BOOK 8 Chapter 6 The Role of Music in Education

Chapter 6

I. Introduction: The Role of Music in Education

1. Should Children Learn Music by Performing?
   • Aristotle returns to the earlier question: Should students learn music through direct participation (i.e., singing and playing instruments) or simply by listening?
   • He argues that active participation is crucial for developing the ability to judge music correctly.
     • By engaging in musical performance, students become more attuned to music and better equipped to evaluate its quality.
2. Children’s Natural Inclination for Activity
   • Aristotle notes that children naturally need pursuits to occupy them.
     • He compares musical education to the "rattle of Archytas", which was given to infants to prevent them from breaking things.
     • Just as infants need distractions, education serves as a constructive outlet for older children’s natural energy.

II. Music Education: Its Role in Developing Judgment and Character

1. Participation in Music for Better Judgment
   • Aristotle asserts that music education involves not only listening but also active participation.
     • While young, students should engage in performing music as a way to learn how to judge it later in life.
     • As adults, individuals should be able to enjoy music properly and evaluate it based on the knowledge they acquired during their youth.
2. Criticism of Music as Vulgar
   • Aristotle addresses the criticism that music can make people vulgar.
     • He counters by suggesting that not all forms of music or instruments lead to vulgarity.
     • Certain modes of music and instruments are more appropriate for education, while others may degrade the body or mind.
     • The right balance must be struck between learning music for judgment and ensuring that it doesn’t interfere with other forms of military or political training.

III. The Limits of Music Education: Avoiding Excessive Expertise

1. Avoiding Professional Musical Expertise
   • Aristotle warns against teaching music to the extent that it turns into professional expertise.
     • Music should be learned up to the point where students can appreciate noble tunes and rhythms.
     • Excessive focus on professional skills in music—such as preparing for musical contests—is inappropriate for those aiming for political virtue.
2. Music for Noble Enjoyment, Not Professional Mastery
   • The goal of music education is not to master difficult or extraordinary musical pieces.
     • Instead, students should develop the capacity to enjoy noble music and avoid being drawn into the cruder aspects of music, which appeal to the multitude or slaves.

IV. Instrumental Choices in Music Education

1. Which Instruments Should Be Used in Education?
   • Aristotle argues that not all musical instruments are appropriate for education.
     • Flutes, for example, should be excluded because they do not contribute to moral character but instead induce frenzy.
     • Instruments that promote professional expertise, such as the lyre or instruments used in contests, should also be avoided.
2. Flutes as Frenzied Instruments
   • The flute is problematic because it inhibits speech and produces a state of frenzy rather than learning.
     • Historical precedent supports this: ancient Greeks originally used flutes in education but later rejected them as they realized the negative effects on character.

V. Historical Context of Music in Greek Education

1. The Evolution of Music in Education
   • Aristotle notes that as Greek society became wealthier and more refined, people began to value virtue and education more.
     • In this period of expansion, Greeks experimented with various forms of learning, including flute-playing, which became fashionable in Sparta and Athens.
     • Eventually, flute-playing was rejected as Greeks learned to discriminate between musical forms that contributed to virtue and those that did not.
2. Ancient Instruments Rejected Over Time
   • Many ancient instruments, such as the pectis, barbitos, and others, were associated with crude pleasures and were later abandoned.
     • These instruments required professional skill, making them unsuitable for free citizens, whose education should focus on noble character and virtue.

VI. The Myth of Athena and the Flute

1. The Tale of Athena and the Flute
   • Aristotle references the myth of Athena, who, despite inventing the flute, discarded it because playing the flute distorted her face.
     • He interprets this myth symbolically: Athena rejected the flute because it does not contribute to intellectual development.
     • The goddess of wisdom would not promote an instrument that hinders the mind and character, aligning this with his broader view of music education.

VII. Rejecting Professional Music Education

1. Professional Expertise and Its Incompatibility with Virtue
   • Aristotle criticizes professional music education aimed at public contests because it prioritizes entertainment over virtue.
     • Professionals play music not for their own moral improvement but for the pleasure of their audience, which Aristotle calls a crude pleasure.
2. Music Performance as Labor
   • Those who perform music professionally resemble laborers, as their goal is to please others rather than to engage in virtuous activity.
     • The spectators’ preferences often degrade the music, leading the artisans to conform to the base desires of the audience, thus becoming vulgar.

Extended Elaboration on Key Themes

1. The Importance of Active Participation in Music

• Aristotle emphasizes that active engagement in music—both singing and playing instruments—plays a key role in the development of musical judgment.
  • By learning music in their youth, individuals develop the ability to discern noble tunes as they grow older.
  • This ties into Aristotle’s broader educational philosophy that learning by doing leads to better understanding and judgment.

2. The Role of Music in Shaping Character

• Music’s role in education extends beyond mere enjoyment or pleasure. It has a profound impact on an individual’s character and moral development.
  • Music can either elevate or degrade character, depending on the type of music and the instruments used.
  • For this reason, Aristotle advocates for careful selection of musical modes and instruments in education, favoring those that promote noble qualities.

3. The Limits of Musical Education

• Aristotle’s warning against professional musical training reflects his belief that education should focus on virtuous development, not technical expertise.
  • Excessive specialization in music, especially for the sake of public contests, distracts from the higher goal of education: cultivating a well-rounded and virtuous individual.
  • Professional music-making is seen as vulgar because it caters to the pleasures of the audience rather than fostering personal moral growth.

4. Instruments and Their Impact on Character

• Aristotle’s discussion of instruments like the flute highlights his belief that different instruments evoke different emotional states and have varying effects on character.
  • Instruments like the flute, which induce frenzied states, are inappropriate for education because they interfere with intellectual and moral development.
  • This distinction aligns with Aristotle’s broader ethical views on balance and moderation, where the goal of education is to promote rational self-control and noble pursuits.

5. The Connection Between Music and Leisure

• Music, when practiced in moderation, provides a form of noble leisure, a concept central to Aristotle’s philosophy of the good life.
  • Music is not just for entertainment; it can serve as a tool for moral reflection and character development, making it an essential component of education for free citizens.

6. The Myth of Athena and Its Symbolism

• The myth of Athena rejecting the flute serves as a symbolic representation of Aristotle’s views on the proper role of music in education.
  • Athena, the goddess of wisdom, discards the flute because it distorts the face and lacks intellectual value, illustrating Aristotle’s belief that music should contribute to moral and intellectual development, not just physical pleasure.

Conclusion: The Role of Music in Political Education

• In Chapter 6, Aristotle clarifies the appropriate role of music in education, advocating for a balanced approach that involves active participation in music while avoiding excessive professional expertise.
• Music should be learned to develop the ability to enjoy and judge noble melodies, but it should not become a pursuit of technical mastery aimed at entertainment or contests.
• The chapter emphasizes the importance of selecting appropriate instruments and musical modes that contribute to the development of virtuous character, while avoiding those that degrade the body and mind.

Aristotle’s views on music in education reflect his broader concerns about the role of education in cultivating virtuous citizens who are capable of rational judgment and moral action within the polis.

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