ABSTRACT
For the musician, the task of translating ideas into words is rarely easy but nevertheless has to be undertaken, for example when designing a curriculum. It would of course be unrealistic to set out curriculum content without taking into account the needs of the pupils and the strengths of the teaching staff in a particular school. It is possible to design a curriculum which outlines areas of work or concepts relating to the aims and includes examples of how those areas might be developed without being too specific. The challenge is to design a programme within which both pupils and teachers may work in a flexible way towards the aims already defined. Recent discussion concerning the new 16+ examination which may be introduced in the mid- to late 1980s has prompted many teachers to see curriculum as being divided into three broad sections, each given fairly even weighting for examination purposes; they are Performance, Listening and Composition. Although these would form a useful basis for constructing a programme, it must be stressed that, for the most part, the three are inseparable activities. Nor must the teacher lose sight of relevance; is the proposed curriculum relevant to the aims and objectives, is it relevant to the pupils, is it relevant in preparing them for life in. today’s society?
