I’ve said for a long time that music education is at a crossroads—but depending on who you ask, we’re either evolving… or we’re missing the point entirely. Are traditional school music programs—band, choir, orchestra—reaching enough students? And if not, why?
There’s a growing narrative in music education right now that what we’ve been doing for decades just isn’t working anymore. My guest today, Kevin Droe, makes that case in a recent TED Talk—arguing that if we don’t rethink school music programs, we risk losing students altogether.
Now, I want to say this up front: Kevin’s not coming at this from the outside. He’s a music educator, a band director, someone who clearly believes in what we do. And I think that matters.
But I also think some of the assumptions behind this argument need to be examined a little more carefully.
- Is 20% participation really a crisis—or actually pretty strong for an elective?
- Are we excluding students—or just not offering every possible pathway?
- And what does meaningful expansion actually look like in a real school setting?
This conversation is honest, respectful, and at times… a little challenging. Which probably means it’s one worth having…
🎧 Tune in now on YouTube or your favorite podcast app!
Tune in, and have your thinking stimulated and challenged. Then, weigh in yourself with your related ideas and experiences on Facebook in the Choralosophers group or over on choralosophy.substack.com Also, don’t forget to grab a reading rope for your classroom wall from the shop! Music Reading Rope
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Kevin Droe, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of Northern Iowa. He specializes in teaching undergraduate and graduate music education. Alongside his teaching and research responsibilities, Kevin Droe is the founder of the UNI Spectrum Project. This initiative offers children with differing abilities a weekend of music, movement, drama, and art activities. His research focuses on special populations, innovative music education, and popular music.
In 2018, Kevin established AmpCamp, an annual summer popular music youth camp. In 2022, he launched Spectrum JamFest, an annual youth music festival. Kevin Droe teaches workshops in audio, modern band and popular music education throughout Iowa. When not teaching and researching, Kevin is the drummer for Corn Riot, a punk metal band made up of faculty and staff of the UNI School of Music. He holds degrees from the University of Northern Colorado and a Ph.D. in music education from The Florida State University.
UNI Modern Band YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@unimodernband3038/featured
UNI Spectrum Project – https://www.spectrumproject.org/
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