MT Magazine Article - Is It Time To Follow HE Trends?

A Critical Analysis Of Secondary Music Curriculum: Is It Time To Follow FE and HE Trends?

The Current State Of Secondary Music Education

The national curriculum (NC) is a concise 428-word document. This could be seen as both positive and negative but ultimately gives curriculum leaders a level of autonomy in their curriculum decisions and design (Fautley and Daubney, 2019; Anderson, 2021). There is certainly a lot of room for interpretation, and the influence of teacher identity certainly plays a large part in the design, implementation and structure of each context's music curriculum (Hallam, 2017). This article aims to highlight some of the key differences between Key Stage 3 and 4 and the disconnect between courses currently on offer in Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE).

The release of the Model Music Curriculum in March 2021 set non-statutory guidelines for teachers to follow when making curriculum decisions. Philpott (2022) reminds us that this document is heavily influenced by Western Classical traditions with a large focus on content rather than the nuances of what it means to construct a curriculum. To me, this MMC missed an opportunity for KS3 music curricula to be made relevant and readily accessible to many of our students, following the discourse that Spruce (2013) identified when critiquing the 2012 plan for music education. Further to this, the new national plan for music education has been released, which is another non-statutory document (DfE, 2022). Where there are some positive points made within this document with regards to music provision across KS1,2 and 3. It, unfortunately, feels, like not a lot has changed since 2012 as a result of the publication of this document. Spruce (2013) highlighted that although the wording of this document lives and breathes inclusivity, the plan still has an underlying intention of sustaining social and educational inequalities. Fundamentally, this is true of the new plan for music education. This is even more so prevalent as I remind you that this document is merely a guide to schools and is non-statutory. 

HE and FE offerings

There is no denying the decline in the national numbers for GCSE music over the past few years. Is this accountable to the changing shifts in what is considered musical academia; what is popular;  what is relevant or accessible to our students? Popular music studies are nothing new in FE and HE institutions and conversations date back to as early as the 1930s, as a result, we now know and pigeonhole that particular genre as jazz (Smith, 2016). Smith (2016) makes an interesting point that we now deem Jazz as a style and genre of music worthy of scholarly attention. What could this mean for the future of music education in the UK?

The escalation of vocational and popular music courses at FE and HE seems to be taking over the music education sector, but is secondary music education following suit? A very real example can be seen in the offering (or lack of) of A-Level music in my city of Portsmouth, which over time has become non-existent. Instead, courses such as Music Performance, Music Technology and Performing Arts BTECs seem to be the course of choice in these establishments.  There must be reasoning behind this choice of courses that these colleges are offering. Whether it be a lack of need for more ‘academic’ music courses, a lack of relevance to the modern-day musician or simply that these courses could be perceived by students as outdated and traditionalist in their values. 

Critical Reflections: What Can Be Done?

Several attempts have been made to counteract and reinvent the music curriculum over the years. The mere fact that this is happening further strengthens the views of Bath et al (2020), Daubney (2021) and Spruce (2013).  Notably, the seminal works of Green ultimately contributed to and heavily influenced the development of the Musical Futures (MF) movement in the early noughties. This was funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and was set to engage students in the secondary classroom. A series of resources and supportive documents for curriculum leaders was released with a focus on informal pedagogies and this project was seen to engage students positively (Hallam et al, 2017). One challenge is introducing popular music styles of learning and only offering the strong western traditional music focus of the GCSE route. This could be seen as counterproductive and elitist in its design due to what teachers deem ‘academic’ courses.

KS4 music currently has two main options at secondary school level, the GCSE route or a more vocational pathway, whether that be in the form of RSL, BTEC or other vocational-based courses. These courses predominantly focus on performance skills or music technology-based coursework tasks. It is up to us as practitioners to choose and engage with the correct courses for our students. My recent MA dissertation shows that teacher attitudes towards these qualifications differ quite radically.  Synonymously the vocational courses were deemed less ‘valuable’ or ‘academic’ than the GCSE; but why if A-level music has become a declining phenomenon? This is something that baffles me completely because surely we as teachers should encourage our students to find their own musical identity? Surely, as practitioners, we should encourage what is best for the development and growth of our departments? And finally, should we not follow the unignorable trends for musical academia that are being set by our FE and HE counterparts.

References:

Anderson, A., 2021. Curriculum power positioning in classroom music education: music curriculum design in the secondary music classroom in England. Arts Education Policy Review, pp.1-14.

Bath, N., Daubney, A., Mackrill, D. and Spruce, G., 2020. The declining place of music education in schools in England. Children & Society, 34(5), pp.443-457.

Daubney, A., 2021. Opinion: ‘Music for all’ and the Model Music Curriculum – uncomfortable bedfellows?. [online] Music Teacher. Available at: <https://www.musicteachermagazine.co.uk/opinion/article/opinion-music-for-all-and-the-model-music-curriculum-uncomfortable-bedfellows?fbclid=IwAR1vVai54trmWRtZk75iWetmK5KRKi8Q2480Mm2Mmip_XKqS3SRcXXLFtsE> [Accessed 21 July 2022].

Department for Education, (2014). The national curriculum in England: Key Stages 1 and 2 framework document. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-secondary-curriculum (Accessed: 20th April 2021).

Fautley, M. and Daubney, A., 2019. Some thoughts on curriculum in music education. British Journal of Music Education, 36(1), pp.1-4.

Green, L., 2017. Music, informal learning and the school: A new classroom pedagogy. Routledge.

Hallam, S. 2017. Musical identity, learning, and teaching. Handbook of musical identities, 475-492.

Hallam, S., Creech, A. and McQueen, H., 2017. Teachers’ perceptions of the impact on students of the Musical Futures approach. Music Education Research, 19(3), pp.263-275.

Smith, G.D., 2016. Popular music in higher education. In Advanced musical performance: Investigations in higher education learning (pp. 65-80). Routledge.

Spruce, G., 2013. 'The national music plan' and the taming of English music education. Arts Education Policy Review, 114(3), pp.112-118.