This is here just to preload the mouseover images. Abstract Many driving forces are shaping the future for secondary music educators. This article examines them from the eyes of Berklee College of Music, the world's largest private college of contemporary music. Secondary music educators need to take these factors into account as they face similar challenges. The article discusses issues such as our national commitment to music and the arts, the impact of new styles of music, the changing musical literacy of today's student shaped by less traditional sources of instruction, the impact of music technology, and diverse cultural student demographics.
Music is one of the primary mediums for understanding among peoples of the world.
The roots of contemporary music are embedded deep within American culture from its18th century jazz roots in the deep South migrated from Africa on slave ships, to today's diverse spectrum of music coming from the major recording studios. And while music on one level is a highly personalized activity, when seen in its macro sense, it takes a massive infrastructure to deliver music to a worldwide audience by a music industry whose annual sales total over thirty billion dollars. There is a resulting demand for education to support careers in the music industry whether it is understanding contemporary music's cultural and historic aspects, developing proficiencies in its performance, or utilizing the full capabilities of tomorrow's music technology. Developing edcational programs to serve that need is a responsibility of educators at all levels but especially at early ages. Berklee College of Music in Boston is the world's largest contemporary music college.