Musical Values and Aesthetic Viewpoints Dr. Chuck Neufeld Lander University

What do you believe about music?

Some possible answers: Music helps us express ourselves. Music is an important creative activity. Music is a vital part of every human culture on planet earth. Music teaches us many non-musical skills or ideas. Music helps us develop unique cognitive abilities. Music helps us develop personal discipline. Music is special in and of itself. Music is magic. Music is highly spiritual. Music is beautiful.

Your beliefs and values determine how you will teach and what you will teach about music.

What is the most important belief you have about music?

Our ideas, values, and beliefs about music (and all the arts) make up our philosophy of aesthetics (the understanding and love of beauty: a big part of our philosophy of music and of music education).

The lens through which we view aesthetics is our aesthetic viewpoint. We may have more than one aesthetic viewpoint (even at the same time).

What is your aesthetic viewpoint?

Referentialism The meaning and value of music (or any art) exists outside of the work itself. To find the meaning of music (or art), you must go to the ideas, emotion, attitudes, and events (that exist outside of the artwork) to which you are referred by the music.

Absolutism To find meaning in music (or a work of art), you must go to the music itself and attend to the internal qualities--the sounds themselves (or other artistic elements)--which comprise the music.

Formalism The musical (or artistic) experience is primarily intellectual--it is the recognition and appreciation of form (the elements of music ) for its own sake. Musical (or artistic) experiences carry little emotional content. Emotions that exist in the musical (or artistic) experience are totally irrelevant to the meaning of the music (or art).

Expressionism The musical (or artistic) experience is inherently emotional and subjective. Meaning in music (and art) is found within the realm of feelings.

Our aesthetic viewpoint usually has more complexity.

Referential Formalism Music is a primarily intellectual experience in which all meaning exists and is derived from outside of the music itself or from the ideas, emotion, attitudes, and events to which the music refers. (Twelve-tone music; hearing a complicated piece for the first time; Persichetti-Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima)

Referential Expressionism Music is an inherently emotional, subjective experience that may be complemented by meanings that exist and are derived from outside of the music itself (Playing the Star-Spangled Banner on September 12, 2001; Singing hymns in church).

Absolute Formalism Musical meaning is found only in the music itself, but that meaning is derived from a primarily intellectual experience (Gregorian chant; Stravinsky’s Mass).

Absolute Expressionism Musical meaning is found only in the music itself, which is inherently emotional and subjective (Party Rock; Biebl’s Ave Maria).

What unique values and ideas about music will you teach in your classroom? What viewpoint will you (or your students) use to teach and learn about music?

Here’s the bigger question: Why does this matter Here’s the bigger question: Why does this matter? How do your beliefs, values, and viewpoints (your overall philosophy) affect what and how you will teach music?

What components belong in the music curriculum you will teach What components belong in the music curriculum you will teach? How are these justified with your value system and aesthetic viewpoint?

How will you organize and sequence your curriculum. Over a week How will you organize and sequence your curriculum? Over a week? Three months? A year? Four years? How will it reflect your values and philosophy?