Education and learning occur in various settings, some of which are more formally institutionalized than others. Even if it seems to have failed as a definition of art, awareness of art-world institutions has increased in the wake of George Dickie's proposal that art enmeshes an artifact in a set of interlocking yet informally structured art-world…

Given the increasing interest in musico-literary studies, I wish to examine some ways in which music can be used for pedagogical purposes in teaching literature. It has been widely recognized that music and poetry sprang from the common origin of chant or incantation. Throughout the ages, the sister arts sometimes went hand in hand and sometimes…

There is a long history of debate over what opera is. Since it's more or less formal beginning in the sixteenth century as a reconstruction of ancient drama, opera as an art form has been controversial. The received understanding--emphasized by the genre's founders and in periodic efforts at reforming the standards of composition and…

In this article, the authors address the conversation that, given the recent developments in the philosophy of mind, especially in terms of its cognitive turn, one task for philosophers of music might be to begin to speculate about the properties of music and organized sound that enable them to perform their various moral and cultural roles. The…

Tradition has it that the best way to familiarize oneself with a musical work is to attend a live performance. Teachers urge promising students to frequent concert halls, clubs, or stadia. Musicologists typically adopt the perspective of an ideal concert-goer when arbitrating matters of interpretation or evaluation. In this article, the author…

This paper argues that, although T. S. Eliot's "Four Quartets" provoke comparisons with the late quartets of Beethoven, an analysis of Four Quartets and Bela Bartok's Fourth and Fifth String Quartets produces a clearer understanding of the formal structures in the poetry and music. Symmetries offset asymmetries. (Author/KC)

The author presents a brief discussion of the uses of aesthetic theory in aesthetic education, followed by the explication of one subsidiary aspect (regional qualities) of Monroe Beardsley's theory, and by a demonstration of how that aspect can be applied in musical analysis and in teaching for perceptive music listening. (Author/SJL)

I used to enjoy art. Not all the arts equally. Overall literature spoke to me most clearly. I am not sure exactly why. I guess some combination of inborn and learned dispositions. Whatever is the case, my enjoyment of literature always seemed natural to me, since literature was of a medium I already knew, the vocabulary and grammar of my own…

Using Bob Dylan's three somewhat different versions of "It Ain't Me, Babe," the author investigates the variables of Dylan's performances and how they alter the meanings of his songs, and suggests that the more we know about popular song the more we will understand the songs we subsequently encounter. (KC)

In this essay, the author describes her view of the concept of the aesthetic in music education as "essentially contested" and subject to reinterpretation. She attempts to expand "traditional" notions of the aesthetic in music education beyond a view of the aesthetic transaction as "passive," focused on audience-listening for traditional…

Moving to music may significantly enhance our appreciation of a performance of a music work. Implications for the encouragement of movement in education for music appreciation are discussed. (RM)

The music education program should be primarily aesthetic education. It is listening that lends itself to the most efficient and effective means toward music appreciation. Skills and concepts that lead to music appreciaiton are discussed. Difficulties that students may encounter are examined. (RM)

Noting that the use of behavioral objectives poses a particular problem for arts instruction, since it is difficult to formulate the aesthetic experience into identifiable behaviors, the author suggests that Polanyi's theory of tacit knowing may help explain how formal music study can influence the aesthetic experience of music. (Author/SJL)

Defines cultural literacy, relating it to verbal and musical literacy. Discusses how reading with comprehension compares to listening to music. Describes what musically literate people know, and the level of their knowledge. Maintains that to attain musical literacy one needs to know some cultural data but primarily one needs to listen to music.…