Introduction

Everybody concerned with music in education will be aware of the considerable diversity of practice to be found in English and Welsh schools. Curriculum content and styles of teaching are obviously determined by many factors, but diversity is also indicative of the variety of beliefs, assumptions, values and ideals that inform practice. In spite of moves on the part of successive governments in recent years to establish a kind of educational orthodoxy, through centralised control, people continue to express a range of views and ideas on almost every aspect of education. There is a critical discourse that takes place in private and in public alongside the practical enterprise; as with all school subjects, the teaching and learning of music generate discussion and debate. Unfortunately, during initial and inservice education and training, the amount of time available for the critical examination of theoretical and practical issues is ever diminishing. Accordingly, many educators are of the opinion that such a state of affairs is stifling new thought and critical reflection; it is said that this can only be to the detriment of professional development. We hope that the chapters which follow will be of use to teachers in the process of becoming autonomous, reflective professionals and curriculum developers in their own right. Indeed, one of the purposes of this volume is to make a contribution to the music education debate by challenging some of the assumptions and principles that underpin national initiatives. However, we do not regard the book as being simply a critique of government policy and it is hoped that the content will be of interest and relevance, not only to teachers, but to all who are associated, both directly and indirectly, with the teaching of music in educational institutions.