Engaging in Community Music: An Introduction

by Lee Higgins, Lee Willingham

Engaging in Community An Introduction focuses on the processes involved in designing, initiating, executing and evaluating community music practices. Designed for both undergraduate and graduate students, in community music programmes and related fields of study alike, this co-authored textbook provides explanations, case examples and ‘how-to’ activities supported by a rich research base. The authors have also interviewed key practitioners in this distinctive field, encouraging interviewees to reflect on aspects of their work in order to illuminate best practices within their specialisations and thereby establishing a comprehensive narrative of case study illustrations.

210 pages, Hardcover

Published February 6, 2017

Reviews

[Kelvino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting textbook read for a course, not super academic so super easy to understand. I'd been thinking about music as a transformative tool ever since this other course of Music for Health and Wellness where music transcends its typical connotations and is used as a real medium of healing. An interesting question that was asked by that professor was, when did music become an individualized experience rather than a communal one? What were the impacts of that?

To be relevant to the book, I think overindividualization of music has made us share less music with one another. Music is given from conglomerates and celebreties to us and we've lost the desire to make music by ourselves, like there's less amateur musicians? I feel like we don't share music with one another as often either, concerts are the only time where people come together for music.

In any case, the concept of community music is not music for the sake of artistry but music as a vehicle for self-empowerment and growth. It's extremely broad but I really do sincerely believe in its potential to be implemented more into formal education. This textbooks given me the idea to run a non-formal music learning thing in the future and I'll definitely be adding things from this book into my skillset. I want more community!