ABSTRACT
Philosophers have long questioned the practice of inculcating national identity in young children, yet throughout history and across diverse cultures patriotic education may be found, particularly within music classrooms. Fichte recommended teaching patriotic songs, national history, and literature to increase a sense of dedication and patriotism to the government. As Richard Duffee has observed, conventional use of the word 'patriotism' assumes that the action is founded on virtue. The use of national anthems in schools entails a specific area of patriotic music education that calls for international comparison. The national anthem of New Zealand is also a complex case. The Russian national anthem represents a particularly interesting case for international comparison. Music teacher educators appear to agree that there are many more appropriate objectives for the teaching of music than the promotion of national identity, but somehow in actual practice, patriotism seems to persist as an essentially perennial and universal feature of music education.
