At the end of March 2021, there were reports that the monitoring signs were recognized at the University of Oxford and wanted to reform musical letters and refuse to study the classical repertoire. We figured out whether we definitely recognized and really want.
On March 27, a series of publications on this subject in the British media opened an article in The Telegraph, entitled: “Professor Oxford called the musical notation of the“ colonialist ”and wants to“ decolonize the “curriculum”. In Russia, they told about this "Ren-TV", "Komsomolskaya Pravda", "Tsargrad", "Vesti FM" and other media. There are two main statements in Russian media messages: firstly, in Oxford, a music letter was recognized as racist, and secondly, the university will now revise the classic repertoire, or even completely refuse it.
What did you write The Telegraph?
The correspondent of the publication Craig Simpson studied proposals for changing the curriculum expressed by one of the employees of the Faculty of Music of Oxford University during a certain discussion. The names and positions of the participants in the text are not indicated. Also, neither the name nor the date of the event, in the framework of which this conversation took place and was recorded, is also mentioned. From the context, one can understand that the meeting was devoted to changes in the curriculum for students of the initial stage (Undergraduates).
“It follows from the documents that one of the employees of the faculty, responsible for the curriculum, proposed to carry out reforms aimed at combating“ white hegemony ”, including rethinking the study of musical notation, because it is a representation of colonialism. The teaching of a musical notation, which "did not shake off the connection with the colonial past," may be "sung" for some students, the documents say. It is proposed to conduct rebranding music to make them more inclusive ", - writes Simpson.
The article further tells other sentences, for example: “To remove some skills from among the obligatory skills, such as playing on key instruments and conducting, since their repertoire is“ structurally addressed to white European music, ”which can cause students of other“ great torment ”.” “The professors wondered if the structure of the Faculty of Faculty supports white superiority,” the article says. Whether this was expressed by the same professor or there were several of them, it is again not clear from the text.
As a solution, it was proposed (who is not specified again) to rename some sections and replace the topics dedicated to the last decade of Schubert and the medieval French composer Guillaume de Masha, others such as “Music of Africa and African diaspora”, “Global music” and “Popular music”. According to the journalist, the documents say that not all participants in the discussion agreed with proposals and a similar approach. One of them noted that teachers involved in music created before 1900 are often indirectly accused of focusing on “white” and Western music. At the meeting, disagreements arose about the modern term “West Classical Music”, which is proposed to replace the expression “classical music”.
After listing the subjects of the discussion, a commentary of the leadership follows that the faculty has really planned to make changes to the curriculum in the last couple of years and that they will be published in the summer when they receive the approval of the university. According to the representative of the faculty, teachers really plan to include more non -decaying and popular music in the program, but in no way to the detriment of the traditional program. “Preserving (and in no case do not weaken) our skill in critical analysis, the history and performance of a variety of Western classical music, we are looking for ways to provide our students with more opportunities to study unprecedented and popular music than they are now,” the comment says.
What Say representatives of the faculty and university?
March 31, four days after the article in The Telegraph, the same commentary in expanded and supplemented form appeared On the website of the faculty - it is obvious, as a response to the discussion in the media. It again says that the teaching of Western classical music will be preserved at the same level (they are listed for the example of the surname Masha, Mozart and Beethoven, so at least three “Kenseling” does not threaten them).
Some existing disciplines will be updated. For example, “composition techniques” (harmony and counterpoint) will be complemented by arranging and transcription of music and there will be included both Western classical and popular and non -decay options. The faculty also spoke about the recent appointment of the associate professor (Associate Professor) of popular music, which will help expand the curriculum with appropriate courses, while all other employees will conduct the same courses as before. Already existing courses, the faculty recalled, includes such disciplines as “global hip-hop”, “world jazz” and “women in popular music”.
The recognition of musical signs with colonialist, racist or any other reports of the university is not said.
In the afternoon, on March 30, AP correspondent contacted the head of the communications department of Oxford University by Stephen Rose, which confirmedthat the faculty really plans to expand the curriculum, but the exclusion of musical notation is not included in these plans. Rose also said that the views and statements that The Telegraph attributed to some “professors” are mainly the views and statements of one person.
Thus, the Faculty of Music of the University of Oxford does not plan to abandon a notate literacy and did not make statements that it is a colonialist or racist system of signs. This, apparently, is the private opinion of one of the employees expressed when discussing the curriculum and then anonymously appearing in the media. The faculty also does not refuse the teaching of Western classical music, which was reported to the correspondent of The Telegraph and on his site. This position was also confirmed by the head of communications of Oxford University.
Photo: Oxford University Music Society
Most of the untruth
- Is it true that, due to the fight against racism in US schools, they now do not require the right solution to mathematics lessons?
- https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-fs:content:9947592002
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