A Critical Examination of Quaver: Digital Music Curricula and Deprofessionalization

• In Event: Social Justice in Music Curriculum and Instruction

Abstract

Quaver grew exponentially during the teens and COVID-19 pandemic. Using Michael Apple’s work on forms of curricular control, I explore how Quaver’s digital music curricula (DMC) reduces music educators to teacher’s assistants and distances them from pedagogical decisions and interactions. Quaver’s manufactured legitimacy, through advertising and self-promotion, parallels increased privatization and benefits from hyper-vigilance surrounding content taught in schools. Further, Quaver has adopted a guise of political neutrality that masks conservative ideological elements. Given the reality of general music teaching work, however, I argue that teachers act logically in choosing to use Quaver, and suggest that teacher educators adopt a critical stance.

Author

• Megan Ankuda, Indiana University