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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