John Paynter, music education and the creativity of coincidence

Abstract

My purpose is to develop better understanding of John Paynter's professional life and work, and by examining his pedagogic principles, discern something of the system of beliefs that underlay his commitment to finding a place for music within a system of general education. A number of significant influences are identified that bear upon his thought and practice and which in conjunction with his vocation as a composer-teacher come to privilege a process of making that is thought to bring order and coherence not only to musical thought but by analogy to life lived creatively. Portraying John as existential-humanist, although reductive, has a two-fold purpose; it exposes and invites critique of the creative ideology John so zealously promoted and at the same time provides a basis for a wider critique, and in particular, critique of current and future ideas about music, music education and its practice. In this way, John's life and work can be viewed as a vital source of long-living value.