No abstract

No abstract

Whilst the German philosopher Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969) is widely known for his innovative ideas on music, aesthetics and sociology, he was also one of the most prominent critics of German music education before and after World War II. He argued against humanistic and idealistic philosophies of music education, which pursued a transformation of human beings through making music. For Adorno, music education should be focused on the music itself and the education of musically critical and self-determined students. The main intent of this article is an examination of Adorno's critique of music education, specifically in terms of the misuse of music education for ideological purposes. This article draws on examples of Adorno's work not yet translated into English, to question and challenge current practices of music education. usic is a significant aspect of society in terms of building identities and serving the needs of communities. In the hands of the politically powerful, music can be used for the purposes of indoctrination and the dissemination of ideologies. This phenomenon is encapsulated in the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, a well-known story in the Germanic world: Rats invade the town of Hamelin. The town officials want to get rid of the rats and hire a piper. The piper is able to lure the rats out with his charming music. Although he is successful, the town officials refuse to pay the piper for his services. Then, the piper takes revenge by entrancing and kidnapping the children of Hamelin.

Didaktik of music is the science and art of teaching music in terms of determining goals, contents and methods. It is both a scholarly field of research and a teacher’s craft. Didaktik raises issues which neither curriculum research nor pedagogical methodology address in the same way. The main intent of this article is to present important issues concerning the German Didaktik of music, and to make comparisons to the approaches in the United States. By framing Didaktik in view of American music education as a prominent and familiar system, both practical and theoretical issues may be clarified. The concept of a comparative Didaktik of music is also introduced, allowing for more specific questions of pedagogy and curriculum to be raised which do not feature in studies to date.

No abstract