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‘Changing the face of school music’: Walford Davies, the gramophone and the radio

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2008

Gordon Cox
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Abstract

Between 1922 and 1941 Walford Davies linked music in schools with the relatively new media of the gramophone and the radio. His work with the BBC and the Gramophone Company had immense potential. He believed strongly that teachers using the radio and gramophone could contribute to a significant improvement in the musical life of the nation. At the heart ofDavies's educational mission was a belief in the ability of children to compose their own melodies, Davies achieved a high public profile for his work, but was less successful in developing its detail. His teaching method became predictable, and style triumphed over substance. However, it may be more productive to view his work within the context of his notion of fellowship, recovering a sense of community in the arts through the mass media, an attempt to connect different musical worlds.

Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Music Education , Volume 14 , Issue 1 , March 1997 , pp. 45 - 55
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1997

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