In 300 words total, engage the following questions.

What should a university music school of the near future consist of? Think 3-5 years from right now. Be specific and boldness is encouraged. What would it include particularly towards the aim of dismantling the white racial frame of music theory and history? Consider the following quotation in relation to your work on your instrument:

The practice that neutralizes the common sense intuition of the most privileged members of society as objective knowledge.

 

University level music schools in the west need to change. The neglect of music not created by white men in position of power runs deep in the history of the western music tradition. Simple small steps in the next one or two years would be to embrace music from people of colour in the west. Put more of a focus on styles of music that originated from people of colour in the west and the study of what makes those styles of music unique. Imagine a unit of study on rock and roll, samba, jazz, bossa nova, or any other western music tradition that wasn’t perpetuated by old white men. Not only an entire unit of study dedicated to each of theses styles, but a unit of equal importance to the old classical styles of white European men.   All of these styles of music have roots in what we call, “modern music theory,” yet they are shunned because of the people who created them. Reaching further into the future I see a world of study that isn’t so obsessed with the western music tradition. Where we can learn music from other cultures such as Asia and Africa without it seeming like a novelty. We need to completely restructure post secondary music education. All music needs to have an equal chance to reach the ears of those who are seeking out an education in the field of music. How can one call themselves a master in the subject when really our views are so narrow? In a perfect world what we call, “music theory,” today would take up merely a quarter (or less) of what a student would learn in their first year of music school. The rest of the curriculum would be dedicated to diversifying our musical palate and normalizing the study music from cultures other than our own.