Language is often used to demonstrate group membership and to establish cultural identity. When the language is not readily available or is at risk, individuals tend to turn to other markers to develop their cultural identity. Using Leximancer for thematic and conceptual analyses of interviews with ten accomplished musicians in Nova Scotia,…

The purpose of this multiple explanatory case study was to investigate the preparation of underserved school band programs for a Music Performance Assessment (MPA). Specifically, I examined racial, economic, and social inequalities, which are well documented in the research literature, and the related achievement gaps of underserved public school…

Musical expression is often not explicitly addressed in secondary instrumental rehearsals due to the perception of expression as an obscure concept and the instructional time constraints on music educators. Secondary music educators, however, are encouraged to discuss expressive performance goals with instrumental students from the beginning of…

This study explores young people's arts participation through music-making in Finland and the factors that may regulate that participation. It seeks to understand the construction of active modes of arts participation in and through adolescents' musical life courses. The interview study was conducted with young people (N = 18) participating in…

Miao Nationality music represents a profound and longstanding musical heritage from the cultural legacy of the Miao community in Yunnan Province, China. This qualitative research study endeavor aims to explore the historical development and transmission of Miao Nationality music, emphasizing its significance within the context of ethnomusicology,…

In this article, we situate songwriting in elementary spaces as a vehicle for personal and musical expression and informed by popular music practices. We offer insights for how educators can anchor students' work by encouraging them to create songs for a specific purpose like shedding light on social issues relevant to their lives. This article…

The constrained action hypothesis states that focusing attention on action outcomes rather than body movement improves motor performance. Dexterity of motor control is key to successful music performance, making this a highly relevant topic to music education. We investigated effects of focus of attention (FOA) on motor skill performance and EMG…

This study seeks to investigate aspects of the relationship between the core academic activities of teaching and research in higher education, through a theoretically enriched discussion of the design of an innovative popular music module on Adele's "25" album and its delivery to first-year undergraduates on a general-purpose music…

Drawing upon Maxine Greene's concepts of "wide awakeness" and "social imagination," I argue for the necessity of re-imagining "The Star-Spangled Banner" (U.S. national anthem) to account for a plurality of American perspectives and to de-legitimize ways in which racism and White privilege have dictated "correct…

Creating accessible events is a pressing issue for many music organisations. In the United States, the term accessibility has strong ties to disability, and it is an important concept because what is deemed accessible directly impacts who is included and excluded from music experiences. Music Community Lab (MCL) runs a series of events in New York…

This article presents results of a study examining the experience of a group of socially vulnerable teenagers integrated into a socioeducational orchestra programme in Buenos Aires, Argentina. An ethnographic approach was applied to analyse the experience of 19 participants. The findings support the main assumption, that the experience of the…

The purpose of this collective case study was to examine the experiences of six, first-generation Latinx students in the university symphony orchestra regarding their preparation for the audition, level of academic kinship with music mentors, and sense of community membership (McMillan & Chavis, 1986). First-generation Latinx college students…

Adult second language learners often show considerable individual variability in the ease with which lexical tones are learned. It is known that factors pertaining to a learner's first language (L1; such as L1 tonal status or L1 tone type) as well as extralinguistic factors (such as musical experience and working memory) modulate tone learning…

The Guqin is a string instrument that has been played in China for over 3,000 years. It is famous for its meditative, soothing sound and is frequently associated with Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese literati culture. The instrument has seven strings that can be plucked with a plectrum or with the fingers. The Guqin's sound is said to resemble a…

The purpose of this study is to explore the life and work of Pierre Sancan (1916-2008), an exemplary piano teacher who, like many masters in the apprenticeship tradition, is chiefly remembered today by his pupils alone. An all-round musician, Sancan had early success as a composer when he won the Prix de Rome in 1943, and enjoyed a flourishing…