In last week’s blog I proposed knowing how to make music well a worthy purpose of music education. I argued that while musical knowledge could be framed in a number of different ways, knowing how to make music well was a way of expressing a form of practical knowledge embodying the Greek techne and phronesis, an embodied form of knowledge, and expressed as knowing how and conditional on the ‘well’. If you like, knowing how acts as a kind of spearhead subsuming other forms of knowledge while not being reducible to these.
One faithful and astute reader of last week’s blog pointed out that my blogs take a helical form, that is, they are spiral-like, twisting like a corkscrew back and forth as they interrogate key topics over time – a perpetual return to earlier arguments as a way of generating moves forward and perhaps ironing out contradictions while no doubt creating new ones. The nature of musical knowledge is one such topic.
If the first purpose of music education addresses the question of musical knowledge, the second moves to culture and the idea of social practices which are the bearers of musical cultural life.
It is through processes of socialisation that we become members of society in which music exists and is practised. But we learn that its practices take many forms, and that not all musicians behave in the same way or that the music they make is necessarily comparable. The ancient practice of handbell ringing, while sharing something of the ethos of gamelan playing, enjoys a vastly different set of values to blues singing, for example. The world offers a vast range of musical practices. It is the potential for the regeneration and transformation of practices nurturing a critical orientation that is called for as a second purpose. [1]
Thus a second purpose of music education also embracing the first:
The induction of all children and young people into existing musical practices with the potential for the regeneration of these practices through critical engagement and with the knowledge of how to make music well.
Note:
[1] Somebody said the curriculum is a selection from culture.
Music Education Now 
I do believe that children can be powerfully regenerated through music, as John puts it, but the knowledge of the teacher is key. So many people have the desire to see this regeneration but not the knowledge to activate this process beyond a basic level. What should be done about this?
i agree Hannah. I intended the regeneration to be of the practices rather than the children, although that is part of it no doubt. I have done an edit to make clear what I intended. You are so right about having the right knowledge. What should be done about? As has been the case for a number of years (perhaps for ever) government policy has overlooked the problem although the refreshed Music Plan attempts to tackle the problem. There are as always music teachers advocating for better education and training of teachers and setting inspirational example.
Thanks, John. This regeneration of good practice should be extended into the EYFS too because the first years of life set a love of music deep inside the soul of the child. The music education provided by companies who run early years music classes are very valuable but many families cannot access this currently in a financial crisis. Music is being cut out of the family budget. I wonder what the impact will be…
Yes. Absolutely crucial. Good luck with all your efforts.
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