Abstract: This account focuses on the value of music and music education as a social praxis. With that in mind, it explores five interrelated topics and the criteria for their praxies. First, what music “is”; then an analysis of individual music lessons; next, the challenges of general and classroom music; fourthly, issues involving ensembles; and finally, the reasons for choosing a career in music education. Frequent references to new praxial theories of music are assumed to be familiar in recent scholarship, and the value of music and music education is offered as a reminder of the importance, in each case, of music education as focused on musicing, not on aesthetic abstractions and premises. This is a survey of the impact of theory, of whatever vintage, and its relevance to praxis, not an examination of new research which is best explored in the sister journal ACT. And the theory addressed is well positioned to impact praxis, for those who look beyond status quo practices.

Author: Thomas R. Regelski – University of Helsinki. 
Published 02/09/2017.

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Jennifer Mellizo proposes the term “multicultural music education” can be understood as culturally diverse musical content, approached and implemented from a critical perspective, by music educators who lead their students in active music learning experiences, and consider the process of teaching and learning music that is preferred in the original cultural setting. Mellizo’s process-oriented conceptualization of multicultural music education differs from the manner in which it has been implemented in many classrooms over the past fifty years. Mellizo explores David Elliott’s views as well as multicultural education theorists’ such as J. A. Banks’ and C.R. Abril’s, and proposed curricular applications consistent with these well-grounded theories. Although this conception has been around for decades in music education, Mellizo takes a new look at it at a time when it is picking up steam in other fields, exemplified, for example, in the U. S. by the push for a “global-ready student” in the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).

Author: Jennifer M. Mellizo – University of Wyoming Lab School. 
Published 01/18/2017.

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Kent Knappenberger, recipient of the first ever Grammy Foundation and Recording Academy Music Teacher of the Year Award, shows the close ties between theory and praxis as demonstrated in the music curricula of the Westfield Academy and Central School.

Author: Kent Knappenberger – Westfield (NY) Academy and Central School. Published 06/25/2016.

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