Progression in the Expressive Arts Dr Liz Stafford
Currently, most of music education discourse is related in some way to the idea of progression. It might be semantic debates about whether progress, progression and progressive are the same thing. It could be arguments
about ‘cognitive development’ and how that does or does not dictate progress. It could be very valid and righteous worries about how inclusive our progression frameworks are. Or it may well be just a good oldfashioned bunfight about whose ‘progressive’ resource is best. What cannot be denied however is that progression seems to be at the heart of our concern as a sector.
Rightly so, one might argue. The fundamental purpose of education could certainly be seen as helping children to ‘make progress’ towards adulthood. We don’t just let children grow like bushes and then see what they look like when they’re 18, we nurture and shape them, giving them the skills, knowledge and understanding that they need in order to make a success of
their adult lives. Education as topiary, if you will.
