At a recent conference, we discussed the idea of revisiting philosophies of music education. We first took time to look back at our own music education experience, both as a student and as a teacher. By doing this, participants were able to reflect on the various influences that have shaped their music education journey. We then explored some of the influential philosophies of music education that regularly surface in academic literature. By exploring these philosophies, we were able to connect our ideology/position/s with our pedagogy and practice. i.e. how does what I believe/my approach to music ed. inform how I teach?
During the workshop, various discussions led to the idea that teachers may draw on a combination of these philosophies at different times, depending on the context. Others appeared to connect specifically with one philosophy. What about you?
Below are the five major philosophical approaches to music education that we discussed. Maybe you resonate with one (or all) of these? Maybe you draw on a philosophical position that is not mention here?
