Using a discursive approach, this study explores the ways that adolescents construct the notion of social status and "being privileged" through their talk about musician role models. Drawing on social identity theory (see Tajfel, 1978), we examined how adolescents moved between the relational "in" and "out" groups of being privileged versus being…

Understanding physical movement is an integral part of learning to make music. This article presents the action research that the author has pursued while teaching movement to musicians. The narrative provides a theoretical underpinning for the teaching practices discussed. It provides examples of musicians' movement with analyses of the…

It is a proven fact that the repetitive nature of percussion playing can cause carpal tunnel syndrome, bursitis, and tendinitis. This paper offers ways to prevent percussion overuse injuries, particularly by developing a healthy warmup routine.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of lesbian and gay band directors at varying stages of career development to discern how they have negotiated identity within their personal and professional lives. Ten band directors (8 males and 2 females) residing in Texas (n = 8), Florida (n = 1), and Illinois (n = 1)…

After getting her master's degree from UCLA, Nancy Wills dreamed of starting a school-based guitar program so she could teach students to make music on the instrument she'd loved since she was a kid growing up outside of Yosemite, California. She had a strong belief that guitar was perfect for schools, ideal for individualized playing but also…

The project on which this report is based set out to establish how exploring children's musicality might encourage adults to consider their engagement with the musical play and learning of children under the age of five. Through reflection and evaluation the participants became aware that they were challenging their own teaching style in response…

The well-established socio-educational model of second language learning motivation developed by R. C. Gardner was adapted and applied to study instrumental music learning motivation. The similarities between music and language suggested that the adaptation might lead to new insights in the study of music motivation. At the heart of the proposed…

This timely book uncovers all of the processes that should be considered when high-quality teacher education is designed, delivered and studied around the world. Written by experienced teacher educators, this book shows what critical practice is and how it can be used to facilitate a deeper understanding of practice that draws upon personal…

Many American university percussion students in the early 21st Century are expected to have performance abilities in genres outside of the Western percussion tradition. With the increase in ethnomusicology programs and the active hiring of teachers with non-Western musical capabilities, many universities now offer multiple options for performance…

Musical Futures is a music learning program that was established in the United Kingdom in 2003. It aims to make secondary classroom music more relevant to young people through engaging them in the informal learning practices of real world musicians, recognising that the way in which popular musicians learn is quite different from the pedagogy of…

The ability to apply knowledge rests at the core of the educational experience and is an important aspect of all teaching. In music education, many experiences are structured so information gained can be related to another activity, but such transfer can be difficult. When students learn to transfer information and knowledge to new situations,…

Examination of the music opportunities available to students in the junior high schools of the early twentieth century lends historical perspective to current challenges facing middle level music educators. This article describes the specific music offerings at Lincoln Junior High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from the school opening in 1923…

Using Gagne's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT) as a conceptual model, this study investigated the factors that influenced the talent development process of a musically gifted adolescent in Singapore. Five macro themes emerged as key catalysts that impacted the adolescent's talent growth: (1) natural abilities; (2) early musical…

More than ever, today's America is diverse beyond anyone's wildest dreams, and the music that resonates in families and neighborhoods, on concert stages, in schools, dance halls, and clubs, and through the media is as wide a variety as exists anywhere in the world. America's music is decidedly difficult to pin down as a single and united style, as…

In this article, the author features the life and works of Antonin Dvorak, a Czech classical musician. In the throes of a New World epiphany, Dvorak has espoused a future for American music based on "negro melodies." For three years, beginning in the fall of 1892, Dvorak found himself embroiled in a sustained and often bitter debate over issues of…