A formal axiomatic philosophy of music education
Date
1988
Authors
Churchley, John Franklin
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Abstract
The purpose of this study is to develop an axiomatic philosophy of music education in which all statements can be logically traced to basic philosophica l assumptions Such a philosophy allows the study of the relationships between itself (an abstract system) and practical models from the real world Hence, this philosophy begins to bridge the present gap between music education philosophy and practice
The relevant literature is reviewed in two parts The first part is a study of the basic concepts of axiomatics and metatheory The second part reviews past and current philosophies of music education in North America
The axiomatic philosophy is developed from philosophic statements in works by four maJor scholars in the field of music education philosophy Abraham Schwadron, Charles Leonhard, Robert House, and Bennett Reimer Statements from these authors are developed into axioms in a formal axiomatic system Theorems are derived from the axioms as part of the system.
The metatheoretical tests of consistency, independence, and categoricalness are applied to the axiomatic system to prove its logical validity. A music education curriculum is used as a model in these tests.
A practical application of the axiomatic philosophy is developed from implications arising from the axioms Discussions of the benefits of the philosophy and additional applications of the philosophy are also presented.