Music in the Primary School

It is sad to read that this excellent book, the revised version of one first published 18 years ago, is the last by Janet Mills. While dealing admirably with a specific subject, it exemplifies many of the late author's best qualities: sensible and imaginative practical suggestions based on work with real children in real schools, firm statements of generous educational principles and lucidly accessible summaries of relevant research . . . Above all, Janet Mills displays a humane wisdom and sprightly wit that make reading the book a pleasure as well as a continually useful exercise. She loves music but not at the expense of other subjects; indeed, her suggestions for cross-curricular work are truly illuminating and far from the vague gestures of good intention that sometimes go under that name . . The only thing to regret about this book is that we cannot anticipate the satisfaction of reading its successor. * Tom Deveson. Music Teacher, April 2010 *
Mills's publication cogently reflects the ongoing debate about the role and place of music in the primary curriculum. Her position is clear, that music should not be organized as a separate subject taught merely by a specialist, but as an integral part of the whole curriculum and with the generalist teacher fully involved . . . Currently, with scant attention given to music education within postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) training, resulting in a lack of rationale for the inclusion of the subject and often a lack of confidence in teaching it, this book would appear to be as significant in its third edition as it was in its first, not only to those who are starting out in their teaching careers but to all those music-based agencies involved with the learning development of primary school pupils. * Pauline Adams, Psychology of Music 38(1) 2010 *