Eighteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

What constitutes a basic knowledge that every professional musician should have? Are certain skills more important than others for musicians living in different regions of the world? Is it appropriate to replace academic training with vocational training, or vice versa? How should a global, multi-cultural awareness impact our program goals and curriculum? In addressing these questions, I present relevant data points and different models from over twenty schools and fifteen countries (United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Turkey, India, Japan, South Korea, China, and New Zealand). Through this discussion, music/arts faculty and administrators can seek to better align their program goals with their respective outcomes, as well as address the pedagogical needs of their students. I have served on Academic Council, The International Education Committee, The Integrated Curriculum Committee, and The Music Department Curriculum Committee at Elmhurst College. I have also developed several courses and programs, including a study away music history course. As a result of these experiences, I began an inquiry into what constitutes a core music curriculum for various international schools (some of which are our partner institutions, and others chosen for more geographical diversity). Having gathered data from many different institutions (Hope Liverpool University, Madras Christian College, Auckland University, etc.) I conducted a cross analysis of the core curriculum. The results demonstrated some interesting consistencies as well as some differences. Going forward, I plan on using this data to supplement our program review, and better align ourselves with our partner institutions.