2021 — Carver — Playing it right: what counts in an African music curriculum

Playing it right: axiology and the not-so-hidden curriculum
Mandy Carver, LCT Wits

Scratch the surface of any given knowledge practice, and you will find an underpinning set of values and beliefs. These are often taken for granted ideas that are seldom, if ever, brought into question, yet they infuse every aspect of their respective discipline. Becoming a legitimate knower requires us to buy into these values and to become ‘true believers’ before we can be taken seriously – whether we are academics, artists or scientists. Music provides an interesting case, because in order to make sense of it, we draw on the emotions, memories, feelings and judgements that it evokes for us as individuals. In fact, we find it difficult to separate these feeling-ful insights from the musical notes themselves. But doing it ‘right’ often goes beyond personal feelings: in music, the right way to play is not just a matter of producing ‘correct’ sounds, it is loaded with moral overtones and judgements about character and worth.

If values are important, how are they included in curricula? And what happens when they result in abuse and injustice? The LCT concept of axiology provides a way to think about this problem. In this Roundtable, I shall use Semantics to explore what happens to axiological meanings in music curricula, comparing conventional classical music education with African music curricula in South Africa. I will consider how values play out in curriculum and pedagogy, and the options teachers and students have to challenge what it means to play it right.


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