Middle school music curricula and the fostering of intercultural awareness

Abstract

This article focuses on curriculum in the context of international education, examining a particular example: arts education, and specifically music, in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP). As one expression of, and agent for, international education, MYP Music supposedly fosters intercultural awareness.The article considers how this is done. Music education, developments within the MYP, ideas about intercultural awareness itself and curriculum design theories all inform the discussion. Several examples of innovative music programmes in non-school settings illustrate a highly contextualized approach which places strong emphasis on intercultural understanding. It is argued that, in addition to disciplinary understanding, an international curriculum should aim for intercultural understanding and international understanding.