MUSICAL IDENTITIES AND THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT
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ences of music at school (QCA, 1999). This reflects the dual aspects of identity discussed at the start of this chapter. However, the extended curriculum and opportunities for children to engage in additional musical activities suggest a hidden curriculum that assumes that not all children will benefit from the same set of musical opportunities. This suggests that the contexts in which children experience music are not common to all and that we might expect more diversity in terms of children’s developing musical identities.
Musical identities in practice Research supports the assumption that everyone has the capacity to be ‘musical’ (e.g. Gardner, 1983; Sloboda, 1985; Trehub et al., 1997), yet the notion that all children begin at the same starting point conflicts with the considerable differences that exist in children’s interests, experiences and abilities in music (Pugh and Pugh, 1998, p. 20). In practice, there is a broad range of different kinds of musical experiences open to children, and these can have both positive and negative effects on the way that children approach music in and out of school (see also O’Neill and Boulton, 1996; Sloboda and Davidson, 1996; O’Neill and Sloboda, 1997; O’Neill, Chapter 5, this volume). The conventional defining feature of a ‘musician’ centres on instrumental performance skills—whether one can play a musical instrument (Plummeridge, 1991; Glover, 1993). Indeed, in primary schools, where children are taught all subjects by their class teacher, the teaching profession demonstrated considerable resistance to the inclusion of music in the Curriculum, feeling that this was an area which could not be tackled by ‘nonmusician’ teachers. Much recent music pedagogy literature has focused on addressing this problem (e.g. Glover, 1993). There is thus a contradiction between the expectations of children engaged in Curriculum school music activities and the definition of a ‘musician’ in adult life. The School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (SCAA) reflects the same bipolar distinction between ‘musician’ and ‘non-musician’ in its guidance for assessing musical activities at school, as illustrated by the following examples: Simon plays keyboard, piano, and a range of tuned percussion with confidence and control. He chooses from this wide range of instruments and is happy to experiment in order to get the exact sound he wants. He is a good ensemble player. He plays with confidence and fits his part with the other parts in a musically sensitive way . . . Simon identifies conventions and utilises them in his own work . . . He has a real understanding of how music works and is extremely interested in a vast range of music. . . . He has an excellent musical and expressive vocabulary, which enables him to analyse and comment clearly on changes in character and mood and make connections between music and its context (SCAA, 1996, p. 37). Teresa plays a range of classroom instruments, although she prefers the xylophone. She can perform with confidence, especially when she is given help by other members of the group and sufficient time to practise. However, her playing technique is basic. She tends to play relatively simple parts and does not make adjustments to reflect the effect or mood . . . Whilst she has a musical vocabulary she often fails to recognise musical devices when listening to music . . . She is able to make comparisons between stylistically similar music but her comments tend to stay at a simplistic level, referring to musical elements such as tempo and structure (SCAA, 1996, p. 23).