Community Music
Oxford Music Online defines the community music ensemble as "an instrumental or vocal group typically comprised of volunteer amateur or semi-professional musicians." The community ensemble is an important, if sometimes overlooked, place where music education happens. Explore books and journals on the topic of community music with the recommended resources below.
Recommended Books
In the print Music Collection, community music is classified as MT 87. Other books on community music can be found in MT 1 "Instruction and study. General works" and related areas. The recommended books below are sorted by their call numbers. Hover over the info icon to see a description of the book.
Lowell Mason: His Life and Work by
Pemberton's biography of the 19th-century American hymn writer and music educator Lowell Mason takes a middle ground between detail and brevity, forsaking neither. Clearly written, it is primarily a personal account, enriched by access to the Mason family papers now at Yale University. Judicious excerpts from letters and diaries give lively insight into the Mason family and to the personality of Mason himself. There is a good image, too, of the circumstances and taste of the time. His publications of music are not treated as fully as one might wish, but his influence as teacher and educator of teachers is clearly drawn. Information only recently made available makes earlier studies outdated. The book includes a chronology, a list of Mason's publications, and a bibliography and index.
Call Number: ML410.M4 P45 1985Publication Date: 1989
The Sociology of Wind Bands: Amateur Music Between Cultural Domination and Autonomy by
Despite the musical and social roles they play in many parts of the world, wind bands have not attracted much interest from sociologists. The Sociology of Wind Bands seeks to fill this gap in research by providing a sociological account of this musical universe as it stands now. Based on a qualitative and quantitative survey conducted in northeastern France, the authors present a vivid description of the orchestras, the backgrounds and practices of their musicians, and the repertoires they play. Their multi-level analysis, ranging from the cultural field to the wind music subfield and to everyday life relationships within bands and local communities, sheds new light on the social organisation, meanings and functions of a type of music that is all too often taken for granted. Yet they go further than merely portraying a musical genre. As wind music is routinely neglected and socially defined in terms of its poor musical quality or even bad taste, the book addresses the thorny issue of the effects of cultural hierarchy and domination. It proposes an imaginative and balanced framework which, beyond the specific case of wind music, is an innovative contribution to the sociology of lowbrow culture.
Call Number: ML1300 .D8213 2013Publication Date: 2013
Chorus and Community by
Dealing with chorus and its effect on music and the world, this book discusses groups including an East African chorus; groups from 19th century England, Germany, and America; early 20th century Russian Menonites; barbershops; Soviet workers' clubs; an Australian symphonic choir; and gay and lesbian choruses.
Call Number: ML1500 .C59 2006Publication Date: 2006
The Music Between Us: Is Music a Universal Language? by
From our first social bonding as infants to the funeral rites that mark our passing, music plays an important role in our lives, bringing us closer to one another. In The Music between Us, philosopher Kathleen Marie Higgins investigates this role, examining the features of human perception that enable music's uncanny ability to provoke, despite its myriad forms across continents and throughout centuries, the sense of a shared human experience.
Call Number: ML3916 .H54 2012Publication Date: 2012
Community Music: In Theory and Practice by
Community musicians move in many diverse settings, and facilitate local music activities in a wide array of community contexts including schools, hospitals, places of worship, music festivals, and prisons. Underscoring the importance of active participation and sensitivity to context, they integrate activities such as listening, improvising, inventing and performing while emphasizing equality of opportunity and fostering a diverse and welcoming environment for all. In Community Music: In Theory and in Practice, author Lee Higgins, a recognized leader in the study and advocacy of community music, investigates an interventional approach toward active music making outside of formal teaching and learning situations. Situating community music within today's wider musical landscape, Higgins guides the reader through a historical perspective on the movement and an examination of its traits of practice, and concludes with a discussion of future implications and directions for this distinctive and increasingly significant music-making discipline. The first full-length work on the subject, Community Music: In Theory and In Practice is a must-read for anyone invested in music education, music therapy, applied ethnomusicology, or community cultural development, as well as the practitioners and participants of community music activities.
Call Number: ML3916 .H56 2012Publication Date: 2012
Teaching Music in American Society: A Social and Cultural Understanding of Teaching Music by
Successful professional music teachers must not only be knowledgeable in conducting and performing, but also be socially and culturally aware of students, issues, and events that affect their classrooms. This book provides comprehensive overview of social and cultural themes directly related to music education, teacher training, and successful teacher characteristics. New topics in the second edition include the impact of Race to the Top, social justice, bullying, alternative schools, the influence of Common Core Standards, and the effects of teacher and school assessments. All topics and material are research-based to provide a foundation and current perspective on each issue.
Call Number: MT1 .K36 2016Publication Date: 2016
Learning to Read Music: Make Sense of those Mysterious Symbols and Bring Music Alive by
Whatever your reason, if you would like to make sense of those mysterious music symbols this book will explain what they mean in simple, comprehensible terms. In stages, you can learn about pitch, rhythm, keys and much more.
Call Number: MT1 .N53 2005Publication Date: 2008
Music and the Arts in the Community: The Community Music School in America by
An effort to trace the emergence of the American community music school from its roots in the social settlement houses of England and America in the late 19th century. Special attention is given to the philosophical differences that developed because of the more egalitarian approach to music education in the settlement houses and the more elitist approach of the community schools. The gradual formation of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts, its predecessors, its projects, and its internal affairs are covered in detail. The book is, more than anything else, a history of the Guild, perhaps because its author was once president of that organization. The book is difficult to read, for several reasons. Simplistic snippets of art history are interpolated throughout; indeed, the first chapter is a mad dash through about 650 years of Western history, in 47 pages. The author routinely digresses from history to offer advice to current arts educators, also indulging repeatedly in presentism and editorial comments. Tortuous sentence and paragraph constructions are common; though the book is organized chronologically, each chapter's internal structure is casual, to say the least. The references indicate that the author spent relatively little time with primary sources. The index is detailed and Chapter 8, "Addenda", contains useful information, including a list of current Guild members (with addresses and phone numbers) and directors. Perhaps researchers will find inspiration to give this very important part of American music education history a thorough and scholarly treatment.
Call Number: MT3.U5 E36 1989Publication Date: 1989
The Community Orchestra: A Handbook for Conductors, Managers, and Boards by
This practical, comprehesive, and well-organized book by an experienced conductor and educator is the very first to concentrate on this type of performing group and its special needs. . . . Valuable appendixes give IRS rulings, suggested auditioning material, addresses of publishers and rental libraries, and more.
Call Number: MT85 .V27Publication Date: 1979
Choral Pedagogy and the Older Singer by
This book should help conductors adjust expectations and methods to suit the condition and abilities of older singers. Maintaining one's vocal skill in later years is the goal, since getting better may not be possible. Knowing that every choral conductor hopes a choir will improve from season to season, a new paradigm for the aging choir must be established. Once involved, the conductor of older singers is certain to reap the benefits of making music with people whose appreciation of the text, the music and the act of singing is deeper than in any younger ensemble.
Call Number: MT821 .S65 2012Publication Date: 2012
Interlibrary Loan
Users are encouraged to search for items beyond University Libraries' catalog via RILM Abstracts of Music Literature and WorldCat. Materials not available in print or online may be requested through Interlibrary Loan. Please allow up to seven days for electronic delivery and up to fourteen days for delivery of physical items.