In 1987 he became the first Chair of the British National Association for Education in the Arts

From 1991 to 1995 Chaired the Music Education Council

“A musical development sequence is proposed based on the psycho-logical concepts of mastery, imitation, imaginative play and meta-cognition.” - abstract from “The Sequence of Music Development: A Study of Children's Composition.”

Received the ISM Lifetime Achievement Award for his international work in Music Education

He has been invited to over 20 countries to give presentations, conduct workshops, or advise as a consultant.

Influence the advancement of music in primary and secondary schools in the UK

“Music is a way of knowing and a complex symbol system that can only be fully understood through the educational experiences offered in school.”

“Swanwick has probed the nature of the musical experience and the maturational changes across children's development that necessitate various pedagogical techniques for allowing natural musical intuition to grow into greater musical insights.” Campbell, P. S. (2007). Musician and teacher: An orientation to music education. W. W. Norton Co.

https://imerc.org/people/18-professor-keith-swanwick

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-music-education/article/abs/sequence-of-musical-development-a-study-of-childrens-composition/F59212F54A1909DB5DCD3FE0EF3F64D6

Pragmatic learning

Practical application of what is being learned is most important

Real-life scenarios and contexts are best for learning

Learn by interaction with the world

Engaging interests of the learner helps them retain the info

Also has to do with their emotional response to the info

Less lecture-based and more “doing”

Experiencing is better because it has a consequential and emotional impact on the learner

Emotional response makes learners curious and wanting more info

Give learners the opportunity to discover the solutions to problems and other information instead of having a teacher explain them

Practical benefits of problem solving

Transaction: Student does something, followed by a Undergoing: student sees the consequences of that action

Traditional subject matter is important, but should be taught to match the interests of the learner

Arts help bring an individual into a community through discussion (Campbell 2007)

The individual is part of the “collective heritage” from that art

Acting and reflecting on actions,

Analyzing and adapting on teachings in aesthetic formalism

An effort made to redefine the traditional bounds of philosophical discourse in music.

Focuses on music in different cultures

Professor of Music and Music Education at Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at NYU

He believes in the Praxial Philosophy of music education which offers an explanation of the nature and values in music.

“I argue for a multidimensional concept of music and musical works, a multidimensional concept of musical understanding, a multidimensional concept of music’s values in human life and a multiple approach to achieving these values” - David Elliot

He wrote Music Matters, Music Matters, 2nd Edition, Community Music Today, Praxial Music Education