The GCSE was greeted by many teachers and educationists as a major reform in music education. A survey of students who proceeded to advanced musical study since taking the examination has revealed less enthusiasm. Whilst appreciating its practical and creative character, the majority perceived the GCSE as an inadequate preparation for the demands of subsequent courses, particularly A-level. The survey also reveals a mismatch between the broad and balanced view of music which the GCSE seeks to promote and the somewhat narrower view of the subject held by many students.

The article contains the results of a survey (1991) into electro-acoustic music studios and courses in higher education in the UK. Not only is there an ever-increasing profile of information technology in music, but also unprecedented speed and scale of advances in music technology which question not only what is taught, but how. By surveying the state of the nation's studios and courses, the authors seek to suggest strategies for future studio- and course-design that take into account these rapid developments as well as the fast growing demand for studio access and tuition.

Schmidt (1975) postulates that motor skills are learned as schemas, which should be better learned if built up from experiencing a wide variety of actions. This variable practice hypothesis is tested in teaching string pupils selected skills, namely the ability to control loudness, tempo and intonation. Results suggest a positive conclusion in the first two instances, but are more ambivalent in the third. There is some discussion of the implications for developing effective practising skills, to help learning become more productive and interesting, and in the application of such skills to the goal of musical and expressive performance.

The encouragement of aural methods should be basic to any fostering of musical experiences and understanding. This basis has been lost in European formal music education largely because of the all-pervading influence of musical literacy. Efforts to retain some importance for the aural experience through examinations have mostly been unsuccessful. If music is primarily an aural experience, then it is this that should govern the work of teachers at all times. A case is presented for both class and instrumental teachers to recognise the importance of psychomotor skills and the value of imitative methods for all pupils, enabling improvisation on all instruments. The argument draws on some examples of teaching and learning from other cultures.

Ghana, a former British colony, has, since 1987, embarked on a massive programme of educational reform. With regard to music education, there seems to be a conflict of opinions and objectives; between those of the curriculum planners on one hand, and the music teachers on the other. This paper examines recent literature on this topic, together with current debates about how music is to function at the basic level in the new system.

Information technology is having a profound impact upon the music curriculum, and there is general agreement that boys and girls should have equal opportunities to benefit from it. Although music has traditionally been a subject in which girls predominate, technology is clearly stereotyped as a male preserve. The present paper reports some findings from the Leverhulme Trust-funded ‘Gender and educational computing in the humanities’ project at the University of Leicester, which is using survey and interview techniques with a large sample of pupils and teachers in the Midlands to investigate these questions. The preliminary results suggest that boys are more confident in their use of music technology; that they are showing an increasing interest in music as a result of it; and that teachers have a crucial role to play in ensuring that girls are not disadvantaged in the use of music technology.