February 05, 2023

#101. Historical Bias Against Popular Music Education Part II with Matt Edwards and Jacqlyn Zito-Edwards

52 minutes

This week on A Voice and Beyond, we continue with part two of our most informative interview with Matt Edwards and Jacqlyn Zito-Edwards. If you haven’t already listened to part 1, please go listen to episode #99 where we introduce our discussion into some of the important and crucial discoveries that Matt and Jacqulyn have made during their ongoing research into the roots of the academic bias against popular music education.

In today’s fascinating episode, Matt and Jacqlyn delve even further into the history of classism and racism that was evident in American society during the late 19th century and into most of the 20th century. Matt and Jacqlyn explain that the curricular recommendations of the National Association of Schools of Music are still built on those 19th and 20th-century beliefs, and these recommendations are now irrelevant and outdated. It is time to start thinking about the world we live in now, and the students we are serving now. They believe it is time to diversify and we, as teachers in the voice community, can make a difference and we can lead the charge toward initiating change, updating curricula and creating new pathways within academic systems. Matt and Jacqlyn affirm that we, the voice teaching community, are the ones who need to have open and welcoming conversations about the future of popular music education because academia is not set up to figure this out. There are many other great recommendations, important facts and brilliant pieces of advice shared within this episode around the teaching of popular music styles, or CCM as we know it. You do not want to miss it.

Please remember this is a two-part interview of our fascinating and most informative discussion with Matt Edwards and Jacqlyn Zito-Edwards and you can find part one in episode number 99.

In this Episode
1:15 - Welcoming back Matt and Jacqlyn
13:18 - Students being told “they’ll be able to sing anything”
24:01 - Student centred learning
34:20 - The forums on social media
37:38 - Higher Education
42:30 - Listening to your students
48:43 - Teaching students the music they want to learn

Find Matt & Jackie Online