Reconstructing the History of Music Education From a Feminist Perspective

Published books on the history of music education have chronicled the major figures and organizations that have shaped American public school music. In the main, these writings have minimized the contributions of women. For example, Edward Birge describes singing schools, the introduction of music in the Boston schools in 1838, and the concentration on music reading and development of textbooks in the nineteenth century.1 He notes the development in the early twentieth century of high school music, instrumental music, and music appreciation, and describes the formation of such organizations as the Music Division of the NEA (National Education Association), MTNA (Music Teachers National Association), and the MSNC (Music Supervisors National Conference), including pictures of male and female leaders. Lloyd Sunderman's history, published in 1971 and based on his dissertation in 1939 follows Birge' s chronological order, adding details on several city school systems and normal schools.2 Theodore Tellstrom's history covers the same time period, concentrating on philosophies of education (humanism, utilitarianism, progressivism, experimentalism), each illustrated by a major male music educator.3 James Keene's history also explores American music education by topic with additional information on private academies, music appreciation, and teacher education.4 More recently, Michael Mark and Charles Gary's history provides a wellwritten account, with excellent footnotes and bibliography. The nineteenth century is described with short biographical material on major leaders and descriptions of major textbooks. The second half of the book shows the development of professional educational organizations, notably, the NEA, MTNA, MSNC, and MENC.5 Mark's Source Readings includes excerpts from the philosophers of ancient Greece and Rome to modern writers in Europe and the United States. These writers are all male except the authors Hannah Matthews Cundiff and Hazel Nohavec Morgan, and the