In the early 1970’s in France, a group of researchers attached to INA-GRM (a laboratory founded by the musique concrète pioneer Pierre Schaeffer) lays the ground for the development of a musicopedagogical approach which will be called The Pedagogy of Musical Awakening. The contestation of the Western tonal system’s monocracy, the embracement and the exploitation of noise and uncommon musical gestures, the central significance assigned to the exploration and experimentation with sounds –characteristics of the new concept of music creation, introduced by musique concrète– lead the pedagogy team of GRM to see musicopedagogical research and practice in a whole new light. The team, headed by the composer and researcher François Delalande, realize projects together with educators in schools in France, produces weekly radio programs with regard to Musical Awakening (Éveil à la musique) and publish in 1976 a collection of papers, titled “Music Pedagogy of Awakening”. Undoubtedly, this is more than just «a mere pedagogical guide intended for educators», as we can read in the foreword of the edition. The authors refine fundamental questions concerning the concept of music itself and the nature of the musical experience: Ιs there music beyond notes? Who is designed as musician? Which is the relation of spontaneous noises produced by children with music creation? Which is the place of play in musical learning? Under this new research perspective, the musicopedagogical relation is redefined: the teacher who has collected in advance a repertory of ready-made recipes in order for children to conquer concepts and techniques, gives way to a teacher who proposes means, to a teacher who provides possibilities and motivations, who guides without directing, who invites his/her pupils to trace together roads of creation. 

Taking as a starting point all the above mentioned, we will attempt to see, in the present paper, in what sense the ideas and the content of the Pedagogy of Musical Awakening could constitute a foundation for an emancipatory music pedagogy today, that is to say, a pedagogy which primarily focuses on highlighting “children’s voice”. In order to answer this question, we will study bibliographical sources and we will use unpublished material from semi-structured interviews and informal conversations that we had with François Delalande. 

• Historical and cultural perspectives and contemporary educational practices

Vasiliki Reraki is psychologist and musicologist. She holds a Ph.D. in Music Psychology from University Paris-IV Sorbonne (thesis supervisor: Professor Michel Imberty). Her research interests and her publications focus on aspects of human communicative musicality and on experiences of improvisation and oralities. She has taught at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Department of Musical Studies) and at the Hellenic Mediterranean University (Department of Music Technology and Acoustics). Together with Fotini Reraki, she has translated François Delalande’s book La musique est un jeu d’enfant. 

Fotini Reraki is musicologist and anthropologist. She received her Ph.D. from University Paris IV-Sorbonne under the supervision of Michel Imberty. Her research interests and publications include anthropological approaches of music and music education and, more particularly, issues of identities, representations and discourses about music. She has taught Music Education and Anthropology for several years (TEI of Epirus, Ionian University, University of Ioannina, University of Crete). She currently teaches in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Crete. Together with Vasiliki Reraki, she has translated François Delalande’s book La musique est un jeu d’enfant.