Praxial Music Education: Reflections and Dialogues

Praxial Music Education is a collection of essays by nineteen internationally recognized scholars in music education. Each essay offers critical reflections on a key topic in contemporary music education. The starting point of each essay, and the unifying thread of this collection, is the praxial philosophy of music education explained in Elliott's Music Matters: A New Philosophy of Music Education (OUP, 1995). This philosophy argues for a socially and artistically grounded concept of music andmusic education, challenging the field's traditional absolutist foundations. Praxial Music Education is both a critical companion to Music Matters, and an independent text on contemporary issues in music education. Among the themes discussed are multicultural music education, the nature of musicalunderstanding, early childhood music education, the nature and teaching of music listening, music curriculum development, and musical creativity. Praxial music education is a living theory; a dedicated web site (http: //www.nyu.edu/education/music/musicmat) offers Elliott's reflections anddialogues with each author's ideas. This unique collection will not only enrich discussions that already use Music Matters as their core, but will globalize current discussions and applications of the praxial philosophy and emphasize the positive and practical values of collaborative efforts in music education. A companion to MusicMatters, this book is designed to spark debate and deeper analysis of this influential theory in music education.