British Forum for Ethnomusicology

How Popular Musicians Learn: A Way Ahead for Music Education by Lucy Green
Review by: Vic Gammon
British Journal of Ethnomusicology, Vol. 11, No. 1, Red Ritual: Ritual Music and Communism
(2002), pp. 159-163
Published by: British Forum for Ethnomusicology
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 Reviews
Books
LUCY GREEN, How popular musicians
learn: a way ahead for music educa-
tion. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing,
2001. xii + 238pp., index. ISBN 0-
7546-0338-5 (hb. ?42.50)
Lucy Green has written an interesting and
original book. It is about the attitudes,
values and practices of popular musicians.
It is also about learning and teaching styles
and about whether a fruitful interactioncan
take place between formal methods of
teaching and informal modes of learning.
It is descriptive, analytic and prescriptive,
wanting to suggest "a way ahead for music
education".
Green is a classically trained musician,
a teacher, piano teacher and academic.
In recent years she has run the highly
esteemed and successful MA in Music
Education at the Institute of Education in
London. (Why she did not get the recent
professorship at the InstituteI have no idea,
but the strange and unfathomable ways of
universities should not continue to amaze
me). She is a productive writer. Her first
book, Music on deaf ears, is in my view a
profound and fascinating work, although
many deemed it too theoreticalfor the audi-
ence of teachers and educators who could
most benefit from it. Her second book,
Gender and music education, is the most
significantwork on the subjectyet produced
in this country. She has always shown a
talent for qualitative, empirical research,
and How popular musicians learn could
well prove to be her most accessible book to
date. She brings to her empirical work wide
BRITISHJOURNAL OF ETHNOMUSICOLOGYVOL. 11/i 2002 pp. 159-80
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reading, developed understanding and a
formidable power to draw on a wide range
of materials.Her work is informed by some
ethnomusicology and she speaks to some
central concerns of the discipline.
I have recently heard Music in Higher
Education described as a "Cinderella sub-
ject", and Music Education as a "Cinderella
subject of a Cinderella subject".I have seen
colleagues' eyes glaze over when I have
tried to interestthem in problems createdby
the Music National Curriculum.Yet surely
the way in which any society tries to intro-
duce and develop music among its young
people ought to be of interest to a wider
musical community. The questions that
Green asks are importantand profound.
Her basic material for the study is a set
of interviews with fourteen musicians
ranging in age from 50 to 15, all performers
of "Anglo-American guitar-based pop and
rock music". The interview material is
lively and informative and it is obvious that
those interviewedhave respondedpositively
and given rich responses. In a pleasing
touch the book is dedicated to them.
I come to this book having spent most of
the last ten years involved in trying to help
music graduates prepare themselves to be
successful classroom practitioners in pri-
mary and secondaryschools. Thus the ques-
tion title of Green's first chapter"Whatis it
to be musically educated?"is a crucial one.
The reality is that our society and its higher
education institutionshave no consensus on
this question. Graduateswho present them-
selves for PGCE courses have a wide range
of skills, knowledge and understandingbut
few present anything like an adequate
breadthto cope well with the challenges of
160 BRITISH JOURNAL OF ETHNOMUSICOLOGY
British secondary school music classrooms.
We wait with interest to see whether the
advent of "benchmarking"in higher educa-
tion will do much to change this situation.
From the cynical words of some HE music
teachers (not in my own institution I hasten
to add), I doubt that it will have much effect
other than the commissioning of paper (or
ratherelectronic) exercises to "prove"that
the benchmarksare being addressed. Green
believes that musical success in music edu-
cation should not be measured in terms of
the achievement of a professional musical
life as an outcome but in wider, lifelong
benefits (17).
Green accepts Everitt's rather gloomy
finding that in contemporary Britain only
about one per cent of the adult population
is an amateurmusic-maker (Everitt, 1997).
I am a little suspicious of this finding, par-
ticularly when the notion of "participatory"
seems to imply some sort of public partici-
pation or exhibition. Comparisons with the
past are extremely difficult, and much of the
music-making Green cites from the past
was of a domestic nature.My own work on
church bands is cited - these were fascinat-
ing institutions,but a churchband of instru-
mentalists and singers may well have
constituted one per cent or less of the pop-
ulation of an English parish. Some writers,
often basing their argumentson instrument
sales, have estimated that there has been
more musical activity in recent decades
than ever in the past, although buying an
instrument is not playing it and does not
necessarily imply "participation".Formal
amateurmusical institutions such as choral
societies and brass bands tend to report a
long-term decline, which would tend to
supportEveritt's and Green's views.
The point where I would totally agree
with Green is that the great increase in
formal music education has not resulted in
a concomitant increase in publicly visible
amateurmusic-making.There is an element
of fashion here, and the characteristicmusi-
cal activities of nineteenth-century urban
society may not be the most appropriatefor
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VOL.1 1/i 2002
a post-modern society. I live in Hudders-
field, reputedly one of the most musical
towns in England: the music-making is
there, yet one has to seek it out. I interpret
Ruth Finnegan's work in a more positive
way than Green is able to.
Where I find myself even more enthusi-
astically in agreement with Green is the
sense that something is wrong with formal
music education - something is missing.
She explores what this might be throughan
analytical contrast between formal music
education and "informal music learning
practices". She believes that formal music
education can be improved by the incorpo-
ration of some elements from "informal
learning practices".
Again, my own past experience as a
teacher trainer would support this view.
There were always exceptions, but some of
best trainee teachers I have worked with,
those who demonstrated a larger number
of the practical skills needed to succeed in
the classroom, came out of undergraduate
courses on jazz and popular music. Some-
times they lacked knowledge of the Western
art music tradition,but in terms of practical
work with kids they often had the edge.
Early in the secondary PGCE course I
ran an improvisation session in order to
explore the ways in which improvisation
could be taught to 11-14 year olds (these
skills featuring in the requirementsof the
National Curriculum).My idea behind the
session was not to frightenpeople, thoughit
terrified some. I thought it such a pity that
people who had spent thousands of hours
developing their instrumental skills could
not make a coherent musical articulation
without written music in front of them.
Such a thing would be unthinkable to
trainedactors, and artistswould only need a
stimulus and a sketchpad to start to create
something. It should not be surprisingthat
some of the most creativeBritishrock musi-
cians were educated at art colleges.
It is not that Green is arguing that all is
perfect in the learningof popularmusicians.
Some of this is quite haphazard, and no
BRITISH JOURNAL OF ETHNOMUSICOLOGY
doubt much time and effort is wasted in
blind alleys. Some learnersfall by the way-
side, among them those who could have
been encouraged to continue with a timely
intervention by someone who could under-
stand the problem they were experiencing.
On the other hand, the attritionrate in terms
of formal instrumental lessons is high;
many pupils do not respond to them posi-
tively and give up (including, interestingly,
some of the interviewees who went on to
become successful popular musicians).
Similarly, in spite of the changes that have
been made in the school music curriculum
which have triedto make the subject"music
for all", GCSE Music only attractsa small
percentage of the numbers who take GCSE
Art and Design courses. I thinkGreenmight
be a little over-generous in her estimate
of the wide-ranging nature of the GCSE
(introduced in 1988). It certainly did free
composing and performing from stylistic
constraints(where teacherslet this happen),
but in the listening section of the papers the
position of western classical music is still
dominant, with popular and world music
styles seemingly a token presence. The
reluctance of successful GCSE students
interested in popular music to take up
A Level is to be expected as this emphasis
on the western classical traditionincreases
at A Level (166).
Green, however, notices a significant
change in the way school music was expe-
rienced by her older and younger inform-
ants. Those who experienced what she
describes as "traditionalmusic education"
gained little from it and generally felt alien-
ated during class lessons. The popular
music skills these pupils acquiredwere not
recognized and encouraged by teachers.
In contrast, the younger interviewees'
responses to "the new music education"
were far more appreciativeas post-National
Curriculumteachers developed more inclu-
sive attitudes and practices to the range of
music supported and encouraged by the
school. While casting no doubt on these
findings at all, the small size of Green's
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VOL. 11/i 2002 161
group of interviewees might mean that the
full range of students' experiences is not
reflected. In a recent survey that I myself
carriedout, of 50 first-yearmusic undergrad-
uates (popular and "unpopular"students -
the words fail us!). I found a complete range
of assessment of the value of their school
experiences to their musical development.
There still seem to be plenty of schools
where pupils are not getting a positive
experience of Music in spite of the National
Curriculum, OFSTED and the Qualifica-
tions and CurriculumAuthority.
One of the really fascinating findings of
the book is that when those who have
mainly acquired their skills through infor-
mal learning become teachers themselves,
the positive aspects of their own informal
learning are not reflected in their teaching.
In short, they tend to teach popular music
skills in a very traditional instrumental
teacherway. As Greennotes, "Itis one thing
to experience a way of leaming and another
thing to recognise its feasibility as a teach-
ing method ... it is reasonable to hypothe-
sise that formal popularmusic instrumental
tuition methods have much in common with
formal classical instrumental tuition and
relatively little in common with informal
music learning practices" (178).
Green is clear what the benefits of
informal learning are, and these include
the enjoyment the popularmusicians derive
from theirpractice and learning.A key find-
ing in Green's book is that, because they
enjoyed and valued what they play, the
motivation of popular music learners is
high. They like the music they play so they
perseverewith it. Interestingly,they demon-
strate a tendency to consider that they had
not learntanythingunless it had been taught
to them formally - a sad reflection on
contemporaryattitudes and values.
A central learning practice of the popu-
lar musicians studied is attentive learning
and close copying of recordings. This goes
along with a disposition to make the written
always secondary to the aural (a great deal
of commercially published popularmusic is
162 BRITISH JOURNAL OF ETHNOMUSICOLOGY
inaccurate anyway - so it is good that the
musicians can use their aural skills well)
(96). A great deal of popular music learn-
ing is "by feel, ear, trial and error"(92). In
addition, peer learning goes on though the
copying and exchanging of ideas and tech-
niques (97). Learning practices are akin to
the ways young children pick up language
(100), which begins with a jumble of rela-
tively unconscious processes out of which
greater levels of conscious systematization
develop (103).
Earlierin the book Green comes up with
the rather startling hypothesis, yet to be
fully tested, that "Young musicians who
acquire their skills and knowledge more
through informal learning practices than
through formal music education may be
more likely to continue playing music,
alone or with others, for enjoyment in later
life" (56). If this is true, and my own
research and observations suggest that it
might well be, it is a considerable indict-
ment of formal music education.If the main
achievement of any form of education is to
show people thatultimatelythey are failures
and to so demotivate them that they do not
wish to continue with that activity, that
hardly rates as a significant educational
achievement.
Formalmusic education"neglects"these
informal learning practices, Green argues,
and is impoverished as a result. Formal
music education cannot attempt an exact
emulation of informal music learning prac-
tices but it can incorporatesome of the valu-
able practices into its repertoryof methods
(184). Of these, crucial would be listening,
watching and copying, including "solitary,
close attention to recordings of music they
like and identify with" (185, 189).
Defying the aural nature of music, it is
common with some teachers in classical
instrumentaltuitionfor studentsto work at a
piece thatthey have never heardperformed.
(I would go furtherthan Green and say that
I have known teacherswho felt thatto listen
to a piece that was being studied was a type
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VOL. 11/i 2002
of cheating - the test of the student should
be whetherthey could get the music "offthe
page".) Green would have instrumental
teachers incorporate listening as part of
theirpreparationand practiceroutines(188)
and have pupils learn by listening and
closely copying recordings - ironically a
replication of "a highly traditionaland for-
mal pedagogic method in that it involves
obedience to the authority of a master"
(189). I totally agree with this: I have long
felt that aural copying is a great stimulant
to the development of musicianship and
so much more rewarding than arid aural
exercises.
The other importantareathat instrumen-
tal pedagogy could incorporate would be
stimulating "interacting with their friends
and peers". In classroom teaching I have
long felt that too often far too much time is
taken up with explanation and instruction
and not enough with actually playing. Dex-
terityand facility come throughpracticeand
use, and thus lessons I have observedwhere
most of the time is spent performing and
interacting musically (as in a West African
percussion ensemble) have, I would say,
resulted in the best learning experiences for
pupils. Western instrumentalteachers have
long been wedded to the idea of the solo
instrumentallesson and have only tendedto
move away from it with reluctance under
the pressure of economic necessity. As a
number of educationalists have arguedand
as is the practicein other countries,it is per-
haps time to see the positive advantagesof
group instrumentalteaching.
I am loath to suggest an area that the
book does not tackle and which it was not
Green's intention to tackle, so this para-
graph is more of a thought sparkedby her
book than a criticism. Certain social forces
in recent years (includingboth Conservative
and New Labour politicians) have made
social class a sort of taboo subject.Issues of
social class impinge strongly on this area
and yet tend not to get discussed. The
matter is quite simple. The admission to
BRITISH JOURNAL OF ETHNOMUSICOLOGY
university courses of music is often condi-
tional on the achievement of a high grade in
an ABRSM instrumentalexamination.This
in turnalmost always depends on long-term
parentalmoral and financial supportin buy-
ing instrumentsand paying for instrumental
lessons (whether private or school-based)
and supporting and encouraging practice.
This thereforedepends on having sufficient
financial resources and the disposition to
see this as a good thing to spend money on.
This inevitably leads to a filtering-out
process that excludes people from family
backgrounds that are unable or not cultur-
ally disposed to give the necessary support
to musical children. Let us hope that the
development of popular music courses,
more flexible entry requirements and dif-
ferent methods of assessing potential and
ability will do something to address the
accessibility of university music study.
Some of the interviewees were rejected
when they tried to enter university.I would
have loved to know more about the social
and cultural backgrounds of the musicians
Green interviewed.
There is much that is rich, challenging
and thought-provoking in this book. It is
challenging to many established ideas and
practices. It is also optimistic and humane.
It will be interesting to see the reactions
to the book and its proposals. I seriously
expect it to be rubbishedor ignored in some
quarters as it is simply too challenging to
existing paradigms.But Green, in her care-
ful empirical work, has groundedher study
well and her ideas and findings need to be
considered seriously.
Reference
Everitt,Anthony(1997) Joiningin: an investi-
gation intoparticipatorymusic. London:
Calouste GulbenkianFoundation.
VICGAMMON
School of Music, Universityof Leeds
v.a.f gammon@leeds.ac. uk
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VOL.1 1/i 2002 163
Y. KOJAMAN, The maqam music tradi-
tion of Iraq. London: Y. Kojaman
(books@kojaman.ac.uk) 2001.
258pp., illustrations, musical exx.,
tables, compact discs. ISBN 0-
9539752-1-5.
When Rodolphe D'Erlanger wrote his
monumental study of the melodic modes,
rhythms and forms of modem Arab music,
he classified his data according to two
main "branches"or traditions:the "hispano-
arabe", represented by Morocco, Algeria
and Tunisia, and the "orientale", repre-
sented by Egypt, Syria and, implicitly, the
rest of the Arab world (D'Erlanger 1949:
334ff; 1959:141ff).
D'Erlanger's work was originally pre-
sented to the first internationalcongress of
Arab music, held in Cairo in 1932. At this
landmark event, an unprecedented gather-
ing of ensembles from Morocco, Tunisia,
Algeria, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq
performed to leading musicians and schol-
ars from Europe, Turkey and various Arab
countries.As ChristianPoche has observed,
"musicians coming from far afield ... who
were thought to practise the same art,
far from revealing themselves as homoge-
neous, literally astounded observers with
their degree of diversity"(Poche 1987:100).
The Iraqiurbantradition,al-maqdmal-iraqi,
was represented by the celebrated singer
from Baghdad, Muhammad al-Qubbanchi,
accompanied by the traditional ensemble
known as al-chalgi al-baghdadi. Their
performances revealed a unique melodic
repertory,distinct in its formal procedures,
performancepractice and terminology from
the neighbouring "oriental" traditions of
Egypt and Syria.
Since 1932, numerous historical and
theoretical studies on the Iraqimaqdmhave
appearedin Arabic, and several notated ver-
sions of the repertoryhave been published.
Yet, with the exception of the important
contributions of Scheherazade Qassim
Hassan, the European-language literature