‘Lowering the bar’ or widening access? Reflections on key findings from a music literacy project commissioned by the Society for Music Analysis

Abstract

In 2019 the Society for Music Analysis commissioned a report to find out if stakeholders in music education agreed that knowledge and/or skills in music literacy had declined for those applying to study music at university in England. The ensuing mixed methods study collected data from a range of stakeholders through interviews (N = 33), questionnaires (N = 233), a Music Literacy Study Day and informal observation. The findings showed that many participants thought that music literacy, if defined more narrowly, had declined in recent years. In addition, views on priorities in music education differed considerably, aligning with different forms of social justice. Some participants considered the bar to have been lowered in general music education, leading universities to alter their practices to facilitate access. This article reflects on those findings. The authors conclude that there needs to be careful consideration of curricula to prevent taking knowledge and skills away unnecessarily while ensuring that updated curricula are coherent and relevant to contemporary concerns about music education.

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