This paper begins with a premise that each person's musical education is made of multiple and diverse experiences that occur in settings both in and out of school (Campbell 2002, 2003, 2008; Green 2002, 2005; Jaffurs 2004, 2006). Nevertheless, when speaking and writing about music education, one often restricts the kinds of music, ways of…

The basis of this article is findings from the Music for Life Project which investigated the benefits and challenges of music activity participation for the over 50s in three case study sites in the United Kingdom. The paper uses a philosophical lens to explore the leaders' and participants' views on the purpose of the activities, how learners are…

Much recent work in the study of popular culture has emphasized the extent to which it is not only a site of signifying practices, myths, meanings and identifications, but also an arena of intensities, of affective flows and corporeal state-changes. From this perspective, many areas of popular culture (from calisthenics to social dance to video…

Improvisation is a vital part of an elementary general music education. While some music teachers successfully include improvisation in music instruction, others have fears and face challenges when attempting improvisational activities in the classroom. This article acknowledges obstacles facing music educators when attempting to incorporate…

In March 2012, 30 faculty and 49 students from all over the world met in El Calafate, Argentina, during two intense weeks. It was the second Latin American School for Education, Cognitive, and Neural Sciences (LASchool), sponsored by the James S. McDonnell Foundation. The LA School seeks to critically examine research findings potentially relevant…

Every city, town, and village in America has been affected by the Great Recession, but of course some have felt a bigger impact than others. In Port Angeles, Washington, on the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula, the latest downturn is just one more twist of the economic vise that's been tightening steadily since at least the mid-'90s. During…

This article investigates self-reported music learning experiences of 21 older amateur pianists and electronic keyboard players. Significant changes in their lives and the encouragement of friends were catalysts for returning to or taking up a keyboard instrument as an adult, although not all returners had positive memories of learning a keyboard…

Usually band, orchestra, and choir directors work independently. However, the authors--one a choral director, the other a band director--have learned that making music together makes friends. Not only can ensemble directors get along, but joint concerts may be just the way to help students see how music can reach the heart. Combined instrumental…

For the Tower-Tannerts of Texas, music education runs in the family, and that's been the case for more than 100 years. Matriarch Mollie Gregory Tower is a lecturer at Texas State University and a former elementary school teacher, textbook writer, music supervisor, and president of the Texas Music Educators Conference (TMEC). Her daughter Debbie…

One of the toughest battles a music teacher can fight is the battle to stay organized. Getting organized--and staying that way--is no easy task for a busy music educator. However, for the sake of music teachers' success in the classroom, and for their sanity, organization is crucial. The author has spoken with several educators about how they keep…

This article offers a brief overview of the causes and manifestations of performance anxiety and suggests methods for professors to combat it in the studio setting. The topics of mentoring, physical and mental relaxation, dietary health, and imaging are explored. Primary source material is referred to throughout the article, so readers can easily…

This article focuses on the early childhood years and describes research that has examined children's music experiences in formal care and education settings in Melbourne, Australia. This research uses a contextual view of children and their learning and is based on an assumption that learning is social, involves engagement with others and is…

In this review of literature, the author explored the representation of music in early childhood education researcher and practitioner journal articles. Thirty-eight pertinent journal articles were identified in a keyword search for "music" in eight journals. The search was limited to a 5-year period, 2005-2010. Article summaries were categorized…

Ensemble directors have a special interest in helping students learn to practice effectively. Practice is also an essential component of musical development. Music educators need to both teach effective practice strategies and guide students toward meaningful, thoughtful practice. Metacognition strategies are one way to accomplish this. Current…

Between 2008 and 2010, the internationally acclaimed London Symphony Orchestra worked in partnership with the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and 10 East London Music Services, delivering a range of music education projects that involved professional musicians, classroom teachers, primary school-aged pupils and college students. This article…