Radio in Music Education: The Indiana School of the Sky Music Episodes, 1947–1948

Abstract

In this study I examined archival material relating to music lessons that aired on the Indiana School of the Sky during its inaugural season in the 1947–1948 school year. The Indiana School of the Sky was an educational radio program intended for use in the public schools and produced by Indiana University students and professors, in partnership with the State Department of Education. The purpose of this study was to illuminate details of the Indiana School of the Sky music program during its inaugural season in 1947–1948, such as the staff, repertoire, teaching strategies, and program structure. Of particular interest was Dorothy G. Kelley, who served as supervisor of the Indiana School of the Sky music episodes during its inaugural season, and was the first female to join the faculty of the Music Education Department at Indiana University. A secondary purpose was to examine the intersection of education and technology in the late 1940s through the lens of the Indiana School of the Sky and to afford contemporary music educators the opportunity to reflect on how they use current technologies in their classrooms. This study found that the program employed three main teaching strategies: singalong, call and response, and listening. Indiana University music and music education students performed in many music episodes alongside Kelley, and 34% of compositions that aired during the 1948–1949 school year comprised of music by composers from the United States, or folk music originating in the United States. Other countries represented by either composer or folk tradition included Australia, Austria, Czechoslovakia, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Mexico, Russia, and Spain.