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Tradition and Transformation: Addressing the gap between electroacoustic music and the middle and secondary school curriculum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 July 2013

Jeffrey Martin*
Affiliation:
Mount Allison University, Department of Music, 134 Main Street, Sackville NB, E4L 1A6, CANADA

Abstract

Given the growing acceptance of information and communication technology (ICT) as integral to today's middle and secondary school classrooms, electroacoustic music would seem on the surface to be a central feature of the music curriculum. However, models that approximate actual practices of electroacoustic music in the classroom are rare, with many schools focusing squarely on ICT, either as tools to facilitate traditional musical contexts or to explore innovative uses of that technology. Also, with the exception of some notable recent developments, there are few initiatives to bring middle and secondary students, or their teachers, into contact with the practices of electroacoustic music communities. The purpose of this article is to explore this problematic gap between the education and electroacoustic music communities in an attempt to identify some of the issues that lie at the foundation of an effective curriculum. The position taken is that these foundational matters need to be addressed prior to any discussion of ‘best practices’ for middle and secondary electroacoustic music education.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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