A Music Education Blog Collective

I’ve played Guitar Hero a few times in the past month, and it makes me wonder, how do we music educators compete with the instant “guitar hero” fantasy that this game provides? Players can choose to be anything from a Jimmie Hendrix- to a Courtney Love-type rock star with virtual crowds getting pumped or […]

Bob Morrison over at Music For All has recently proposed that the National Standards be revised. There have been several research studies and countless articles and workshops regarding the National Standards since their formation over 10 years ago. It seems there is a general assumption in our field that the existence of articulated National Standards […]

For those readers interested in addressing issues of misogyny and homophobia in popular music, specifically in the world of hip hop consider taking a look at the new documentary “Beyond Beats and Rhymes: Masculinity in Hip Hop Culture.” The documentary by Byron Hurt takes a look at hip hop culture and the music industry […]

For those of you who know me, you know that this is a central topic to my soon to be embarked on dissertation.  I’ll try not to be verbose as I blog about this: Can popular music in school ever be a site of counterhegemony?  Popular musicologists write about rebel music like the Riot Grrls (Warning, […]

I intend to be provocative here: With music creation and performance rapidly changing with introduction of new technologies, the question must be asked: Are band, chorus and orchestras in the school a relic of the past and should be put to rest?  I know this is a difficult question to address, but as we look […]

The American Idol and music education story didn’t make it on air tonight but did make it online.
You can see some of my students responding to questions about the contestents’ performances and what the judges were saying. You can also see how 2nd graders in a school in PA use American Idol in their classroom […]

Greg Sandow, on his blog talks about the lack of talking at contemporary music concerts. Performers, composers and conductors very rarely connect to their audience. With the complexity often associated with contemporary music, many lay-listeners feel confused and alienated. He also has a link to a music festival that links pop music […]

In recent months I have been using a looping pedal to have students explore the inner workings of music.  In my case I have been using a Line 6 Pedal, but others will do as good or a better job.  Artists like Tyondai Braxton use this technique in performance.
This is how it has worked for […]

There is an interesting comment on Melissa’s post regarding sharing student popular music online. Mallory writes “I really wish that all schools had the ability and time to look into children’s music. It was give the children a chance to express themselves individually, and then maybe more students would enjoy music, and the programs in […]

A recent article in the Christian Science Monitor looked at some perspectives of how American Idol has impacted music classrooms. It was interesting to read some of the quotes by various music teachers, though it seemed to focus mostly on the performance aspect of music education and the show. I posted my response to some […]