Towards a critical curriculum theory in music education

Abstract

The concept of "Bildung" was incorporated into the Swedish curriculum two decades ago. This development was inspired by a Continental didactic and central idea of learning in combination with historical-philosophical curriculum theory, thereby breaking a long tradition of goal-rational Anglo-American curriculum discourse. Today, curriculum theory also enjoys a rewakened interist in Sweden as a result of our new teacher-training programme. This aricle provides a short historical background to earlier pedagogical and didactic influences in Sweden, points out influential thinking about curriculum generically in Germany and the United States that has an impact on Swedish curricula and describes recent curriculum trends in Sweden. The article presents tentative meta-reflections on curriculum theory and gives a brief outline of historical-philosophical curriculum theory. It offers a valid argument for the development of a critical curriculum theory with special reference to music education in the post-modern society. The aim of this aricle is to initiate a deeper discussion on the impact of curriculum theory on research in music education. Keywords: curriculum theory, Bildung, music education, post-modern curriculum discourse.