The Nature of Collaboration in Music Education

Abstract

Educational partnerships in music education may take many forms. As the boundaries of music education expand, so partnerships may be extended to early childhood music programs in daycares and nursery schools, to intergenerational exchanges between elementary school students and geriatric patients, to internships in church music and music industry. Collaborative efforts may involve one methods class and its practicum, or an entire school system and a university music department. Whatever form or scope they take, educational partnerships must maintain the essential principles of collaboration: mutual involvement and commitment, shared goals, continuous communication, and realization of joint benefits. Partnerships between universities and schools are essential if we are to narrow the gap between theory and practice in teaching and prepare future educators adequately. The schools themselves will benefit immediately due to the infusion of ideas from the universities, and in the future, from access to a cadre of better-equipped teachers.