Tensions, issues and strengths of Professor Lucy Green’s model of informal learning

Abstract

Twenty years have passed since Green’s [2002. How Popular Musicians Learn: A way Ahead for Music Education. Aldershot: Ashgate] publication which proposed a model of informal learning based upon five key principles. The discussion it ignited within the discipline was vast, the debate is still on-going, and the approach is still being implemented internationally. It is timely to explore literature that has focused upon Green’s (2002. How Popular Musicians Learn: A Way Ahead for Music Education. Aldershot: Ashgate; 2008. Music, Informal Learning and the School: A New Classroom Pedagogy. Aldershot: Ashgate) model, to celebrate the approach, and acknowledge the challenges of implementation–particularly in light of current formal, traditional music education policy in England–to consider ways of addressing the issues. Literature has been presented according to key themes,to highlight tensions, issues and strengths of the approach. The themes include teacher role, student autonomy, motivation, student inclusion, authenticity and marketisation. The key themes act as a framework to aid understanding of the complexities of the debate. The tensions, issues and strengths have implications for practice, as proposed in this article.