Teaching music at Oxford may soon be less about writing notation and conducting orchestras, and more about which artists hated Donald Trump’s use of their works without permission, proposed reform reportedly suggests.
One of the most prestigious universities in the UK plans to overhaul its music courses for undergraduates to steer them away from elements of ‘colonialism’ and ‘white supremacy’, the Telegraph reported, citing internal documents. The supposedly problematic parts of the curriculum include the study of musical notation, described as a “colonialist representational system.”
Many ways of writing down music have been invented throughout history, but the system developed in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries laid the foundation for the most used form today. It’s not set in stone, of course, and is constantly developed. Alternatives specific to certain instruments and genres exist as well.
Reformists at Oxford believe that teaching notation rooted in the colonial past is a “slap in the face” for some students, according to the newspaper.
