{"id":1088,"date":"2017-08-31T15:00:28","date_gmt":"2017-08-31T20:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/?p=1088"},"modified":"2017-08-30T15:54:15","modified_gmt":"2017-08-30T20:54:15","slug":"21st-century-music-education-how-luthers-views-are-still-beneficial-for-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/2017\/08\/31\/21st-century-music-education-how-luthers-views-are-still-beneficial-for-today\/","title":{"rendered":"21st-Century Music Education \u2014 How Luther\u2019s Views Are Still Beneficial for Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by Miles Wurster<\/em><\/p>\n

It is no small secret that of all the scholarly pursuits, Luther held music as one of the crown jewels of learning, second only to that of Scripture. \u201cMusic is a fair, glorious gift of God; and it lies very near to theology. I would not part with my small faculty of music for vast possessions. We should practice the young continually in this art, for it will make able and polished men of them\u201d (Eby & Luther, 1931, p.71). This short sentence implies much\u2014the importance Luther placed on music in the church and in the education curriculum, the emphasis on training highly qualified music and classroom teachers, and how music has a profound and beneficial impact on those who study and surround themselves with it.<\/p>\n

The Role of Music
\n<\/strong>Luther time and again places a great emphasis on the importance of music in Christian education. Though music cannot create faith (only that gospel can do that), it can be a vehicle for hearing the Word and inspiring the hearts of men to seek the gospel. Loewe (2013) argues this was one of Luther\u2019s core philosophies of music\u2014Christian participation in music can reinforce the work of the gospel through congregational and classroom participation of music rooted in the Word. However, this was only one half of the equation for Luther; while indeed the role of music in the church superseded all other uses, Luther vehemently supported the study of music for secular purposes as well.\u00a0 \u201c. . . when man’s natural musical ability is whetted and polished to the extent that it becomes an art, then do we note with great surprise the great and perfect wisdom of God in music, which is, after all, his product and his gift . . . \u201d (Luther as cited in Grew, 1938). These two statements support a philosophy of music that promotes both the sacred use of music in the church, and the aesthetic value of music in society as a gift of God to be used and shared.<\/p>\n

Training Music Teachers
\n<\/strong>Luther stipulated those individuals who sought to serve as pastors and teachers must be well schooled in the theory and practical study of music. Luther understood that fundamental training in music education for teachers was essential, not just cursory. \u201cA schoolmaster must know how to sing, or I would not allow him to teach\u201d (Eby, 1931 p.160). \u201cNecessity demands that music be kept in the schools. A schoolmaster must know how to sing; otherwise I do not look at him. And before a youth is ordained into the ministry, he should practice music in school\u201d (Schalk, 1988, p. 30).<\/p>\n

The curriculum at Martin Luther College supports a basic level of training in music; beyond that, pursuit of music is elective. From Luther\u2019s point of view, it would be beneficial for students studying to be called workers to continue to pursue the study of music throughout their training.<\/p>\n

Music Education in the Classroom
\n<\/strong>What guidance does Luther give on how to incorporate music into the classroom? As with many topics, Luther had an opinion here as well: Students should be grouped according to experience and ability in music (quite reasonable and reflective of what is done in modern education). Luther advised that students should \u201cpractice music daily\u201d for a period of one hour (Schalk, 1988, p. 29). (Are we currently meeting this standard given by Luther in all of our Lutheran schools?)<\/p>\n

Modern society is going through an upheaval when it comes to education, not unlike the events of Luther\u2019s day. There is, in society, the question of the value of a classical education and, by extension, music education. History documents that as Luther weathered the political fallout connected to the Reformation, he did not forget what was important for children in society\u2014a quality, well-rounded, Christ-centered liberal arts education that included poetry and music as fundamental components of the curriculum. It cannot be stressed enough that Luther valued education apart from outside influences.<\/p>\n

Loewe (2013) provides a well-worded summary of Luther\u2019s philosophy on music education. If we as educators aspire to a model of reasoned wisdom on the application of music in society, one need not look much further than Luther. Luther embraced music, for use in the church and for use in civic society, in much the same way that he valued education.<\/p>\n

. . . for Luther, music remained an art: both a philosophical art as well as a practical art. It is his positioning of music at the nexus between Reformation and the late-medieval schools, theology and philosophy, the arts and the sciences, combined with his profound appreciation of music as a gift of God capable of inspiring a response of love for the creator, that makes Luther\u2019s theory and practice of music so valuable and fascinating. There is no doubt that, among the reformers, Luther was indeed both \u201cthe musician and erudite philosopher\u201d (p. 597).<\/p>\n

Miles Wurster serves as professor and director of instrumental music at Martin Luther College. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Arts degree in wind band conducting and music education at Ball State University. <\/em><\/p>\n

Resources
\nEby, F., 1874, & Luther, M. (1931).\u00a0Early protestant educators: The educational writings of\u00a0<\/em>Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other leaders of protestant thought<\/em>. New York, London: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.<\/p>\n

Grew, E. M. (1938). Martin Luther and music.\u00a0Music and Letters,\u00a019<\/em>(1), 67-67.\u00a0http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/727986<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Loewe, J. A. (2013). ‘musica est optimum’: Martin Luther’s theory of music.\u00a0Music and<\/em>Letters,\u00a094<\/em>(4), 573-605. doi:10.1093\/ml\/gct133<\/p>\n

Schalk, C. (1988).\u00a0Luther on music: Paradigms of praise<\/em>. St. Louis: Concordia.<\/p>\n

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