In 1989 an Institute of Education was offered a sum of money through TVEI to fund a small-scale study which was to involve secondary schools within travelling distance of the Institute. The intention was to survey LEAs to find out TVEI contacts within local authorities and to identify school music departments which had some direct experience of bidding successfully for TVEI funds. In addition to gaining a general, overall view, a small number of case studies were to be written up illustrating the findings in more detail.

Abstracted from a conference report compiled by the West Glamorgan county Council TVEI Unit

‘Le musicien intervenant’ is a concept that has been developed in France especially to increase the scope of musical education, particularly in the elementary and pre-elementary schools. The ‘intervenants’ are not substitute teachers but are trained to work with school teachers as part of a team, offering children a high quality introduction to music. Intervenants also help to develop other musical activities in the localities where they work. Nine institutions throughout France (Centres de Formation de Musiciens Intervenant – CFMI) offer diploma courses. The author of this article is Director of the Centre at Lyon. He outlines his philosophy of music education, and describes some important aspects of his work – notably the commissioning of compositions that exploit contemporary musical ideas but are easily accessible for all children.

Now in its ninth year, the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative (TVEI) has a complex history, marked by lively debate about the value and purpose of education itself, and about the role of central government in educational reform. At first seemingly unrelated to the arts, the scheme has gradually come to have a chequered impact on them. Whereas many music teachers have not been at all affected, others have been deeply involved. For them, it has brought distinct, sometimes radical innovation in both the form and content of the curriculum.

This paper traces the relationship between music and national feeling which permeated popular education during the latter part of the nineteenth century, culminating in the publication of The National Song Book (Stanford, 1906). By the First World War there was hardly a school in the country which did not possess a copy. The roots of the idea of national songs are traced back to Herder and Engel, and in particular to William Chappell's Popular Music of the Olden Time (1858–9). The paper argues that music educationists developed distinct theories about the educative value of such songs in developing notions of nationhood, patriotism and racial pride. Specifically a line of development is traced in the development of The National Song Book through Charles Stanford, W. H. Hadow and Arthur Somervell, while taking cognisance of the dissenting views of John Stainer and Cecil Sharp. The paper concludes that The National Song Book proclaimed the hegemony of the literate tradition as opposed to the oral, and considers the view that national songs contained within them the danger of the manipulation of patriotism.

The Report of the Working Group for Music on the National Curriculum suggested that music teachers should incorporate music from non-Western cultures into their programmes of study. African Week proved to be an ideal opportunity to introduce the idea of music and dance from Africa to both students and the wider community in a predominantly white area, as well as to address the vexed problem of how to teach combined arts without diluting standards in the individual art forms.