Mathematical music theory pedagogy and the “New Math”

Abstract

In the 1960s and early 1970s, mathematics education in American primary and secondary schools underwent a short-lived, but major, reform: the “New Math.” It sought to replace rote learning with an emphasis on axiomatic (set-theoretical) conceptualization. Several aspects of this movement have implications for the pedagogy of mathematical music theory, some positive and some negative. This essay examines that relationship, and offers some consequent suggestions for the successful teaching of mathematical music-theoretical concepts and techniques.