Philosophers in ancient Greece established a hierarchy among musical activities, with composition and cognitive knowledge being superior to performance and listening. Music's status was further solidified as an object during the Enlightenment, when the doctrine of aesthetic contemplation emerged. Eventually, a concept of universality evolved, which (the author argues) was proffered as an artistic analogue for universal "truth." Today, some recognize that musical creativity can be "manifested in performance," that most concepts of composition are Western and elitist, and that these concepts run counter to avowed goals in multicultural music education as well as to most forms of musical practice throughout the world.

This is the English language version of the paper as it was presented at the first conference of the Greek Society for Music Education, held in Thessaloniki, Greece on June 26-28, 1998. It was one of a pair of papers presented as the Honor Guest Lecturer Addresses (the other being "Music Education Research in the U.S.A.: An Overview").

This is the published Greek language translation of the original English language speech as it was presented at the first conference of the Greek Society for Music Education, held in Thessaloniki, Greece on June 26-28, 1998. It was one of a pair of papers presented as the Honor Guest Lecturer Addresses (the other being "Music Education Research in the U.S.A.: An Overview").

The first part of this paper provides an overview of some important historic theories of education and their influences on music education. The second part deals with two specific theories related to music education, both from the late twentieth century. The paper presents some insights into the effects of these theories on the practice of music education (praxis). The important historic theories of education with implications for education and music education discussed in this paper are:

1. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, published in 1759.
2. Jean Jacques Rousseau's concepts of childhood, published in 1762.
3. Henrich Pestalozzi's theory on the sequencing of instruction, published (variously) in 1810.  
4. G. Stanley Hall's theories of child development stages, especially his construct of adolescence (1880s). 
5. Education theories of John Dewey and other leaders of the progressive education movement.
6. Jean Piaget's theories of childhood development stages.

The influences of these theories on music education praxis are discussed largely as a group. The two theories of music education discussed in this paper are:

1. Edwin Gordon's Music Learning Theory.
2. Albert LeBlanc's theory of music preference.

Both these theories are illustrated and their influences on music education praxis are discussed separately.

The P[reparing]F[uture]F[aculty] Speakers Series, sponsored by the Arizona State University Graduate College, brings faculty to campus to speak about their careers. These two speakers, Paul Lehman, from the University of Michigan, and Jere Humphreys, from Arizona State University, are well-known experts in their respective fields. Both and university music faculty and spoke at ASU on April 21, 1995.

Professor Lehman begins by discussing teaching in general, then talks about the role of technology in teaching, discusses the relationship between higher education and K-12 education, and ends with some observations on teaching in higher education.

Professor Humphreys then offers some practical tips on securing a faculty position in music at a college. He outlines the process colleges use to select new faculty members, what colleges look for in candidates, and what steps applicants should take in applying for a position.

A response to a book by David J. Elliott entitled Music Matters: A New Philosophy of Music Education (Oxford, 1995) presented at the University of Maryland, College Park in 1997. The response focuses on aspects of creativity as it relates to music teaching and learning, including the importance of task type and difficulty, as well as of cultural context. The response ends with a story about Ruby, the artistic painting elephant who resided at the Phoenix Zoo and was, at the time, "the biggest artist in the Southwest."