Review: Art, Artists and Pedagogy
Art, Artists and Pedagogy: Philosophy and the Arts in Education edited by Christopher Naughton, Gert Biesta and David R. Cole. Oxon: Routledge, 2018. 156pp., paperback. £25.97. ISBN 978-1-138-50060-0 Two philosophies inspire this edited book - Gert Biesta’s ideas about education and pedagogy, and the new materialist concepts of Deleuze and Guattari. At times, these sources can offer either overlapping notions or distinctly different philosophical positions; both have undertones of social justice and the intrinsic value of the arts for life and living. The book is not a ‘how to’ manual for teachers; rather it offers the chance to think about what constitutes quality practice. I find it a useful text for masters students studying early years music as it questions the accepted, and challenges us to think about the underlying and often unspoken aspects of arts education in society today. The 15 chapters explore various art forms, and throughout there is an
ongoing discussion of the current global education climate of assessment and measurement against outcomes that can lead to the instrumentalism of the arts to serve other ends.
For the full review please see British Journal of Music Education July 2018 Volume 35(2), 217–218.
