What I found interesting in the article was the mentioning of Musical Performance Anxiety (MPA) being widely acknowledged, yet not widely dealt with or talked about. Considering I have come face-to-face with the Royal Conservatory’s practical exams, I understand exactly what the article means when it talks about critical and demeaning motivations and elitist notions, considering the exams are mostly just that. I also found the concept of “scaffolding” in learning interesting, or the idea that both student and teacher are constantly adjusting their behaviours to reach a specific goal. Surprisingly enough, no assumption I held was challenged in this article. I am more than aware of Musical Performance Anxiety, and I am hoping that the curriculum in public schools adjust to a system closer to the Modern Band described in the article. What surprised me was that root of the word “amateur” meant “to love”, which changed my perspective on the word entirely. What frustrated me was that though the United States National Arts Standards recognized composition, it has not yet made the push for composition to be a regular part of music education in the country, and also has not made the push for something like Modern Band to be a regular part of the curriculum either. Composition is an important part of understanding music, and I believe is part of why musical analysis is taught. Modern band could be a great way to make great musicians out of students, instead of sticking with a specific few eras of music. What I would like to say to the author is that teaching is not the only way Musical Performance Anxiety can begin to form, as things like the Royal Conservatory of Music’s practical exams can be overly critical and elitist, not only because of the cost, but because of the grip the Royal Conservatory has on education, being one of the few music conservatories to be able to hand out high school credits. The conservatory is slow to change their classic repertoire, yet changing their modern repertoire, showing their unwillingness to move forward in music.

Powell, B., & Burstein, S. (2017). Popular music and Modern Band principles. The Routledge Research Companion to Popular Music Education, 243–254. doi: 10.4324/9781315613444-20