Allen Perdue Britton (May 25, 1914 – February 17, 2003) was an American music educator. Through his many passions in life he contributed to elevating the field of

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origin ...

to the same stature as the field of

musicology Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some m ...

. He developed the doctoral program in music education at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, where he directed 51 dissertations. He contributed heavily to the history of music pedagogy in early America, especially

singing school A singing school is a school in which students are taught to sightread vocal music. Singing schools are a long-standing cultural institution in the Southern United States. While some singing schools are offered for credit, most are informal program ...

s. To combine his two interests of

and history he joined with Marguerite V. Hood, Warren S. Freeman, and Theodore F. Normann and created the '' Journal of Research in Music Education'' (JRME). Less than a decade after developing the journal for Music Educators National Conference (MENC), he became its president from 1960 to 1962. It was during this time that

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

had launched

Sputnik Sputnik 1 (; see § Etymology) was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for ...

and the United States tried to counteract that advancement by going "Back to the Basics." This meant that there was little monetary support for music. As the president of the Music Educators National Conference, he took it upon himself to harness the full potential of this organization's political power. MENC, now the National Association for Music Education, has since exercised its influence over numerous political and social actions.

Early life

Britton was born on May 25, 1914, in Elgin, Kane County, Illinois. He was the oldest son of Walter Allen and Mary (Perdue) Britton. The family lived on a farm just west of Elgin for Allen's first six years, then moved into Elgin. Allen married his high school sweetheart Veronica Fern Wallace on August 30, 1938, in Elgin, Illinois.

Education

Britton obtained his high school diploma from Elgin High School, Illinois in 1932. He then attended the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Uni ...

, from which he graduated with a BSc in

Instrumental Music An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instrum ...

in 1937, and a MA in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

in 1939. In 1949, he completed his

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...

in Musicology at the

, his

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144 ...

titled ''Theoretical Introductions in American Tune-Books to 1800''.

Work experience

Britton taught

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

and English in the public schools of

Griffith, Indiana Griffith is a town in the Calumet and St. John townships in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 16,331 in 2021. History The Griffith State Bank, E.J. and E. Griffith Interloc ...

and also at

Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University is a public university in Charleston, Illinois. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a co ...

. He served in the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

as a

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear rec ...

man and a band member. Britton had learned German from his German-born grandmother. Britton served as assistant professor of music at the University of Michigan from 1950, full professor in 1959, assistant dean in 1960, and as

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of the

School of Music A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

from 1971 to 1979. He was also a trustee of the National Music Camp at Interlochen.

Publications

Britton was founding

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

of ''

Journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

Research Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...

in Music Education'' (JRME), at which he worked from 1953 to 1972. He was also the editor of the

textbook A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textbook ...

series ''Foundations of Music Education'' and the founding editor of ''American Music''. Britton wrote ''American Sacred Music Imprints, 1698-1810: A Bibliography with

Irving Lowens Irving Lowens (19 August 1916 – 14 November 1983) was an American musicologist, critic, and librarian in the Washington, D.C. area. He served as the chief music critic at the ''Washington Star'' newspaper, the Assistant Head of the music divi ...

'', ''American Music Education: Is It Better Than We Think? A Discussion of the Roles of Performance and

Repertory A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawin ...

, Together With Brief Mention of Certain Other Problems'' (which was published in '' Basic Concepts in Music Education''), ''Research in Music Education, with Particular Reference to the Historic and Scientific'' (which appeared in ''Music in American Schools 1838-1988'' from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...

). Personal papers written by Britton are part of the University of Maryland's Special Collections in Performing Arts.

Honors and merits

* Inducted into the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) hall of fame 1986 * Invited to be the closing speaker at the University of Maryland’s celebration of the sesquicentennial of Music in American Public Education Sponsored by MENC-1988 * The Michigan Music Educators Association Award of Merit * University of Michigan Citation of Merit * University of Illinois School of Music Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award * MENC’s History Special Research Interest Group Distinguished Service award (1996) * For ''American Sacred Imprints, 1698-1810: A Bibliography'', was given the Vincent H. Duckles award for the best book-length bibliography or other research tool in music

Articles written by Britton

* ''Music Education in the Nineteen-Sixties''. MUS ED J 47:23-6 n6 1961 * ''Thank You, Mr. President''. MUS ED J Nov-December 1961, 33-36 * ''Music Education: an American Specialty''. MUS ED J 48:27-9+ n6 1962 * ''The 1962 MENC Program''. Port MUS ED J 48:45-8+ n4 1962 * ''The Development of Courses, Resources, and Activities for Performing Students''. MUS ED J 45:42-4 n4 1964 * ''The General Theoretical Foundations of Music Education''. MUS ED J 50:44-5 n5 1964 * ''Research in the United States''. J RES MUS ED 17:108-11 n1 1969 * ''The Changing Scene''. MUS ED J 56:109 May 1970 * ''La Educación Musical en los Estados Unidos de America''. HETEROFONIA 7:13-17 n39 1974 * ''Keokuk to San Antonio: 75 Years of Change''. MUS ED J 68:42-4 February 1982 * ''Founding JRME: A Personal View''. J RES MUS ED 32:223-42 n4 1984 * ''Keynote Address, Sonneck-Society Liberty Supper Queensborough Community College 29 May 1976'' SONNECK S 5:17-19 n3 1979 * ''The Sonneck Society and American Music''. Port CHORAL J 28:28-9 n3 1987 * ''Research in Music Education, with particular Reference to the Historic and Scientific The How and Why of Teaching Singing Schools in Eighteenth Century America''. CRME n99:23-41 Winter 1989 * ''MENC: Remembrances and Perspectives''. QUARTERLY J OF MUS TEACHING 5:6-15 n2 1994 * ''In Celebration of 100 Years: The School of Music, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Reminiscences: Musical and other delights at Illinois, 1933-1938''. CRME n125:9-19 Summer 1995 * ''Introduction to Twentieth-Century Brass Soloists: Bio-Critical Source Books on Musical Performance by Meckna, M.'' SONNECK S 21:29 n3 1995

External links

Allen Perdue Britton Papers
at the University of Maryland Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Britton, Allen 1914 births 2003 deaths University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni University of Michigan faculty American music educators People from Elgin, Illinois University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign School of Music alumni People from Griffith, Indiana