Places and Purposes of Popular Music Education: Perspectives from the Field

Edited collection including contributions from scholars and popular music educators in response to the question “what are the place and purpose of popular music education?” The book aims to broaden and diversify the conversation and community around popular music education globally. 7 b&w illus. Places and Purposes of Popular Music Education provides a variety of perspectives on popular music education. With a mixture of rants, manifestos and punchy position pieces, the volume moves from scholarly chapters replete with citations and references to descriptions of practice and straight-talking polemics. The writing is approachable in tone, and the chapters are intended to whet appetites, prime pumps, open eyes and keep cogs turning for academics of all ages and stages. The book will appeal to those working in popular music studies, communication studies and education research. It also holds relevance for researchers of the music industry and music ecosystems around the world. International in reach and scope and edited by recognized voices at the vanguard of progressive music education, this is an eye-opening exploration of education in and through the widespread cultural phenomenon of popular music. This book provides a manuscript-megaphone for a variety of perspectives on popular music education, including those we do not usually hear from, but who are doing far and away the coolest, most relevant and most interesting things. It includes rants, manifestos, and pieces that are pithy and punchy and poignant, which have resulted in a wide tonal variety among chapters, from more traditionally scholarly pieces replete with citations and references, through descriptions of practice, to straight-up polemics. It is more about beliefs, experiences and motivation, about frustrations, aspirations and celebrations. The chapters are intended to whet appetites, prime pumps, open eyes, and keep cogs turning. This book is organized into four parts: Beyond the Classroom, Identity and Purpose, Higher Education and Politics and Ideology. This book is intended for academics of all ages and stages, but the writing is often deliberately non-academic in tone. The book will appeal to those working in popular music studies, communication studies, education research, and should be of interest to those involved in policy decisions at national and regional levels. It is also directly relevant to researchers looking music industry and music ecosystems nationally, regionally and internationally, as education and popular music industry, DIY and community sectors continue to enmesh in complex and evolving ways.