Noralf Mork:

The Flagship: The Music Line at Bergen Teacher Training College and Ivar Benum as a pioneer in Norwegian teacher education

The prime interest of this article is to enlighten the process through which the music subject in Norwegian teacher training was given a new start from the 1950s onwards. Following a most unfortunate development of the subject in teacher training, the regime of the first rector at the Bergen College, Ivar Benum, came to play a central role in curriculum reform.

His main 'recipe' was to build a much better understanding among professional teachers when it came to the nature of music and its pedagogical possibilities. In his opinion, this understanding ought to be based upon progressive psychological, sociological, and especially on aesthetic perspectives. And history of ideas was intended to play a part in the teacher training. Later on he strengthened the socio-cultural aspects and asked for more ethnological and anthropological research in music education. B

Benum's flagship programme in Bergen, the 'music line' (1958-), was part of a state funded experiment where former marginalized subjects were placed in the centre of reform. In our case, music specialization covered one out of three years of study, but was spread over all three years. This structure was based on the idea that musical growth takes time. The programme is presented and discussed in relation to Benum's original intentions, to the written curriculum, and to challenges and dilemmas in the realization process, such as academic restraints, discipline isolation and integration, entrance arrangements, examinations, economy, publicity, teacher qualifications and co-operation. A provocative question is lurking in the shadows, not far from Benum's own doubt: Were the original ideas actually realized, or was the music line too much of a conservatory?