Muzyka, edukacja, społeczeństwo – w stronę jakiego uczestnictwa w kulturze muzycznej?

The purpose of this article is to examine the role and importance of music in society. In particular, attention is paid on the educational value of art sound and musical skills of Poles and their participation in the musical culture. The main question is the question of the quality of these skills and socialization processes of individuals to music. The aim of the paper is also to discuss the institutional problems and obstacles of music education as well as to focus on the problem of the reproduction of the non-sensitive to music generations. The text is composed of four main parts. In the first of them there are discussed the general issues related to the role of music in society, including the process of acquiring musical skills and aesthetic dispositions (in the sense of Pierre Bourdieu), allowing individuals to take an active part in the musical life of the community. The focal point of the discussion also concentrates on such topics, as integration and communication power of music in society within the meaning of Alfred Schütz. The second part of the text contains the reflections on the educational role of music, including its ability to connect people, and shaping them socially desirable traits. The third part of the article refers to the issue of the musical competences of Poles, based on available quantitative data. The latter are useful to discuss the problem of intergenerational inheritance of weak music competences, and therefore the phenomenon of the reproduction of musical “illiteracy”. The fourth section provides some reflection on the specific consequences of music education system in Poland. In particular, the attention is paid to the issues such as the low level of participation in musical culture, and the regression of listening in the sense of Theodor W. Adorno.