Around the world, musical engagement frequently involves movement. Most adults easily clap or sway to a wide range of tempos, even without formal musical training. The link between movement and music emerges early--young infants move more rhythmically to music than speech, but do not reliably align their movements to the beat. Laboratory work…

Music leaders who conduct ensembles in education and community settings, create an ecology of participation depending on their style of leadership. The paradigm of master/apprentice that has long been pilloried in music education academia is still a popular "modus operandi" for many conductors. Understanding the effect that leadership…

This article develops the concept of "low-end phonographic pedagogies" through a life-long engagement with vinyl records and the Afro-diasporic music practices of reggae, dub, and dancehall. Approaching my record collection as a counter-archive of vibrational feeling and learning, I explore everyday practices of playing and listening to…

Background: Music is weaved within our cultures; it is ever-present within daily-life and can considerably influence our mood, well-being and relationships. This study explores parental perceptions of the role of music in the home-lives of children and young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities in the UK. It considers parental…

Expressiveness is an important aspect of an excellent music performance as it adds quality and interest to the playing and listening experience. Although several studies have investigated tertiary students' learning of expressiveness, little is known about effective approaches for teaching children to perform expressively. In the present project,…

Drawing extensively on the expertise of teachers of German in universities across the UK, this volume offers an overview of recent trends, new pedagogical approaches and practical guidance for teaching at beginners level in the higher education classroom. At a time when entries for UK school exams in modern foreign languages are decreasing, this…

El Sistema music programmes have blossomed over the past decade, with the aim of fostering social development through intensive orchestral music instruction. Many scholars agree that creative music making can facilitate student agency development, increase a sense of belonging and promote creative expression by allowing students to bring their…

We all 'play' music! Play experiences for children with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) are often compromised, lost in complex care routines, increasingly stretched timetables and a lack of suitable play interventions. This study investigates combining music with play, using a set of guidelines and principles developed by the…

YouTube has grown into an unprecedented music industry where informal learning practices converge among young musicians now considered authentic internet (micro)celebrities. Due to the rise of music video trends on the platform and the educative demands to explore youth interaction on the internet, this study analyses the self-perception of…

The popular music performance undergraduate degree is a growing area within UK higher education. These courses carry a vocational emphasis and are popular with students looking to establish professional performing careers. As such, they are often marketed as an intermediary step towards this aspiration but, despite their popularity, there has been…

There is growing research documenting the effects of arts-in-health interventions on diverse participant groups. However, the impact of interventions on facilitators remains largely lacking. Drawing on a case study project, this article reports on a qualitative study to understand the practices, challenges, enablers and impacts for musicians of…

Music has long been shown to have diverse benefits for all age groups. Music therapy has been used in a variety of situations involving both physical and mental health issues. A report of a United Kingdom study on the benefits of older people's participation in community music activities prompted an investigation of the benefits of a new…

Twenty-nine pupils (aged 8-15) took part in an improvisation test and an experimental vs. control group teaching session. The aim of the improvisation test was to explore whether participants had knowledge about the use of expressive cues to convey basic emotions in improvisations. Assessments of the improvisations by four adjudicators indicated…

Music education has faced considerable challenges in trying to bridge the gap between music in young people's lives and that taking place in the classroom. The 'Musical Futures' initiative aimed to devise new and imaginative ways of engaging young people, aged 11-19, in music activities through a process of informal learning based initially on…

Background: Person-centred planning, which commonly becomes formalised within services for people with learning disabilities through an Essential Lifestyle Plan (ELP), was intended to help place the choices of individuals at the forefront of service provision. However, beyond UK government policy rhetoric, scholars have raised issues regarding the…