In the US, a classical music academic has called for the decolonisation of Western music departments in American universities. In his book ‘On Music Theory and Making Music More Welcoming for Everyone,’ Philip Ewell states that classical music is a tool used by white supremacists to oppress minorities and that Western Civilisation itself is a ‘malignant fiction perpetrated by whites (particularly white Americans) to subjugate nonwhite cultures.’

According to Ewell, the single motivating factor of the great writers, poets, artists and composers of the Western Canon has been racism.  It means that if you pick up a violin to play Brahm’s Violin Concerto in D minor, you’re not making music, you’re subjugating minorities.

What is his solution? To decolonise everything. He suggests that you no longer need to know how to play the piano, or be proficient in another language. Placement tests in music theory or musicianship should be ditched, and Western classical music education should be ‘decentred’, which is code for teaching anything else except the music of Western composers. Decolonisation is just dumbing down on an epic scale.

Instead, Ewell thinks departments should teach ‘sound recording and engineering, pop music studies, music copyright law (possibly in conjunction with a law school), music business (possibly in conjunction with a business school or MBA program), global music traditions, video and gaming music, or turntablism and beat making.’

Ewell has clearly drunk deeply from the well of wokeness. Having devoted his life to the pursuit and teaching of classical music in relative anonymity, he is now enjoying the notoriety which comes from joining the legions of woke academics who are dismantling and destroying any vestiges of Western Civilisation by using their positions to create a conformist and uncritical rejection of that civilisation.