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Philosophical Perspectives in Music Education. Randal Everett Allsup Michelle Handy. Simple Commonplace Assertions . Popular music is simple and not complex enough to teach. The boys in my choir are too shy to sing. The music of Vaughn Williams is beautiful
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Philosophical Perspectives in Music Education Randal Everett Allsup Michelle Handy
Simple Commonplace Assertions • Popular music is simple and not complex enough to teach. • The boys in my choir are too shy to sing. • The music of Vaughn Williams is beautiful • What is wrong with these statements? • What questions can we ask to
Questions • Can or should we teach popular music? • Why don’t the boys in my school join chorus in the same number as girls? • How can I get my students to love what I love?
Inquiry • Inquiry is the very heart of education! • A&C page 40
Inquiry is said to be the heart of education. • A teacher must “go forth” into a classroom.
Philosophy and Education • Philosophy has been around for a long time. • But what is it? • Merriam Webster describes philosophy in a few different ways, and here are the most relevant one to our cause: • the most basic beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of an individual or group • pursuit of wisdom
Socrates • Socrates started the “Art of Dialogue” • The Art of Dialogue is a process of deduction where ideas or beliefs are challenged through dialogue • Socrates “coined” the term “Devil’s Advocate,” which is a person who plays both sides of an argument or feigning ignorance to incite debate
Socratic Method and Thoughts • A philosophical debate would begin at the intersection of perplexity and doubt. • Why should children have an education in music?
Old Education vs New Education • The biggest advantage of the Socratic method is the development of a critical habit of mind. • Virtue is knowledge, only when the student learns to think for himself. • Do you think that this is true? Why or why not?
On page 43 of Critical Issues in Music Education, the question is asked : • What is the lesson here and what does it have to do with music education? • The most obvious point is that there is a conflict of the Old and the New. The old being rote teaching and the new being child-center teaching.
Questions • Do you agree with the Old or the New? • Why is philosophy so important in our classroom? • Are teachers “Devil’s Advocates”? • Is the teacher a midwife? Is learning painful? Should it be? • Is education a problem? • How can we use philosophy that’s been around for a long time, in a present day classroom? • In education, are we pursuing wisdom?