This article places in historical context the three operas written by Alan Ridout for the choir of Canterbury Cathedral during the 1960s. Analysis of these works and their gestation is presented as a microcosm representing wider developments in music education since then. The analysis weaves together personal recollections, authenticated through…

Since the Middle Ages, Augustine and the wealth of his writings have had an enormous impact on Western philosophical thinking. His approach to time and memory, which he sets out in his eleventh book of the "Confessions," is one of the most important sources for research about the philosophy of time. Augustine describes time as a…

This paper explores the fundamental tenets of Plato's philosophy of education, particularly his views on a practice of great educational potential: communal musical participation. According to Plato, music can attune the individual and the community to cosmic harmony and this, in turn, is the only way to form and maintain a community. The paper…

In this essay, music education is conceptualized as a game or performance within The Game, the "pervasive atmosphere" (Fisher 2009) of neoliberal capitalism, which inevitably shapes scholarship, practice, and policy. Even people who strive to see music education for what it really might be (e.g., those researching and promoting social…

This article critically examines the suitability of Social Realist perspectives within North American higher music education, with a particular focus on its relationship with jazz musical knowledges. Social Realist scholarship continues to emerge within the field of education sociology, driven by claims to contribute to student access and…

This article explores and develops possible additional understandings of the term "artistic citizenship" as: 1) a lens to promote critical reflection; 2) a developing inclusive artistic identity; and 3) action for change. First, I provide a general overview of artistic citizenship in order to familiarize the reader with its current…

The concept of "happiness" has long been debated, particularly as interpreted through utilitarianism (e.g., Ahmed, 2010a, 2010b). This paper, however, takes as its point of departure the virtue ethicists' (e.g., Aristotle, ca. 350 B.C.E./1999; Foot, 2001) understanding of eudaimonia and interprets "happiness" through the lens…

The second half of jazz's history has been defined by its expansion from more informal spaces into academies and concert halls. Integral to this cultural transformation has been the advent and standardization of collegiate jazz education. This paper explores the pedagogical and institutional responsibilities of institutional jazz education through…

This review provides a summary and discussion of the 'Music Literacy' strand (day 1) of the Society for Music Analysis's OxMAC conference (University of Oxford, July 2023). The review highlights how the ever-expanding range of musics currently studied in higher education calls for an increasingly multifaceted understanding of the term 'music…

This paper focuses on the Pelagian Debate of the late 4th Century CE between Augustine of Hippo and the British cleric Pelagius, and its little known or understood relevance to music education practice and scholarship. A transdisciplinary review of theological, historical, pedagogical, and musicological texts suggests that Augustinian notions of…

In this article, we explore the theory and practical application of gamification learning in music education, specifically targeting young students. Our focus is on facilitating intentional learning and engagement through the use of gamified techniques. Designed intentionally with nondigital elements, it mirrors a cooperative board game. This game…

This theoretical paper explores how researching the identities of musician-teachers can be differently conceptualised through a critical posthuman lens. Wider calls to action demand an expanded professionalism of musician-teachers, but when such recommendations are combined with fixed notions of identity as self-contained and producible, they risk…

Inspired by Graham Harman's philosophy of human access, and within the 'flattening ontology' of Object Oriented Ontology, Ring o' Roses is speculated about as a finite object with ontological independence from humans, repertoire, song, utility, and cultural context. Ring o' Roses playfully dances us through an introduction to OOO, and on to the…

In this article I explore the construct of the 'natural' voice within the context of the natural voice movement, before invoking perspectives on voice from the posthumanities and D/deaf studies in discussion of "The Walk," a performance between a puppet, a natural voice choir, a refugee choir and a large audience that occurred in London…

The purpose of this study is to look at how a music programming course affects the development of computational thinking in undergraduate music conservatory students. In addition to teaching the fundamentals of computational thinking, music programming, and logic, the course addresses the Four C's of education. The change in students' attitudes…