Christopher Small: A Biographical Profile of His Life

Abstract

Christopher Small (1927-) has been described as of those rare people who go directly heart of matter and ... think unthinkable. (1) Small, native New Zealander who spent his career in London and now lives in Sitges, Spain, did not expect his first book, Music, Society, Education (1977) make an impact on academic circles. However, this book provoked debate and its ideas have remained relevant contemporary educators. Small wrote two other books, Music of Common Tongue (1987) and Musicking (1998), and has published eighteen articles, ten book reviews, eight papers, and four book chapters so far in his lifetime. Throughout his career, rather than ask what is music? Small has posed another question: What does it mean when this performance takes place at this time, in this place, with these participants? Small defines as verb: to is take part, in any capacity, in performance. (2) He has coined term incorporate concepts of sonic and social relationships that are part of very nature of any music-making experience. He states, act of musicking establishes among those present set of relationships, and it is in those relationships that meaning of act of musicking lies. (3) For Small, then, primary, intrinsic meaning of resides in its social dimensions. Such dimensions continually interact with those purely sonic or acoustic relationships typically emphasized by philosophers of aesthetics. Small turns conventional wisdom on its head, arguing that symphony orchestra concert, one of most iconic representations of Western fine arts tradition, could itself illustrate that musical could not exist without those phenomena typically referred as extra musical, such as social, affective, and cognitive aspects of performances. Musicking and Musicing Music educator David J. Elliott coined term musicing that literally sounds same as Small's term, musicking. Elliott explains that his term is contraction of words music-making and that it includes performing, arranging, composing, conducting, listening, and improvising. (4) Small's term also encompasses these activities. Upon closer investigation, however, Elliott's and Small's thinking and their respective terms differ in important ways. Elliott's intention is modify aesthetic idea of works achieve more reasonable concept of products. (5) He, nonetheless, appears function in several respects with concept of works similar that employed by many aesthetic thinkers. When analyzing philosophy of education, it is helpful examine whether construct music or serves as primary focus. This focus clarifies philosophy's foundational starting point. In Music Matters, Elliott's first premise is: the nature of education depends on nature of music. (6) He states, A philosophical concept of is logical prerequisite any philosophy of (7) Elliott argues that fatal flaw exists when approaching education philosophy from nature and value of education. (8) Clearly, for Elliott, his concept of serves as primary focus for his philosophy of education. Small, conversely, approaches and education on equal terms. He describes as a mode of exploration by which we explore ourselves, our experience and our environment. (9) For Small, direct experience is key learning. Small's concept of musicking blends sound and social relationships into an inseparable process. With this approach, neither nor education is deemed more important than other. Rather, two constructs constantly interrelate in complex ways. The two writers use term, music, as different parts of speech. Small uses and defines as verb. Elliott repeatedly uses as noun. …