Digital music and critical music literacy

ABSTRACT

The Society of Music Analysis report indicated that digital music often sits uncomfortably within a curriculum where the main focus is on the non-digital. This article takes as its starting point a broad definition of digital music as both a type of music and a way that music is represented. It will examine how digital music has altered the music landscape within informal and formal educational settings, and it will explore conflicting notions of music literacy while suggesting that traditional arguments about the value of notation fluency in the digital age may be misdirected. Ultimately, it will propose a definition of ‘critical music literacy’ in which Western standard music notation is not the crucial consideration, with implications for the design of music curricula and for progression.

KEYWORDS:

• Music education
• music literacy
• music technology
• critical pedagogy

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paul Louth

Paul Louth is Professor of Music Education at Youngstown State University in Youngstown Ohio, USA, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in music education foundations, methods, and research. He is a former high school music teacher and professional freelance trombonist whose research interests focus on critical music pedagogy, technology, philosophical and sociological issues in music education, and informal music learning.