Music Appreciation: To What End? Page: 1
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Music Appreciation: To What End?
In higher education, courses such as Music Appreciation present an opportunity to
facilitate a positive lifelong relationship with music for the next generation of the concert-going
public. However, budgeting concerns and canonized course content often result in a class format
that is less conducive to serving this end. Furthermore, adequate training is not necessarily
provided for the majority of faculty who teach these courses. Who is qualified to teach a Music
Appreciation course, and what is the true purpose of such a course in the general curriculum?
What is our responsibility in musically educating our citizens?
Traditionally, most Music Appreciation courses tend to emphasize the Western-European
Art Music canon. While there are increasing attempts to include more world music and
vernacular music, a hierarchy still exists. Because of the manner in which the content is often
delivered, this can have the opposite effect of fostering more "appreciation" for the music that is
studied. Rather, it may reinforce the stereotypical perspective that classical music is only for the
"elite." Large lecture-style classes further reinforce the schism that exists by assessing students
through multiple-choice tests, and leave little room for the experiential and discovery-learning
situations that can help students develop a personal and life-long relationship with music.
General education classes often provide an opportunity to save money because it is
assumed that teaching assistants or adjunct instructors can do an adequate job teaching the
course. A large majority of the student population at a college will filter through these classes
primarily to fulfill undergraduate core degree requirements. Rather than offering smaller
sections, the enrollment cap is often raised to accommodate as many students as possible, even in
smaller schools that boast small teacher-student ratios. In the case of adjunct instructors (who
may, or may not, be well-qualified to teach the class), this stacking of enrollment seems
particularly unfair when considering the low pay rate they receive.
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Spring, Staci. Music Appreciation: To What End?, paper, February 2013; (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc172361/m1/1/: accessed June 10, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT College of Music.