A Philosophy Of Music Education: Advancing the Vision, Third Edition

Arts & Activities, Feb, 2004 by Jerome J. Hausman

[PRINT]

(2003; $59), by Bennett Reimer. Prentice Hall, 1 Lake St., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

Those who teach the visual arts would do well to read books that deal with other subject matter, yet still provide special insights and understandings that would pertain to our own teaching. This is one such book. What is interesting to note is that the author, Bennett Reimer, has added much that would update the book in terms of contemporary problems and issues.

Many teachers of the visual arts ask the question, "Why do we need a philosophy of art education? Isn't it enough that we know how to make art?" Reimer, quite correctly, observes that philosophy requires "language-think," music requires "mind-think," and I would add, art requires "visual-think." Reimer's answer is quite clear and persuasive: "To the degree that individual music educators are helped to formulate a compelling philosophy, the profession will become more solid and secure." He later observed. "The quality of decisions depends in large measure on the quality of our understanding of the nature of our subject. The deeper this understanding, the more consistent, the more focused, the more effective our clinics become." So too, this is the case for art educators!

It should be noted that Reimer makes many references to sources often cited in our art-education literature: John Dewey, Howard Gardener, Morris Weitz and Elliot Eisner. It should also be noted that he was an active participant in the CEMREL Aesthetic Education Project that brought together arts educators representing a wide range of disciplines.

The book is organized into nine major chapters, with such titles as "From Philosophical Concurrence to Diversity: Problems and Opportunities" and "The Creating Dimension of Musical Experience."

In my reading of A Philosophy of Music Education, I found many sections where the substitution of the word "art" for "music" made good sense. Reimer does not make simplistic assumptions that would make interchange between the teachers of music and art a mechanical matter. He knows the difference between music and art. At the same time he has established a philosophy of music and art possible. Indeed, we can learn a lot from each other while strengthening our respective identities. For information about this publication, visit www. prenhall.com.