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Aspirations and limitations: the state of world music education in secondary schools in multicultural Manchester

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 April 2023

James Nissen Open the ORCID record for James Nissen [Opens in a new window]
James Nissen*
Affiliation:
The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK
*
Email: j.nissen@sheffield.ac.uk
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Abstract

This article examines the state of world music education in secondary schools in Manchester, analysing school curricula and exam specifications alongside interviews conducted with teachers. World music occupies a significant position in music education at Key Stage 3, but its scope becomes progressively limited at higher levels. While teachers recognise the benefits of world music education for promoting cultural understanding and social inclusion, they struggle to maintain it throughout their programmes because of barriers related to examinations, teaching materials and school resources. This creates a dysfunctional learning trajectory that discourages students from studying music, particularly disadvantaging those from weaker socio-economic backgrounds. Nevertheless, teachers’ perspectives, often overshadowed by government policy, evidence strong aspirations to implement multicultural music education in practice.

Keywords

World musiccurriculummulticulturalismsocial inclusion
Type
Article
Information
British Journal of Music Education , Volume 40 , Issue 3 , November 2023 , pp. 385 - 396
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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