Two terms frequently used in the field of English are "language arts" and "literacy". When I polled my colleagues at recent literacy conference on the question of renaming general music, the majority felt that "music literacy" was more appropriate than "musical arts", although good arguments were made for both.
The argument for of "musical arts" is that it is easier for kids to understand, and that the term literacy is overused. The standards for Language arts include: reading, writing, literature (repertoire), listening and media (computer resources). In my opinion, these standards correspond nicely with the educational goals of general music.
The argument for the term "music literacy" was based more on the pillars of (reading) literacy which include: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension and fluency. These pillars correspond to the music components of aural skills, notation, harmony, analysis, and technique.
The consensus of my colleagues is that either term, "arts" or "literacy" is more descriptive and positive than "general" which has a synonym of "hum-drum". I have not made up my mind yet. "Musical arts" implies making music, in a similar way to vocational arts implies making something . "Music Literacy", on the other hand, has a more academic tone to me, and music literacy surely describes the goal for our students to be "educated and cultured".
In my day, they called those classes "music appreciation."
ReplyDelete