The social conditions that can be expected
to shape or influence education in 2020 are described in greater
detail elsewhere in this publication. The following conditions
are considered of particular relevance to this chapter:
1. The settings in which music instruction
is delivered will be more numerous and more varied than ever
before, including, for example, charter schools, home schools,
for-profit schools, other alternative schools, and distance
or distributed learning centers. There will be more opportunities
within the community for both students and adults to make music
and study music. There will be greater cooperation between schools
and other community agencies in coordinating these offerings
in order to increase the range of opportunities available and
to broaden access to those offerings.
2. The demands placed on schools for improved
and expanded services will exceed the availability of financial
resources. There will continue to exist a serious mismatch between
the expectations of both legislators and the public and their
willingness to provide the necessary fiscal support. Because
new responsibilities will continually be placed on schools while
none are removed, it will become increasingly necessary for
schools to set priorities, and the competition for resources
will be intense.
3. Although the availability of technology
may be uneven and inequitable, its role will be increasingly
prominent in every aspect of education. Technology can make
virtually unlimited quantities of information available to every
student. The dramatic effect it will have on the delivery of
instruction will parallel the effect it will have on the nature
of music making.
4. There will be great emphasis on interactive
and collaborative learning. Ways will be sought for students
to work together on group projects to reflect the ways in which
much work is accomplished in the adult world. The important
contributions of music instruction to the skills and knowledge
valued in business, industry, and the professions will be recognized
and emphasized as valuable ancillary outcomes.
5. The student population will be more diverse
than ever before in many respects, particularly in the ethnic
and cultural backgrounds represented. Each of these groups will
seek to ensure that its own cultural traditions, including its
own music, have a place in the school curriculum. Schools will
be recognized increasingly as microcosms of the society they
serve.
Many of these conditions reflect external influences
over which music educators will exercise relatively little control.
All will affect the content and methodology of music teaching.
Music educators must be prepared to meet these challenges and
to take advantage of the opportunities they represent.
The teaching/learning process is a complex,
interactive process heavily dependent on the context in which
it occurs. Good schools require the understanding and support
of all segments of society. Education is important to everyone
because no other institution has more impact than the school
on the economic, personal, and social well-being of our nation
and its inhabitants.
