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Techniques of Composition in the British and Irish University Curriculum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2008

Andrew Johnstone
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Abstract

Most university students of music, including many who are accomplished both academically and as instrumentalists, consistently under-achieve in the subject areas commonly known as ‘techniques of composition’. Why this is so, and how this aspect of the university curriculum has come about in Britain and Ireland, are the subjects of this paper. At a time when formal methods are being replaced by free composition in the secondary school music curriculum, the future direction of third-level studies is very much in doubt. Because school-leavers are less well equipped than formerly in musical rudiments and basic harmony, some university music departments have abandoned techniques teaching altogether – those where it is retained being seen as bastions of conservatism. In view of the obvious shortcomings of existing methods their demise is understandable. Future developments, however, must not be determined by reaction, but guided by research.

Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Music Education , Volume 12 , Issue 3 , November 1995 , pp. 247 - 272
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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