Sounds Useful is the title of a suite of music programs for the BBC microcomputer, designed for primary school use. The programs aim to allow the computer to be used as an instrumental resource in conjunction with other musical instruments. This article describes the programs, their purpose and how they came to be developed. It also looks at aspects of the development of music software in general and challenges in particular the view that the quality of sound produced by standard microcomputers is insufficient for creative use in primary schools.

The author describes an investigation into the use of West African folklore in the school curriculum by means of an African folktale which became the basis for a project in the class music lessons. Starting with research into West African folklore, particularly children's stories and songs, in Ghana and Nigeria between 1979 and 1983, music was composed in a basically African style to go with an adaptation of one of the stories.

The practical work in a London primary school investigated ways of minimising the apparent dichotomy between African and Western musics in the curriculum.

Music education in the United States is in the throes of critical public re-evaluation which appears to have been brought in primarily by two concurrent forces, both of which are still strongly affecting our lives today. During the past five years, large increases in government and private monies have forced public and private educational systems across the country to make major adjustments in the curriculum; from elementary grades to master's degrees, decisions have had to be made as to which subjects will be offered to students and which will not. In addition, the slow and steady deification of technology and its myriad offspring has effected a subtle yet very sure excommunication of the arts from mainstream society. In this article Dr Meadows draws attention to the threats posed by educational budgetary cutbacks, and argues the case for continuing recognition of music's importance in the school curriculum.

This article arises from a project carried out at Hall Green School over the last few years. The author describes a form of profile assessment which he feels gives a more accurate picture of student activity and achievement in music than is possible with other methods. At the same time, the assessment process itself is linked with the classroom work and becomes a stimulating feature of the course, integral with the overall aim of encouraging individual development to the highest level.

This article explores ways in which the elements of north Indian classical music may be taught in a western context. It examines traditional methods of teaching in India and points out the difficulties of transferring such methods into Western music education. The basic materials of Indian music are examined, with a view to using them to heighten awareness of music in general, but not necessarily to produce solo performers. The article suggests ways in which Indian music can be explored without compromising its inherent complexity, sense of form and aesthetic beauty; while, at the same time, making it more accessible to a wide range of people.

Recent publications, such as Music from 5 to 16 (D.E.S., 1985a) and the National Criteria for Music for GCSE (D.E.S., 1985b) reflect the now established view that composition should be a normal part of the music curriculum for all children. There is still some work to be done infurthering our understanding of children's compositions. Much of the material published so far (e.g. Loane, 1984) has concentrated on children of secondary school age. The present article offers some reflections prompted by work with younger children.

An accountable program of elementary classroom music must have an educational function. In other words, it must perform an educational service. This involves more than the singing of songs or the attempt to hold the interest of children with ‘fun’ activities.

The educational assumption behind most elementary classroom music programs is that the children through their musical experiences in the classroom will somehow learn to ‘appreciate’ music. The term ‘appreciate’, however, is vague and means different things to different people. Does it mean that children will learn to love the music of the masters by listening to great music on recordings and being told stories about the meaning of the music and the lives of composers? Does appreciating music mean identifying instruments and labeling the form? Does it mean identifying the composer and the period of the music from hearing it? Does it mean naming a certain number of composers and a certain number of the works of each? Does it have anything to do with preference for and liking of the music of the masters?

Pestalozzi and Froebel were innovatory educators whose influence has spread widely and stood the test of time. They believed education to be a process of drawing out and exercising a child's own powers in order to achieve the fullest possible development of the whole person. Physical, intellectual, emotional and aesthetic capacities would only be developed effectively in interdependence rather than isolation, the child being essentially an active participant in his/her own education. In this article the principles and values which Pestalozzi and Froebel believed to befundamental to sound education are related to the task of teaching in general, to the teaching of music in particular, and to music as a unique medium of education through which those principles may be demonstrated.

The author questions conventional attitudes to harmony teaching and describes his own approach based upon a careful observation of harmonic usage in masterworks. In particular he seeks to establish a view of chords as musical entities in their own right, not ‘group-related’ by principles such as ‘inversion’ but possessing a variety of possible functions arising from musical context rather than from established and immutable harmonic theory.

This discussion develops a perspective on the current relationship between music and the school curriculum in North America. The gap between rhetorical support for music education and the reality of educational and societal commitments is traced to fundamental philosophical dilemmas facing education in particular, and society in general. Several ‘new keys’ are offered for the future of music education including a radical proposal for ‘deschooling’ music education and a practical guide for ‘networking’ excellent programmes.

Research into children's singing has gradually gained momentum since the beginning of this century. These studies have principally concentrated on the identification of children's ‘comfortable’ singing ranges, and the identification and treatment of children who sing out-of-tune, usually termed ‘uncertain singers’ or ‘poor pitch singers’ (p.p.s.). Several investigators have commented that out-of-tune singing appears in different forms (for reviews, see Phillips 1984; Welch 1979a, b, 1985b). The aim of the present article is to discuss these findings and to suggest that children's singing has an underlying developmental process.

A musical development sequence is proposed based on the psycho-logical concepts of mastery, imitation, imaginative play and meta-cognition, drawing on the work of Moog, Piaget and the observations of British writers. An interpretation of over seven hundred children's compositions is undertaken yielding an eight-mode spiral of development that may have consequences for music teaching; for overall music curriculum planning, for appropriate responses to individuals, for generating progression in a session or project.

A multicultural imperative has emerged in American educational philosophy and practices of the last decade. Never before has there been such an emphasis on multicultural understanding in the school curriculum. The changing philosophy of education as expressed in the literature suggests that the melting-pot theory is outdated; instead, the various ethnic groups present a rich tapestry of American national culture while maintaining their distinct identity. In this article Dr Shehan examines the relationship between these developing educational attitudes and the music teacher's task in helping to expand students' musical understanding and taste.