Abstract
This article is in response to that of Robert Walker (IJME, 27, 2-15). It is proposed that attempts to define music in terms of either sonic material or socio-cultural acoustic phenomena are inadequate. Furthermore, it is important to distinguish between the view that all music is culturally rooted and the doubtful assertion that all music is uniquely reflective and expressive of a culture. This form of referentialism overlooks the transactional nature of musical discourse. The concept of discourse suggests a group of principles for music educators: care for music as conversation, care for the autonomy of students, teaching for expressiveness and promoting fluency before literacy. These complement the main dimensions of a formal music curriculum: analysis of cosmopolitan musical elements (by participation) and involvement in local musical events.
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