Is “Little Kids Rock” the answer to music education?

The topic of music education was mentioned in the opinion section of the New York Times a couple of weeks ago.

The question is: Why do schools teach music in a way that turns off so many young people rather than igniting their imagination? Adolescents and teenagers are crazy about popular music. At a time when educators are desperate to engage students and improve school cultures, can we do a better job of harnessing the power of music to get kids excited about school? 

Music education hasn’t changed fundamentally since the 1970s. Students are still taught to read notation so they can recite compositions that they would never listen to on their MP3 players or play with friends. The four “streams” in music education — orchestra, chorus, marching band and jazz band — have remained constant for four decades, while a third generation is growing up listening to rock and pop music.

I’ve noticed over the years that New York Times articles or opinion pieces about education rarely include the voices of educators. It would be wonderful to have music educators provide some examples of the positive change they are making and innovative programs they are implementing.

 

Here is what I submitted to the comment section of the “Rock is Not the Enemy” opinion piece:

 

Interestingly, music educators have integrated popular music in their programs for decades, though with some encouragement and debate. In 1939 Lilla Belle Pitts (at the time 2nd V.P. of MENC now the National Association for Music Education) wrote in the Music Educators Journal “As to the field of popular music, in spite of its obvious effect upon music and non-music students alike, it is an area virtually unexplored and unexplained by music educators in general. . . . Decades later music educators are developing pedagogies for contemporary musical practices, becoming comfortable teaching concert band one period and rock band the next. We are broadening our students’ aural skills and music literacy, whether through learning popular music by ear or remixing music with creative commons licensing. Schools may eventually perform music such as Raul Yanez’s and DJ Radar’s Concerto for Turntable and Orchestra, proving that popular and classical music can coexist.