Criticism of the foundational whiteness of western classical music's socio-cultural heritage remains relatively rare, and the field continues to export a prestigious self-image of cultural and technical superiority. Building on Ben Spatz' epistemology of practice, I argue that the foundational whiteness of western classical music is principally…

In music educators' endeavoring to integrate equity into our curriculum, adopting a rhizomatic approach could provide a valuable perspective for reassessing the Western classical tradition as the norm. From a philosophical perspective, the rhizome is perceived as an interconnected multiplicity, where various elements are intricately connected…

This article reflects on the "Hiddenness Index" we developed, implemented, and evaluated for Concertgebouworkest Young (Young), the youth orchestra of the Dutch Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Concertgebouworkest) for musicians with "hidden talents." "Hiddenness" alludes to various barriers that young musicians…

This paper offers an invitation to higher music education communities to think differently about the significance of the connections between music and play. We highlight the many texts that articulate these connections and draw together a speculative ontological claim that all musicking is an enactment of play. In other words, we ask how…

This article explores the potential use of ethnomusicology in the development of entrepreneurialism amongst Western classical music students studying at UK music colleges. It is argued that both 'doing' and 'reading' ethnomusicology can encourage students to explore the diverse uses and meanings attached to Western classical music in varied social…

Works of art have value not only as entertainment and aesthetic expression -- they also externalize features of human cognition that would often otherwise remain hidden. A musical example from the 19th century is a striking case in point. In 1819, Austrian music publisher, editor, and composer Anton Diabelli invited fifty-one of Austria's most…

Expert musical memory has been the fundamental focus of research in the field of musical memory, and this line of research has demonstrably informed the ways memory is understood by the current generation of music professionals. In this theoretical inquiry, we draw on Foucault to first argue that the dominant Western classical music expert gaze in…

In order to show how Michel Serres's work diverges from traditional (modernist) Western philosophy, this article explores a multitude of texts and contexts against which Serres might be better understood. Most starkly, Serres's work diverges from the eighteenth and nineteenth century Germanic tradition of "Bildung," meaning cultivation…

In the field of higher music education conservatories, and more specifically in the so-called 'classical music', the first steps towards research regarding entrepreneurship are being taken, although the main obstacles to overcome are still at a conceptual level (to define what is entrepreneurship in this field, what the profile of a musician…

How can orchestra teachers diversify curricula to engage young musicians in project-based learning experiences that build their musicianship and confidence? This action research study explores how the author fostered project-based learning experiences that incorporated student reflection and assessment within chamber music ensembles. By…

Conservatories and orchestras based in the US have attempted to become more diverse by increasing their recruitment of students of color. This approach, however, fails to acknowledge that the aesthetic environments of these institutions, having been designed by and for a White majority, require these students to assimilate into environments that…

The dual aims of this essay are to consider some ways in which school music reproduces neoliberal rationalities and to suggest possibilities whereby playful aspects of music education can open spaces for disruption and resistance. After defining key terms (capital, neoliberalism, rationality, social reproduction, and alienation), patterns of…

This article discusses how the scarcity of female representation in music history curriculums, music textbooks, and traditional classical music repertoire affects student aspirations for professional careers in music and the way in which students relate to the music. The role of political issues and social movements in the classroom, such as those…

This layered autoethnography comprises momentary scenes connected to musical pieces for cello that are engraved in my memory and on the calluses of my fingertips by significant physical, emotional, and motivational experiences that have accompanied me since my youth. My artful methodology invokes truthful memory through sound to compose a…

This essay explores ways in which musicologists might extend work undertaken by humanities scholars in the interdisciplinary field of trauma studies that has highlighted the centrality of traumatic experience to modernist creativity. It is focussed around a case study of a musical composition that represents the emotional aftermath of a traumatic…