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Blog: Catalysts & Connections

Music Education + New Music + NewMusicBox = NewMusicBox Education Week!

As a longtime reader of the online multimedia publication NewMusicBox (from New Music USA), I’m thrilled to contribute to their special focus on Education:  How We Learn Now: Education Week (Sept 23- 27). My article, Inviting Possibilities for New Music and Music Education addresses three key themes: Contemporary pedagogy: shifting from a lecture, direct instruction, teacher-centered approach to one that is more project-based and student-centered Participatory culture: drawing on some of the themes I addressed in my MEJ article Toward… Read More »Music Education + New Music + NewMusicBox = NewMusicBox Education Week!

Upcoming Symposium on Music Teacher Education and “The State(s) of Music Education”

Curious about the latest research and thinking on music education from the perspectives of music teacher educators? Take a look at the schedule for the upcoming Symposium on Music Teacher Education taking place at UNC Greensboro Sept 26-28. The program looks fantastic and is sure to generate a buzz regarding the current state and future of music teacher education along with implications for K-12 music programs. I’m looking forward to presenting with my colleagues Marg Schmidt, Sandy Stauffer, and Jill… Read More »Upcoming Symposium on Music Teacher Education and “The State(s) of Music Education”

Eric Whitacre, participatory culture, and remixing the virtual choir

Music educators can embrace participatory culture and related musical engagement right now by providing students with the opportunity to remix Eric Whitacre’s composition Fly to Paradise, the fourth virtual choir piece. To assist in the remixing process Whitacre’s team made individual tracks of the final master available. Remixes can be listened to on a dedicated Soundcloud group. The process of remixing this music and all of the related discovery, performing, creating, responding, and connecting that occurs could be productive in… Read More »Eric Whitacre, participatory culture, and remixing the virtual choir

Multimedia, Intermedia, Music, Media Arts, and evolving curricula: Robert Black’s Possessed Project

Throughout the years I’ve found Bang on A Can to be an inspiration for music education. Whether their flexible ensemble structures, their hyphenated musicianship in terms of many members being both composers and performers, their people’s commissioning fund and a broad range of other initiatives, music educators could learn a lot from Bang on a Can’s forward thinking. Most recently the Bang on a Can All-Stars founding member and bassist Robert Black is launching a project entitled Possessed that combines… Read More »Multimedia, Intermedia, Music, Media Arts, and evolving curricula: Robert Black’s Possessed Project

Music, Expression, Responding to Current Events, Trayvon Martin, & National Music Standards

Music plays numerous important functions in society and as part of the human experience. Merriam (1964), for instance, outlines 10 functions of music. Several functions of music apply to the role that music can play in responding to current events, such as the death of Trayvon Martin, recent acquittal of George Zimmerman and related issues. The following four functions of music hold particular relevance in this context: Emotional expression (including the opportunity to provide people with a variety of emotional… Read More »Music, Expression, Responding to Current Events, Trayvon Martin, & National Music Standards