The isle is full of noises

Professor Jonathan Stephens

‘The isle is full of noises’ is taken from Caliban’s speech in Shakespeare’s The Tempest [1]:

Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,
Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices
That, if I then had waked after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again; and then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open, and show riches
Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked
I cried to dream again.

(Act III, Scene 2, lines 136-144)

For Caliban, familiarity with the sounds on Prospero’s island resulted in a lack of critical engagement. Music for him was something to delight the senses rather than engage the mind. And what of our own situation? Do our diverse and socially relevant music curricula focus more on enjoyment and entertainment than developing critical thinking and musical understanding?

In considering the opportunities and challenges facing music education in the British Isles, it is necessary to

• employ our listening skills to identify the nature and source of the noises that shape our thinking and practice; and
• apply our creative and performing skills in deciding how best to respond to them.

We need to be aware of political and social factors that shape our practice: the effect of short-term goals on students’ musical development, the status afforded to classical music in school, and the implications for developing students’ musicianship and musical understanding where the musical diet is limited or lacking in depth. It is important also to consider what is valuable in a music curriculum, to ensure students experience an appropriate music education that will provide adequately for their musical development and needs.

To assist our consideration of these issues, let us travel to Prospero’s magical island and listen and respond to the ‘noises, sounds and sweet airs’ through the ears of six music educators: the fearful, the positive, the creative, the tired, the optimistic, and the nostalgic.

Firstly, the fearful music educator – for whom Caliban’s injunction, ‘be not affeard’, may serve only to increase the anxiety!

This teacher finds the range of noises and voices confusing; the diversity of musical genres, technology, and learning targets has led to feelings of inadequacy. He is doing what he can to fulfil expectations, but there isn’t enough time to do anything justice. To make matters worse, his Head Teacher is about to reorganise the school day in response to an OFSTED report. Consequently, it will be difficult to fit in the lunchtime performance activities that make his job bearable. For our fearful music educator, the noises on Prospero’s island constitute a threat to classical music in the classroom. Thirty years ago, he wrote an M.A. thesis on Bruckner. He wonders where it all went wrong…

Secondly, the positive music educator – who delights in the ‘sounds and sweet airs’.

For this teacher, curriculum change has been welcome. Recently, her Head of Department asked her to write a new course focusing on informal learning and community music. She has witnessed some of the results of the Musical Futures[1] project and is keen to incorporate its ideas. She was glad her initial degree focused on music in the community; her final year project on house music has proved useful in introducing aspects of disco, soul, R&B and funk to her music classes. She is confident that, whatever changes may occur under a new government, she will be able to use her skills as a musician and teacher – that is, as long as she does not have to teach music theory, harmony and counterpoint…

Our third teacher, the creative music educator – revels in the ‘thousand twangling instruments’ that have shaped our music curriculum.

His teaching career started in the mid-1970s in an inner city comprehensive school. At a time when classical music was deemed ‘elitist’, he was amused that the new ‘music for all’ philosophy allowed him to base his teaching on models derived from avant-garde ‘classical’ music, art and poetry. Over the next twenty years, as popular music, world music and music technology were incorporated in the music curriculum, he was able to retain the exploratory, improvisatory approaches that characterised his early teaching career. Composition remains central to his teaching, and enables him to relate diverse musical elements through pupils’ improvisations and compositions. Consequently, he has found no need to make music lessons socially relevant. He hopes to be able to adapt to whatever the curriculum requires in the future by retaining a creative, intercultural approach to teaching and learning in music…

Fourthly, the tired music educator – for whom the ‘voices … will make me sleep again’.

Now in mid career, she has heard it all before. There have been so many initiatives, both local and national, with dedicated short-term funding for instrumental teaching, singing, learning approaches, and assessment. It seems to her that nothing is allowed to become established and properly evaluated before another change is proposed. Insufficient attention to long-term investment in music education has left her jaded and cynical. What impact can her lone voice have on a music education culture dominated by political expediency? Perhaps she should take early retirement. Twenty years ago, she received a national award for excellence in teaching…

Our fifth teacher, the optimistic music educator – dreams the clouds ‘show riches ready to drop upon me’.

Over a period of twenty-five years, he has always found a way to turn situations to his advantage. Since focusing on popular music, his classes have doubled in size, thereby raising his status in the school. Examination results have been good, although recently he read a report entitled Bridging the Gap [2], which suggested that the standard of musicianship of many potential university music students was below the requirements for advanced music study. Don’t those academics realise that diversity has replaced depth in the music curriculum, and that many more students now want to study music at university? Surely this is something to celebrate? Instead of trying to hold onto a traditional view of musicianship, perhaps universities should embrace the opportunities afforded by a diverse and popular music education…

Finally, the nostalgic music educator – who ‘cried to dream again’.

Our final teacher looks back to a golden age when she was able to focus exclusively on classical music, both in the classroom and in a vibrant extended curriculum of choirs and instrumental ensembles. In that bygone age, many of her pupils attended regional orchestras on Saturday mornings; the music advisory service was active in encouraging her endeavours; and the school offered a range of instrumental lessons provided by visiting staff. Working in a fee-paying school has protected her from some of the situations her music colleagues have experienced in the state sector. However, she was upset by a recent school inspection in which she was criticised for focusing too much on classical music, employing Kodály approaches with her lower secondary classes, and not investing sufficiently in drum kits, bass guitars and music technology. Couldn’t the inspectors see the enthusiasm of many pupils for ‘her’ music? She would give half her salary just to turn the clock back…

A brave new world

On Prospero’s magical island, music brought together a motley group of individuals – gelling them into a community for as long as the music played. And music is able to do that still, allowing us to hear something of other traditions and find ways to engage with people from different backgrounds. Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said realised this in 1999, in the creation of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, composed of Israeli and Arab young people united in a common cause of making music together. In 1975, economist and amateur musician, José Antonio Abreu realised this in Venezuela, in founding Social Action for Music. Known today as ‘El Sistema’, the project has offered thousands of deprived young people a new identity and way of life through the unlikely medium of classical music [3]. The creative approaches of the 1970s showed that contemporary art forms are able to encourage young people to explore and compose music. Such models and approaches inspire us and show what can be done in difficult political, social and educational circumstances.

In our brave new world, let us not forget that classical music offers experiences of a diverse world of sounds that crosses historical, geographical, cultural and age-related boundaries. To criticise classical music as ‘elitist’ because it does not immediately appeal to majority interest, or requires effort on the part of the listener, is misguided. Something remains ‘elitist’ when it is inaccessible to most people; the job of the teacher is to make music accessible through finding appropriate ways to engage young people in accessing all of music’s treasures. The problem is not with the object, but with denying opportunity to experience and explore it. Music in education should challenge prejudices, develop understanding and extend horizons for each individual, not simply confirm boundaries and reinforce views.

The challenge for music teachers today is to retain their passion for music in spite of the threatening sounds of our island. The challenge for the ISM is how best to support the fearful, positive, creative, tired, optimistic, and nostalgic music educators as they seek to encourage young people’s musical development at a time of political, social and educational change.

Stephano responds to Caliban’s speech in a way reminiscent of many in our society:

This will prove a brave kingdom to me, where
I shall have my music for nothing.

Act III, Scene 2, lines 145-146

To which Caliban replies:

When Prospero is destroyed.

Act III, Scene 2, line 147

But to destroy Prospero, the one on whom the magical island depends, would be to destroy the music. Without adequate provision for music education and support for music educators to capture the musical imagination of young people and extend their musical horizons, the rich musical heritage of our island will be diminished.

Jonathan Stephens is the incoming Chair of the ISM's Music in Education Section. This is an abridged version of his address from our 2010 annual conference, The Art of Listening.

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[1] Paul Hamlyn Foundation (2003). Musical Futures. London: Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Website: www.musicalfutures.org.uk

[2] Bridging the Gap (2008). Report of national conference hosted jointly by The University of Aberdeen and the Incorporated Society of Musicians (UK) – April. University of Aberdeen: Department of Music publication.

[3] The Venezuelan government fully financed the orchestra after it won an international competition in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1977.

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