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told me that over 80% of the music taught in schools in Japan in 1999 was Western, and less than 10% of the total instructional time was devoted to teaching Japanese traditional music in the 1999 school year. Music teachers’ current practices and attitudes toward teaching non-Western music were uniformly the same. The 1989 Course of Study, which emphasized “respect for Japanese culture and tradition” and “international understanding,” has limited influence on music teachers’ practices.

Q: Aren’t teachers allowed to teach their own music?

A: Although the majority of teachers think Japanese traditional music is necessary for students to learn, this thinking did not alter the amount of time teaching this music. What they intended to teach was an overview of Japanese music rather than a focus on particular musical genres. One of the real difficulties that I found was that teachers had mostly studied Western music themselves and had limited exposure to Japanese traditional music. In order to teach their own culture, they need to learn more materials and how to use them in schools.

Q: What does the future hold for Japanese music educators?

A: In 2002, the Japanese Department of Education will adopt a new Course of Study that limits even more than now how much time can be devoted to teaching music. Inclusion of more Japanese and non-Western music in Japanese music education appears bleak. The positive thing that I discovered is that more courses in traditional Japanese and other non-Western music are being offered in colleges in Japan; however, if music teachers continue to put priority on teaching Western music, future emphasis on non-Western music in schools is uncertain.

Q: Where can I find out more about these studies?

A: Attend the Research Poster Session of the OMEA Conference in Eugene.