Teaching The Music Of Six Different Cultures

Includes musical examples keyed to references & representing the contemporary & traditional music of Africa, Afro-America, American Indians, Jewish Traditions, Mexican - Puerto Rican & Hawaiian music, both new & previously recorded selections by musicians from within the cultures. (Must be purchased as set with book.)

The ballad "John Henry" is the most recorded folk song in American history and John Henry--the mighty railroad man who could blast through rock faster than a steam drill--is a towering figure in our culture. In Steel Drivin' Man, Scott Reynolds Nelson recounts the true story of the man behind the iconic American hero, telling the poignant tale of a young Virginia convict who died working on one of the most dangerous enterprises of the time, the first rail route through the Appalachian Mountains. Using census data, penitentiary reports, and railroad company reports, Nelson reveals how John Henry, victimized by Virginia's notorious Black Codes, was shipped to the infamous Richmond Penitentiary to become prisoner number 497, and was forced to labor on the mile-long Lewis Tunnel for the C&O railroad. Equally important, Nelson masterfully captures the life of the ballad of John Henry, tracing the song's evolution from the first printed score by blues legend W. C. Handy, to Carl Sandburg's use of the ballad to become the first "folk singer," to the upbeat version by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Attractively illustrated with numerous images, Steel Drivin' Man offers a marvelous portrait of a beloved folk song--and a true American legend.

While attention has been paid to various aspects of music education in China, to date no single publication has systematically addressed the complex interplay of sociopolitical transformations underlying the development of popular music and music education in the multilevel culture of China. Before the implementation of the new curriculum reforms in China at the beginning of the twenty-first century, there was neither Chinese nor Western popular music in textbook materials. Popular culture had long been prohibited in school music education by China’s strong revolutionary orientation, which feared ‘spiritual pollution’ by Western cultures. However, since the early twenty-first century, education reform has attempted to help students deal with experiences in their daily lives and has officially included learning the canon of popular music in the music curriculum. In relation to this topic, this book analyses how social transformation and cultural politics have affected community relations and the transmission of popular music through school music education. Ho presents music and music education as sociopolitical constructions of nationalism and globalization. Moreover, how popular music is received in national and global contexts and how it affects the construction of social and musical meanings in school music education, as well as the reformation of music education in mainland China, is discussed. Based on the perspectives of school music teachers and students, the findings of the empirical studies in this book address the power and potential use of popular music in school music education as a producer and reproducer of cultural politics in the music curriculum in the mainland.

Viewed as a social movement for change, the global education movement calls for the infusion of a global perspective into all curriculum areas. Two assumptions of global education include the view of the individual school as the optimal unit for change efforts, and the importance of local teacher and school action for lasting school improvement. This yearbook defines global education, explains its importance, describes it implementation, and demonstrates its uses for school improvement. The first part examines the context of schooling in which a global perspective can be developed, and the second part is directed toward issues of practice. In chapter 1, Lee F. Anderson develops an argument for global studies in the schools. Barbara Benham Tye delineates the problems inherent in changing school curriculum in chapter 2. The last chapter of this section by Steven L. Lamy presents a framework for understanding extremist ultraconservative attacks on global education. In the next chapter, James Becker links global education to citizenship education. Jane A. Boston discusses educational leadership in global education in chapter 5. Ida Urso examines the role of teachers in chapter 6 and uses qualitative data to show how global education can promote cross-cultural understanding and be a renewing force for teachers. In chapter 7, Jan L. Tucker explores the complex problem of creating educational collaborations between schools and universities. Charlotte C. Anderson documents many ways in which global education involves schools and students with their communities in chapter 8. In chapter 9, Toni Fuss Kirkwood uses personal experience to show how and why global education has become a successful vehicle for school improvement. The conclusion, by Kenneth A. Tye, explores themes gathered in a Center for Human Interdependence (CIH) field study of bringing a global perspective to school curricula. Chapters include references. (LMI)

Provides important insights for educators in music, the arts, and other subjects on the role that music can play in the curriculum as a powerful bridge to cultural understanding. The author documents key ideas and practices that have influenced current music education, and examines some of the promises and pitfalls in shaping multicultural education through music.

Music Traditions, Cultures, and Contexts is a tribute to the ethnomusicologist Beverley Diamond in recognition of her outstanding scholarly accomplishments. The volume includes essays by leading ethnomusicologists and music scholars as well as a biographical introduction. The book’s contributors engage many of the critical themes in Diamond’s work, including musical historiography, musical composition in historical and contemporary frameworks, performance in diverse contexts, gender issues, music and politics, and how music is nested in and relates to broader issues in society. The essays raise important themes about knowing and understanding musical traditions and music itself as an agent of social, cultural, and political change. Music Traditions, Cultures, and Contexts will appeal to music scholars and students, as well as to a general audience interested in learning about how music functions as social process as well as sound.