What do we mean when we talk about music literacy? Is it the ability to analyse a Haydn score, or the ability to use Logic Pro X to produce a dance track? Both examples might be considered music literacies, ways of understanding and communicating through music.
In July 2024, in Cambridge, the Society for Music Analysis (SMA) hosted the First Summit on Music Literacy, aiming to share ideas on how to improve music literacy. The Summit convened educators, experts and policymakers from across the music industry to discuss the state of music literacy in the UK and globally.
The Society's focus is on music theory and analysis, and in recent years it has expressed concern that skills such as notation reading and harmonic analysis are increasingly absent from those entering higher education within the British education system, forcing institutions to adjust their courses to accommodate lower literacy rates, according to recent research (McQueen and Cavett, 2024). Indeed, the Society's recent study found that opportunities to engage with traditional music literacy were often hindered by a lack of resources, in addition to views among teachers and students that traditional literacies were at odds with other aspects of the musical experience such as enjoyment, practical music-making and creativity (idem.).
During the two-day conference, there were some imaginative suggestions for the development of music literacy and theoretical understanding across the sector, from foundation years to undergraduate courses. Focusing on early years, one delegate explored how singing has been found to share neural mechanisms with speech and using singing as a tool for music literacy. Considering literacy in secondary education, there was a case study from a secondary school in West Yorkshire where pupils created a community opera chorus. In higher education, models such as Fuxian counterpoint were proposed as a way of helping students conceptualise voice leading and harmony.
How do we connect these ambitious visions for rejuvenating traditional music literacy to the realities of classroom teaching? The obvious challenge that educators face in promoting traditional literacies is the need to connect skills and content to student experiences, often with limited resources and time. Theoretical concepts such as harmonic analysis and voice-leading are often remote from average student experiences, particularly when many students in the class might not have access to an instrument or participate in music-making outside the classroom. The sessions that were most meaningful to the classroom teacher were those that acknowledged the realities of classroom teaching and the need to balance scholarship with performative, creative and playful experiences to inspire leaners.
The British Kodály Academy led a wonderful practical session, during which delegates were led through a series of exercises that could be used in the classroom to introduce notation by connecting it to pitch, pulse, rhythm and movement. Conference discussions also considered what music literacy might mean for those who struggle to access traditional literacies such as stave notation, for those with visual impairments or processing difficulties, and how these students might be better supported in the classroom.
Undoubtedly, the most effective way to embed traditional literacies is by ensuring that they are embedded from early years, all the way to A Level, and supported by appropriate pedagogies. An increasing challenge to this is the fact that classroom teachers are often deprived of opportunities to develop their pedagogy. As observed by Gary Spruce (2023), the recent shift from university-led ITT courses to school partnerships under a generic ‘core content framework’ has placed subject-specific skills beneath those of a general teacher framework. Developing pedagogies for music literacy represents only a fraction of the final assessment for a trainee music teacher, with similar challenges facing those working within the primary setting, where music-specific training within their ITT is often fleeting.
Teachers and subject networks will need to be creative to build meaningful connections between traditional literacies and the aspects of music-making which appear to hold more immediate significance for students in 2024. For example, in the Key Stage 3 classroom, this might mean introducing the concept of harmonic function through familiar pop songs which might act as a stepping stone to exploring the harmony of Haydn at GCSE and beyond.
The SMA is right to push for greater access to traditional literacies for all. To build on the success of their first conference, it is essential that they push for greater cross-sector dialogue. To build a musical ecosystem which can sustain traditions of music literacy in a rapidly changing industry, they must work with teachers and subject associations to foster a shared vision across the sector.
Links and references
- McQueen, H. and Cavett, E. (2024) ‘‘Lowering the bar’ or widening access? Reflections on key findings from a music literacy project commissioned by the Society for Music Analysis’, Music Education Research, 26(1). doi: 10.1080/14613808.2024.2306649
- Spruce, G. (2023) ‘The state of music teacher training’, Music Teacher, 102(11).
- sma.ac.uk/2023/12/first-summit-on-music-literacy
