elliott, David J.”Music Education as Aesthetic Education: A Critical Inquiry.” The Quarterly Journal of Music Teaching and Learning. Vol II, Num 3, 48-66.
Elliott, David J. Music Matters: A New Philosophy of Music Education. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
Goble, J. Scott. “Perspectives on Practice: A Pragmatic Comparison of the Praxial Philosophies of David Elliot and Thomas Regelski.” Philosophy of Music Education Review 11, no.1 2003: 23-44.
Regelski, Thomas A. Teaching General Music in Grades 4-8: A Musicianship Approach. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2004.pp 23-28.
Regelski, Thomas “Curriculum Implications of Aesthetic Versus Praxial Philosophies.” In Praxial Music Education: Reflections and Dialogues, edited by David J. Elliot, 219-48, New York, NYL Oxford University Press, 2005.
Reimer, Bennett. “Music Education as Aesthetic Education: Past and Present.” Music Educators Journal 1989, 22-28.
Reimer, Bennett. “Music Education as Aesthetic Education: Toward the Future.” Music Educators Journal, 1989, 26-32.
Reimer, Bennet: A Philosophy of Music Education. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, INC, 2005, pp 34-51.
pllerson Philip. “What Should One Expect from a Philosophy of Music Education?” Journal of Aesthetic Education. Vol 25, No 3 1991, 215-242.