UG Task Force Report- update from CMS

BettyAnne Younker

Dear Colleagues;

The following will be posted on the CMS website. I thank you for your patience while this report was crafted.  I send this to you as valued colleagues in the field and in recognition of the work that you do within the diversities of your field, including music theory pedagogy.

 

Dear Colleagues,

Under the leadership of Patricia Shehan Campbell during her Presidency of CMS, a Task Force was appointed to examine undergraduate music curricula.  The goal was to make recommendations for fostering and igniting conversations within and across the music subdisciplines concerning undergraduate music curricula: (a) not just about what we teach but how we engage students in the experience of music, and (b) in all of its manifestations – aesthetically, politically, socially, culturally. The Task Force submitted and presented the report at the 2014 CMS National Conference.  As with any task force report or initiative, continued work is taken up by those interested within the membership of CMS and music profession, which has occurred.

We have just completed a most successful 2015 CMS conference. The President’s Forum concluded the program with Poundie Bernstein (SMT), Jeffrey Magee (AMS), Peter Webster (CMS), and David Myers (Chair of the Task Force on the Undergraduate Music Major and co-author of the Task Force's report) serving on a panel. They provided their thoughts on Comprehensive Musicianship as well as the Task Force report. During the panel I announced that the Board of Directors would be voting to endorse, or not endorse, the edited version of the Task Force report.

At its meeting on Sunday, November 8, the members of the Board of Directors enjoyed a productive conversation that resulted in the decision to follow past practice concerning reports of CMS task force and study groups. As with all past task force reports, it will be presented and used in various ways, one of which will be uploading the report to the CMS website after final edits are made per the recommendations of the Board. Having it reside on the website will acknowledge the work of the Task Force and reflect the intentions of the report – that is, for dialogue to continue about how we can offer the most educative programs for our students.  As with past practice there is no official endorsement of the task force report.

We will not all agree on the ideas and programs outlined in the report, nor will we agree as to what defines creativity, composition, and improvisation.  However, it is in dialogue that we learn from each other and retain or change our thinking.  This is the heart of education – we learn, listen, reflect, retain, and transform.

BAY, President

The College Music Society