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Contemporary Issues

Flipping the misogynist script: Gender, agency, Hip Hop, and music education

Tobias, E. S. (2014). Flipping the misogynist script: Gender, agency, Hip Hop, and music education. Action, Criticism and Theory for Music Education, 13(2), 49-84. In my article Flipping the misogynist script: Gender, agency, Hip Hop, and music education I make a case for including Hip Hop in music programs through a critical media literacy framework and providing students diverse opportunities to address socio-cultural and musical issues through related musical engagement. In particular I address issues of gender and agency as… Read More »Flipping the misogynist script: Gender, agency, Hip Hop, and music education

Institute of Popular Music – Music Educator Workshop 2014

I’m looking forward to presenting at the upcoming University of Rochester Institute of Popular Music (IPM) 2014 Music Educator Workshop. If you live in or around New York, consider being a part of the learning community! This is a fantastic opportunity for music educators. A full day of workshops related to popular music and culture pedagogy for only $20. The workshop takes place on July 14 2014 and includes the following presenters: Matt Warren – Popular music-based composition starters for… Read More »Institute of Popular Music – Music Educator Workshop 2014

From STEM to STEAM!

In a particularly savvy move the National Association for Music Education is organizing a major effort to broaden the narrow and exclusionary (science, technology, engineering, and Math (STEM) discourse to the inclusive and more holistic STEAM (A = arts) discourse through the get STEAMed initiative. We have been through this before with the Sputnik era and Back to Basics movements among other initiatives that focused on science, technology, engineering, and math while excluding other aspects of education and ways of… Read More »From STEM to STEAM!

Journalism and the perpetuation of the “declining Music Education” trope

A recent article by Zachary Woolfe in the New York Times, Tested Out Upstate: Classical’s Future: Orchestras in Albany, Rochester and Buffalo Stay Nimble, is not about music education but perpetuates the myth that music education is on the decline or is “decimated.” This trope has a long tradition in a range of journalism even though it is rarely backed up by evidence or the voices of certified music educators. The article Apparently, We Disappeared by Lauren Kapalka Richerme traces… Read More »Journalism and the perpetuation of the “declining Music Education” trope

Getting inspired by the Creativity Circulation, and Copyright: Sonic and Visual Media in the Digital Age conference

Conference calls for papers and presentation lineups can often be inspiring and catalyze discussion or action in music education. The Creativity, Circulation and Copyright: Sonic and Visual Media in the Digital Age taking place at Cambridge University looks to be like one of those conferences! The issues under discussion are close to my research and teaching, particularly in the Digital and Participatory Culture in Music Education course I facilitate at ASU so I am definitely looking forward to when these… Read More »Getting inspired by the Creativity Circulation, and Copyright: Sonic and Visual Media in the Digital Age conference