As an experiment, a Balinese gamelan was integrated with a summer music course for the physically handicapped. Two ethnomusicologists were invited to demonstrate playing techniques and to teach pieces of gamelan music which were later performed. This article documents the success of the experiment and describes the very considerable potential of the gamelan in general recreational and educational music therapy. More particularly, the essentially non-Western methods of learning and practising adopted on the course encouraged and engendered a broad range of skills in those with little or no previous musical experience, and significantly extended the abilities of the musically trained. The results of this experiment suggest that both music therapists and music educators may be able to extend the range of their work by drawing on certain non-Western musical traditions.

The place of music in the general school curriculum has undergone considerable change in the last few years. During the 1970s, the Schools Council Project ‘Music in the Secondary School Curriculum’ identified a number of approaches, all having a common philosophy – to engage all children in practical musical activity of an expressive, aesthetic nature. More recently, the HMI document ‘Curriculum Matters 4 – Music from 5 to 16’ has brought many of the ideals of this project into sharp focus, with its emphasis on composing, performing and listening as practical, integrated activities. The aims of music education, as stated in this document, highlight the changing direction of music in the curriculum; and the new GCSE should reflect this, so becoming a more relevant examination for a broader cross-section of pupils than has hitherto been possible.

With this changing emphasis in mainstream education, it is worth considering if any developments are possible in terms of general music activities for children with special needs. Is it possible for them to experience a more practical music curriculum; to engage in the process of composition and have heightened listening experiences as a result? Here microelectronics can make a significant contribution, just as it is beginning to do in mainstream education. By using some of the new technologies, pupils with a variety of handicaps are able to explore, create and perform a wide range of music.

In this article the author opens up some of the issues involved in teaching composition to individual pupils of the upper Secondary School age range. To do this he studies the work of two boys over two terms in detail, including many of their sketches, and pays particular attention to the role of the boys' teacher. This study leads to some general considerations: syllabus design, the relationships between composing, performing and listening, and methods of assessment.

Since January 1984 a thoroughgoing reform in Soviet education has been under discussion, and decisive steps have already been taken. The ‘Guidelines for Reform of General and Vocational Schools’, approved by the Supreme Soviet on 12 April 1984, indicated a firm intention to improve curricula, teaching methods and materials in all subjects. The arts figure prominently in the new proposals, and it is the purpose of this article to examine what is happening in music education, which has been a leader in the field.

Young musicians wishing to study music in higher education now have a variety of options open to them. One of these, a relatively recent development, is Creative/Performing Arts degree courses, where students can study music in an interdisciplinary setting. This article sets out to trace the emergence of such courses and to present in a descriptive and informative way their philosophy, admissions procedures, general principles of organisation, curricular content and approach, assessment policies and graduate employment possibilities.

The article describes the formation and development of the UK Council for Music Education and Training from its inception in 1975 to the present day, identifying its major concerns, achievements and influence during that time. The UK Council's role as an umbrella body, to which all the major associations in music education in Britain are affiliated, is outlined, and its new phase of development resulting from the revised constitution adopted in 1985, alongside its plans for its future organisation and activity are described.