More Thoughts on--“Is All Music Created Equal?”—part 1

More Thoughts on--“Is All Music Created Equal?”—part 1

I have written about this topic before but I would like to add some thoughts about this question.  David Elliott said, “…if everything counts, nothing counts.”  David Elliott, “Music Education Philosophy,” “Music education Philosophy” in The Oxford Handbook of Music Education,” Oxford University Press, 2011, p.68.  Most often when a Christian musician expresses this belief he or she is labeled a bigot; or that this musician is out of touch with reality; or has been hiding under a rock. It is encouraging that some of the major music philosophers are resisting the faulty notion that all music is of equal artistic value.

I have believed for some time that the belief in pluralism has fostered this notion.  The belief that there are no core values concerning music as an art form has caused a generation of music educators to believe that there is little or no reason to have students to study the serious classics as a major part of student’s music education.  The belief that there are no core music values caused the quality of music literature educators include in music education curriculums to decline in the late 20^th century and even more so in this century.  Now banality reigns with much of ‘school music’ replacing high quality music. 

Scripture for the Day

Isaiah 28:10, “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”