Rose, L. S., & Countryman, J. (2013).

Repositioning The Elements: How Students Talk

about Music. Action, Criticism & Theory for Music Education, 12(3), 45-64.

Countryman and Rose use this article as an opportunity to critique the use of the elements
in teaching music. The elements of music are traditional, European-influenced characteristics of
music including melody, harmony, rhythm, tone, form, tempo and dynamics. Countryman and
Rose argue that the elements are a frame work of dominance, emerging from a position of
privilege and power, as well as an oppressive pedagogy, which devalues diversity, limits
access, and denies individuality (Countryman & Rose, 2013).
I would like to disagree. I believe that the elements are part of a fundamental knowledge
and vital to the study of music, as well as the growth of an individual musician. I personally had
a very different experience with the elements. Having little to no awareness about them limited
my knowledge of music and how it worked. After recognizing what they were and learning to
identify them, they provided me with a deeper understanding of music and why certain things
occur when they do.
Having said that, I can see how trying to teach music differently could be difficult for fear
of being seen as unprofessional. The articles example of the school orchestra that played Lord of
the Rings music for a competition that were frowned upon because it wasnt classical really upset
me. In a competition, a piece of music should be judged based on the quality/difficulty of the
music itself, not the genre in which it belongs to. For reasons such as this, many teachers are
scared to try something different because straying from the norm is viewed as socially
unacceptable.
The second portion of their paper addressing how students talk about music really
interested me. I was impressed by how many complex details the students were able to identify
in the music even without proper training of the elements. They were able to identify rhythmic
complexities, preferable timbres, and harmonic patterns with ease. I also liked how the students
were so eager to expand their musical knowledge outside of the classroom. Listening and
learning in class had inspired them to explore and discover more aspects of music, such as how
music can be associated with memories or induce physical feelings like the shiver down your
spine.
If I were to speak to the authors, I would commend them on their quest to expand musical
experiences and ignore the limitations of social norms, however I would also question why they
have such a negative view on the elements and ask if they considered the many benefits that they
bring. I would suggest a happy medium. Create a curriculum where the elements are
acknowledged and respected, but one that still allows for musical freedom and expression. I
think that Countryman and Rose are on the right track, but maybe with a less aggressive view on
the elements. They are the basis of music, after all.