Philosophy of Music

This paper has two parts. In the ,rst part, I discuss aspects of Félix Duque’s philosophy of contemporary art. In the second part, I brie-y show that Duque’s arguments about art can be adopted to capture cultural traits of jazz as a performative and improvisatory practice.

Emotion terms such as “sad”, “happy”, and “joyful” apply to a wide range of entities. We use them to refer to mental states of sentient beings, and also to describe features of non‐mental things such as comportment, nature, events, artworks and so on. Drawing on the literature on polysemy, this article provides an in‐depth analysis of emotion descriptions. It argues that emotion terms are polysemous and distinguishes seven related senses. In addition, the article applies the analysis to shed light on (...) a long‐standing debate in philosophy of music concerning emotion descriptions of music. (shrink)

In 1848, the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote a short yet highly significant theater review, titled “Mr. Phister as Captain Scipio.” This review deals with a seemingly prosaic problem: how can an actor convincingly play the role of a drunk police captain while simultaneously disclosing that this captain is deliberately concealing his intoxicated condition? This article argues that this ‘disclosure of concealment’ underlies Kierkegaard’s oeuvre. It elucidates this argument by illustrating that the three levels of theatrical performance highlighted in “Mr. (...) Phister as Captain Scipio” correspond to three parallel levels of authorial performance. Drawing inspiration from the actor, Kierkegaard adopts the persona of a pseudonym who conceals his true identity behind an incognito while simultaneously disclosing that this pseudonym is hiding something. Emulating the dramatic performativity of the actor, Kierkegaard developed a method of indirect communication that constantly works against itself and thus relies on a form of linguistic performativity. (shrink)

Rhythm: definition and philosophical accounts.

In questo articolo prenderò spunto da due affermazioni attribuite a Miles Davis per discutere un aspetto importante di quello che l’improvvisazione ci insegna sulle pratiche umane: situazioni impreviste, magari indesiderate, possono risultare stimoli sorprendenti per l’esercizio della creatività, anziché restare elementi di disturbo o solamente semplici errori. Questo esercizio di creatività è il modo in cui costruiamo ordini normativi nelle nostre pratiche, artistiche e non.

Introduction -- Beginnings. Elements and matter ; Aristoxenus' elements of music ; Transmission and reception ; Elements, letters, notes -- Matter and material. Dissonant material ; Sound and composition ; Given or constructed? ; Timbre, noise, and language -- Time and rhythm. Material and modernity ; Taking place ; Aperiodic rhythms ; Quasiperiodic forms -- Sounds and instruments. Pitched bodies ; Sounds without bodies ; Referennce ; Agent and reproducibility ; Sonocentrism -- Musical bodies. Bodies without sounds ; Composing a (...) gesture -- Conclusions. (shrink)

A source of profound insights into human existence and the nature of lived experience, phenomenology is among the most influential intellectual movements of the last hundred years. The Oxford Handbook of the Phenomenology of Music Cultures brings ideas from the phenomenological tradition of Continental European philosophy into conversation with theoretical, ethnographic, and historical work from ethnomusicology, anthropology, sound studies, folklore studies, and allied disciplines to develop new perspectives on musical practices and auditory cultures.

Philosophy and Theory in Music Therapy: Navigating the Labyrinth invites students, clinicians, and educators to explore the foundational philosophies and theories that shape music therapy. For students, it emphasizes the importance of philosophy and theory as the cornerstones of practice, research, and professional growth. For clinicians, it offers fresh perspectives to enhance their practice, delving into ideas that may not have been part of their formal training. For educators, it provides nuanced explanations of music therapy theories, transcending the adaptation of (...) frameworks from other disciplines. Designed as more than just a textbook, this book is a versatile resource. Some chapters align with specific coursework, while others span multiple academic or clinical contexts. Clinicians may find certain sections helpful in explaining treatment approaches to colleagues or administrators, while other chapters are simply enjoyable for intellectual exploration. Educators can draw inspiration for developing new theories, and researchers may discover frameworks to test and refine. Rich with case studies and clinical examples, each chapter offers practical insights and tangible applications, bringing music therapy philosophies and theories to life. Whether for study, practice, or teaching, this book provides an inclusive and accessible guide to the dynamic and ever-evolving field of music therapy. (shrink)

This book examines how compression can be understood not only as a digital process enacted through computing, but as an economic and political phenomenon that impacts the ecology of waste, diversity and social inclusivity. Beginning with a linguistic underpinning of visual space, the book examines the development of the MP3 algorithm and the 'waste' it creates, challenging the wisdom that human reason and language is uniquely capable of bringing order to chaos. Returning to the idea of a sonic economy, the (...) book reintroduces waste, error and other discarded material back into our systems of thought-and into systems beyond our thought. (shrink)

This book is interdisciplinary in nature and presents the dispute 'around beauty' in art of the last century. It is a synthesis of artistic phenomena and the aesthetic attitudes of composers, taking into account the ideological and social context of music written in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The proposed historiographical structure is based on the assumption that diverse artistic phenomena and aesthetic attitudes can be interpreted in relation to the idea of beauty, which in the twentieth century was 'banished'. (...) Jarzębska presents disputes over the model of musical culture in the interwar period, inspired by the concept of national and progressive music. She also considers issues related to musical life, which was marked in the postwar period by the shadow of the Iron Curtain and around the turn of the second millennium by the philosophy of postmodernism and the phenomenon of rock culture. (shrink)

Over the past few decades, various philosophers of music have appealed to the notion of recognizability in their theories of the performance of works of Western classical music. In this paper, I attempt to clarify that notion and examine whether it can actually do the jobs it is called upon to execute. I begin with a discussion of Jerrold Levinson’s appeal to (something like) work-recognizability as a criterion of successful work-performance and its influential uptake by Stephen Davies. I then attempt (...) to clarify the notion of work-recognizability. I argue that the concept cannot do the task it is asked to in theories of work-performance, and that we should instead appeal to a robust notion of the intention to perform a work. (shrink)

A fine Settecento, quando l’ingresso della musica nel «sistema delle arti» era un evento ancora recente, il fondatore della Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, Friedrich Rochlitz, individuava il motivo della maggiore discrepanza nei giudizi in materia musica le rispetto alle altre arti nel fatto che essa sarebbe priva di punti di riferimento visibili. «La musica», egli affermava, «nulla ha divisibile (Sichtbares) cui si possano confrontare le sue opere, o da cui possa scaturire una qualche concordanza nelle valutazioni». Mentre per esempio possiamo valutare (...) la differenza di valore tra due raffigurazioni di una rosa perché abbiamo visto la rosa reale, nella musica, argomentava Rochlitz, dobbiamo affidarci alla nostra sensibilità introspettiva, il che rende il compito del giudizio assai difficile. Non intendo qui commentare questo argomento. Piuttosto mi interessa mettere in discussione l’idea che la musica non abbia a che fare con la dimensione del visibile. Anche dando per scontata l’idea che la musica sia un’arte, o un campo di pratiche, legato in modo fondamentale ai suoni e all’ascolto, non è inutile interrogarsi sul contributo della dimensione visiva all’esperienza musicale. Questo articolo presenterà quindi alcune considerazioni circa gli aspetti visivi della produzione e della ricezione della musica. La prima parte concerne la possibilità di visualizzare l’opera intesa come tipo ideale strutturale. La seconda parte discute il ruolo della visione nell’esecuzione delle opere musicali. La terza parte si sofferma brevemente sul ruolo della visualizzazione immaginativa e del vedere performativo nelle pratiche dell’improvvisazione. La conclusione propone un rapido riferimento all’iconologia musicale. (shrink)

A brief overview of _A Philosophy of Cover Songs_, highlighting some of the main themes in the book. The first part addresses the nature of covers and makes some important initial distinctions. The second part addresses the appreciation and evaluation of covers. The third part addresses covers as a clue to the ontology of songs. Written to introduce a session at the American Society for Aesthetics Rocky Mountain Division meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico (July 13, 2024).

Theories of music evolution rely on our understanding of what music is. Here, I argue that music is best conceptualized as an interactive technology, and propose a coevolutionary framework for its emergence. I present two basic models of attachment formation through behavioral alignment applicable to all forms of affiliative interaction and argue that the most critical distinguishing feature of music is entrained temporal coordination. Music's unique interactive strategy invites active participation and allows interactions to last longer, include more participants, and (...) unify emotional states more effectively. Regarding its evolution, I propose that music, like language, evolved in a process of collective invention followed by genetic accommodation. I provide an outline of the initial evolutionary process which led to the emergence of music, centered on four key features: technology, shared intentionality, extended kinship, and multilevel society. Implications of this framework on music evolution, psychology, cross-species and cross-cultural research are discussed. (shrink)

While music education practice has moved towards greater diversity, the philosophy of music education remains rather Western-centric, with limited scholars drawing on philosophical resources beyond the West. This is problematic, as a truly inclusive approach to music education ought to embrace multiple philosophical voices. In this paper, we examine a quartet of approaches (that is, world philosophy, multiculturalism, internationalization, and decolonization) that scholars in academic philosophy have used to tackle the lack of philosophical diversity and argue that they have limited (...) applicability to music education. We then forward what we term a “multi-philosophical” approach to music education, one that takes into consideration diverse philosophical sources regardless of their political, cultural, national, racial, gender, or any other divisional association. Through this approach, music education philosophy moves towards “boundarylessness” while maintaining, evolving, and affirming individual identities, with philosophia advancing from a “love of wisdom” to a “love of all wisdoms.”. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Response to C. Victor Fung and Leonard Tan, “‘Love of All Wisdoms’: Toward A Multiphilosophical Approach To Music Education”Lauren Kapalka RichermeFung and Tan’s arguments regarding the limits of our profession’s longstanding narrow focus on Eurocentric and American philosophical traditions are crucially important, and I think the majority of PMER readers will agree about the need to engage with philosophies written by those from diverse geographic locations and with other (...) forms of contrasting lived experiences. Additionally, this essay contains many thoughtful clarifications, including the importance of local and individualized needs, accruing philosophical wisdoms over time, and ongoing reflexivity. I found the conceptualization of boundaries “as a connecting agent rather than a separation device” particularly intriguing. Moreover, I applaud Fung and Tan for their work outside of this paper; their efforts to translate and extend various Asian philosophical ideas have certainly enriched the graduate philosophy classes that I teach.1 For me, the joy of any philosophical inquiry is the questions and imaginings it incites, and these authors have certainly given me a lot to contemplate. I begin this response with a couple of wonderments and then provide a possible extension of this valuable work. [End Page 185]One of my wonderments regards the relationship between culturally sustaining pedagogy and the proposed multiphilosophical approach. Fung and Tan write, “Ontological and axiological questions regarding the meaning of music in education and in the broader life are still unaddressed” and specifically ask “To what extent should musics of the students’ cultural tradition be customized and incorporated in the curriculum?” Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy or CSP, which is a primary contemporary outgrowth of the multicultural education movement, provides a clear response. Django Paris and H. Sami Alim write that Culturally Responsive Pedagogy:seeks to perpetuate and foster—to sustain—linguistic, literate, and cultural pluralism as part of schooling for positive social transformation. CSP positions dynamic cultural dexterity as a necessary good, and sees the outcome of learning as additive rather than subtractive.... Culturally sustaining pedagogy exists wherever education sustains the lifeways of communities who have been and continue to be damaged and erased through schooling.2Given the similarities between this explanation and Fung and Tan’s description of a multiphilosophical approach, I wonder if they could say more about points of alignment and disagreement. Might their arguments serve as an extension of CSP?Another wonderment I have is: What does a multiphilosophical approach exclude? I’m intrigued by Fung and Tan’s rich metaphor of a Chinese medicine cabinet and find it applicable to an array of philosophies. Yet, equating students to “patients” and a music educator to a “doctor” who “writes a prescription for a patient” is incompatible with some philosophies. For example, such language implies a banking model of education that undermines Brazilian philosopher Paulo Freire’s core tenets.3 Given that no metaphor or philosophical approach can address everything, I wonder if in addition to inclusions, a multiphilosophical approach necessarily relies on certain exclusions. I spend the remainder of this response positing three potential ways that exclusions might extend Fung and Tan’s ideas.First, inclusive approaches such as Fung and Tan’s multiphilosophy necessarily exclude philosophies resistant to openness and varying viewpoints. Philosophies that forward single prescribed educational ends or limited ways of being musical cannot function within a multiphilosphical approach and therefore must be excluded. Moreover, Fung and Tan’s references to democracy and use of Dewey suggest that a main purpose of a multiphilosophical approach is to propagate liberal pluralism. Such thinking aligns with Meira Levinson’s ideas about liberal education. She writes: “liberal citizenship does require certain habits and virtues, and pluralism is rightly restricted to individuals holding conceptions of [End Page 186] the good which are compatible with liberal citizenship.”4 Specifically, Levinson argues that these habits and virtues include respecting the democratic process, paying attention to public issues, and public involvement through voting and other forms of engagement. While I agree with Fung and Tan that “contemporary diverse needs are localized and always evolving,” those needs exist within larger socio-political-economic structures that inevitably rely on certain exclusions. The nature of those exclusions informs how “diverse needs” are understood and addressed... (shrink)

Orff-Schulwerk has become a foundational element of U.S. music education. Often positioned as an open, exploratory, and approachable form of music teaching and learning, it is associated with developing musicianship and, importantly, creativity. This article, drawing from a curriculum studies approach, considers the epistemologies, histories, and entanglements that produce Orff-Schulwerk and position it in this way. To do so, the article reviews an archive of method books, writing from Orff-Schulwerk pedagogues, and instrument designs. It then places these artifacts alongside the (...) intellectual foundations through that, in part, their modes of thought and action are constructed. In the process, this article traces how Orff-Schulwerk has been produced and given a particular sensibility through modes of thought largely outside of music such as cognitive science and German body culture. As a result, Orff-Schulwerk and the object of twenty-first century music curriculum become visible as not simply direct translations of creative, musical exploration into curriculum. Rather, Orff-Schulwerk is a distinct ontological object produced through ideas and desires that often have less to do with music and more to do with governing people in modernity. In doing so, the article seeks to question and develop understandings surrounding the foundations of classroom practice and research. (shrink)

In this essay, I articulate the value of understanding antiracism from a materialist perspective, drawing from the concept of racial capitalism. I critique the lack of accounting for race in class-first paradigms of critical scholarship in music education, arguing that racial hierarchy laid the foundation for capitalist exploitation through colonialism. Employing critical race theory, I discuss the racial nature of class formation in the United States, focusing on the connection between housing, school funding, and so-called high-performing music programs. I then (...) discuss the limitations of current anti-racist scholarship in music education, suggesting that its focus on representation and classroom practice neglects the material conditions that shape music teaching. Drawing from Olúfémi Táíwò’s work, I propose a constructive approach to reparations in music education that attends to the material and symbolic aspects of white supremacy inside and outside of the music classroom. By taking a both/and approach to antiracism, music education could contribute to the self-determination of racially oppressed people and communities. (shrink)

This submission explores the concept of aesthetic justice pedagogy, and advocates on behalf of it. In contrast to aesthetic injustice, which denotes any harm done to a person’s aesthetic capacities, aesthetic justice pedagogy aims at facilitating the development of students’ imagination, perception, and feelings, wherein narrative and story-making are prime locations to contest coloniality and oppression. We emphasize the practice of this philosophy, refusing to see it as only as metaphor or theory. In our attempt to build a praxis of (...) philosophy, education, and art, we lean upon diverse thinkers such as Augusto Boal, John Dewey, Paulo Freire, and Ursula K. Le Guin. We maintain that aesthetic justice pedagogy requires spaces of liberation whereby initiates can practice, rehearse, and perform new realities and create counter-narratives through various modalities of story-writing. Boal’s Aesthetics of the Oppressed, Dewey’s understanding of dramatic rehearsal, Freire’s work in Culture Circles, and Le Guin’s critique of the father tongue combine art, re-storying, and imagination in ways that are unique to the traditional practices of arts education. We conclude by reemphasizing the liberatory ways in which practice (aesthetic work that is done alone), rehearsal (art work with others), and performance (imagination’s accomplishment) come to identify unique qualities and practices of an aesthetic justice pedagogy. (shrink)

Research suggests that when we treat our non-obligatory activities playfully, we are more likely to engage with them and derive meaningfulness from them. Play is of interest to the field of music education on at least two counts: the perceived relationship between play and music, and the perceived educational aspects of play related to human development and behavior. Using Johan Huizinga’s definition of play in Homo Ludens as a starting point, I interrogate the ways in which school music may militate (...) against play efforts in music education. I draw particular attention to the problem of group-based musical performance, competition, and how school music in many jurisdictions has capitulated to an impoverished paradigm of “getting it right.” I conclude with a brief appeal to re-center play as critically important to the aims of school music. (shrink)

The expressive nature of musical improvisation is dissected, navigatingbetween two predominant theses: The Transparency Thesis (1) which proposes thatexpressiveness in improvisation transparently reflects the musician’s subjectiveaffectivity, and the Objective-Generic Expressiveness Thesis (2) asserting that ithinges only on the musicpractice’s objective components. This article challenges boththeses, arguing against (1) by emphasizing that musical expressivity transcends a merenatural outburst, and counteracting (2) by highlighting that it is not merely anenactment of objective expressive topoi. Introducing a novel perspective through theconceptual pair of (social) (...) Habitusand (individual) habit, a third stance is defended:the specific expressiveness in improvised music is significantly impacted by itsimprovisational quality, whereby the expressiveness emerges from the manipulationand transformation of an expressive Habitus within the musical performance’scontingent situation. (shrink)

Contents: - positioning Pound’s contributions to theory – aesthetic organicism - Emerson, Pound, and the aim of language - Confucian philosophy and Pound’s tradition.

Is it possible to conceptualize the sound image? How can we talk about the intertwined between visual image and sound? When precisely is there a sound image? In this article, I specify what is not a sound image, and I analyze three forms of what should be considered a sound image. Understood as a form of experience, the sound image is linked to a subject, but at the same time is independent from him: it is a world manifestation.

When Taylor Swift's record label was sold in 2019, the six studio albums she recorded for them came under the control of a person with whom she has had years of bad blood: Kanye West's former manager Scooter Braun. But rather than move on, Swift chose to take the unprecedented step of re-recording duplicate versions of those albums. With all of the profits made from selling, streaming, and licensing these “Taylor's Versions” going directly to Swift, she could deprive Braun of (...) potentially hundreds of millions of dollars. The gambit has already paid off. The first two Taylor's Versions (of Fearless and Red) debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard charts and have sold over one million copies so far; and four more are still on the way. In this book, nine philosophers and one music producer explore the philosophical richness of Swift's project and the questions it raises: Are Swift's re-recordings new works of art or mere copies of the originals? Do the Taylor's Versions of the songs have the same meanings as the original versions, or do they now mean something different? Is her re-recording project genuinely artistic or merely commercial? Is Swift standing up for artists' rights or looking out for herself? Does the music industry exploit artists, and, if so, how should it be reformed? Together they show the philosophical dividends one of the most famous and acclaimed recording artists of her generation is capable of producing. For anyone interested in the complicated relationship between popular art and commerce this book is a must-read. (shrink)

Byron Almen proposes an original synthesis of approaches to musical narrative from literary criticism, semiotics, historiography, musicology, and music theory, resulting in a significant critical reorientation of the field. This volume includes an extensive survey of traditional approaches to musical narrative, a careful delineation of the essential elements and preconditions of musical narrative organization, an eclectic analytical model applicable to a wide range of musical styles and repertoires, a diverse range of musical examples illustrating the range and applicability of the (...) theoretical apparatus, a classification scheme of narrative types and subtypes reflecting conceptually distinct narrative strategies, a wide array of interpretive categories, and a sensitivity to the dependence of narrative interpretation on the cultural milieu of the work, its various audiences, and the analyst. A Theory of Musical Narrative provides both an excellent introduction to an increasingly important conceptual domain and a complex reassessment of its possibilities and characteristics."-- Amazon.com. (shrink)

Emotional hardcore and other music genres featuring screamed vocals are puzzling for the appreciator. The typical fan attaches appreciative value to musical screams of emotional pain, all the while acknowledging it would be inappropriate to hold similar attitudes towards their sonically similar everyday counterpart: actual human screaming. Call this the screamed vocals problem. To solve the problem, I argue we must attend to the anti-sublimating aims that get expressed in the emotional hardcore vocalist’s choice to scream the lyrics. Screamed vocals (...) help us see the value in rejecting (a) restrictive social norms of emotional expressiveness and (b) restrictive artistic norms about how one ought to express or represent pain in art—namely that if one is going to do so, one must ensure the pain has been ‘beautified’. In developing this second point, I argue that emotional hardcore is well-suited (although not individually so) for putting pressure on longstanding views in the history of aesthetics about the formal relationship between art and human pain. (shrink)

Flourishing has become a popular ideal in the educational debate. Could flourishing guide meaningful choices in education? My skepticism rests on unclear definitions of _flourishing_, a hidden insistence of theories of flourishing on selfish and individualistic themes, and an elitist vision of flourishing as the consequence of favorable conditions. To avoid the controversial aspects of flourishing theories, I will suggest that education could instead promote medium-term goals that, without directly aiming at students’ realization, nurture the base on which students can (...) imagine their flourishing. Drawing on ancient Greek culture, I will discuss _metron_ as an inspiring medium-term goal for music education. In its archaic meaning, _metron_, the right measure, is both a dynamic balance and an ongoing movement that regulates individual actions and guides individuals toward their realization. I believe that _metron_ in music education could help students explore their possibilities and limits as individual and social agents toward a more nuanced understanding of their selves. Thus, I will consider how promoting _metron_ in music classrooms could enhance students’ self-knowledge and foster their sense of self in and though musical interactions and critical reflections. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Reviewed by:A Way of Music Education: Classic Chinese Wisdoms by C. Victor FungJui-Ching WangC. Victor Fung, A Way of Music Education: Classic Chinese Wisdoms (New York, Oxford University Press, 2018)The philosophical inquiry of music and music education has traditionally been limited to a Western lineage, primarily Greek civilization. Many prominent scholars of music education philosophy in the English-speaking world have long restricted their quests to the offspring of this (...) Western philosophy. Although music education scholars have urged a need for more than one "single philosophical foundation" for the field,1 not much has been done systematically to make up for this shortcoming until most recently when scholars such as Wayne Bowman, Ana Luciá Frega, Victor Fung, and Leonard Tan started to call for a more inclusive way of thinking to accommodate the "complexity, plurality, and change" in twenty-first century music education settings.2 To respond to this call, the primary contribution of A Way of Music Education: Classic Chinese Wisdoms is to provide an alternative for examining the phenomena of music teaching and learning by introducing classic Chinese philosophies, Yijing (the Book of Change), Confucianism, and Daoism to bridge the philosophical gap between the West and the East.This book is organized in three parts. Part I, Classical Chinese Philosophies and Music Educational Interpretations, consists of four chapters with the [End Page 116] fundamental background of each philosophy Fung adopts and its interpretation and application in music and music education. Part II, Complementarity and a Trilogy, contains four chapters that help explain how Yijing, Confucianism, and Daoism complement each other as a "harmonious triad," not only in their original context but also in the philosophical frame of contemporary music and music education. The two chapters in Part III, A New Way of Thinking and Practical Implications, discuss practical implications of these classic philosophical ideologies in music education. An epilogue calls for future research on more Chinese classics in both music education and other non-music fields as Fung believes that these rich classic wisdoms are transcendental in time and space, and thus can be experienced as a way of life that "champions the human spirit in relation to the ever-changing natural environment, material life, and social system."3 Lastly, to help readers unfamiliar with Chinese philosophy, a glossary defines the key Chinese terms in each chapter with original Chinese characters and English translations. In addition, flow charts and diagrams help readers visualize the application of complex classic Chinese principles to music education.Attempting to develop "a new way of thinking in music education,"4 Fung situates his inquiry in an "organismic worldview,"5 a way of examining oneself and his/her relation to all elements of the world, a common philosophical thread derived from ancient classic Chinese philosophies of Yijing, Confucianism, and Daoism. Transcending the long debate about the praxial philosophy and aesthetic philosophy of music education, Fung uses these Chinese philosophical principles to explain human musical behaviors first with an ontological lens. He then moves on to examine from a utilitarian perspective the significance of these musical behaviors as inseparable parts of the 'humanly human.' Carefully framing interpretations within the three Chinese classic philosophies, Fung uses a comparative method to scrutinize the meaning of music for human beings who practice it, to their social network (small or large), and to their natural environment. Fung's comparison of the similarities and differences of ancient Chinese principles concludes that "music and music education [are] part of the larger entities and phenomena that cut across time and space."6 Such comparison exemplifies the value of comparative philosophy in "acknowledging and appreciating differences in a realization of the complementarity of perspectives."7 As a result, Fung is able to complement ideas from the seeming contradiction between Confucianism's "human-centric" ideology and Daoism's "dao-centric" ideology to cleverly picture a more comprehensive way of music in education: because "these two schools are addressing different human needs…, they influence each other and provide momentum for each other."8Moreover, going beyond the "minor varieties of comparisons" within the Chinese classics, Fung challenges himself to a higher level of inquiry stretching [End Page 117] out to... (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Reviewed by:Music, Education, and Religion: Intersections and Entanglements ed. by Alexis Kallio, Philip Alperson and Heidi WesterlundWilliam M. PerrineAlexis Kallio, Philip Alperson, and Heidi Westerlund, eds., Music, Education, and Religion: Intersections and Entanglements (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2019)It is perhaps something of a truism–or at least a stereotype containing a grain of truth–that most academics, particularly in the United States, are notoriously bad when it comes to a (...) scholarly discussion of religion. In scholarship on education, this results in unfortunate omissions within debates regarding the philosophical aims of curriculum. Religion, after all, is an inescapable part of everyday life for billions of human beings around the globe. To ignore religion is to ignore an important part of the human experience. Part of the problem in discussing religion is undoubtedly the conventions of academic discourse itself. To qualify as “research,” academic writing has generally been expected to place a degree of distance between the author and the content matter at hand. In the case of religion, this has involved a state of remove to an ostensibly neutral vantage point, typically a perspective grounded in a philosophical naturalism. This tendency is compounded by the pressure, particularly acute within secular institutions, to compartmentalize religious belief as a private matter that should not overtly inform one’s public professional practice. Thus, while a researcher in music or music education might have an active religious life in private, an open [End Page 117] integration of personal faith and teaching practice might be considered extraordinarily unprofessional—at least if the faith in question is socially déclassé. The obvious problem inherent in this framework for understanding the relationship between religion and professional life is that, particularly when it comes to questions of philosophy, religious faith is rarely a strictly personal matter. As Charles Taylor notes, religious faith as a lived human practice traditionally involves strong evaluations: determinations of right and wrong that supersede personal choice or preference.1 These evaluations often take the form of hypergoods, positions by which moral or truth claims must be weighed. Strong evaluations and hyper-goods by nature cannot be limited to the personal; they inform all areas of our intellectual, social, and professional lives. Such commitments tend to inform and precede other philosophical commitments, rather than vice versa. Pressure to minimize the importance of hypergoods can be a profound source of frustration for religious believers within the secular academy, particularly as the assumption that deep religious commitment is incompatible with a spirit of critical inquiry runs very deep. When the academic literature touches on matters of religious concern, either directly or indirectly, it seems to either minimize the complexity or concerns of traditional religious belief as lived experience, or privilege progressive forms of religious practice. At worst, academic discourse on religion is condescending, often coupled with class-based and socio-geographic prejudice against particular religious groups and beliefs.With this framework in mind, I approached Music, Education, and Religion: Intersections and Entanglements with a degree of apprehension. Fortunately, editors Alexis Kallio, Philip Alperson, and Heidi Westerlund have put together an impressive volume that treats the complex relationship between music education and religious practice with the respect and sensitivity that the topic deserves. As the editors note in their introduction, music as a human practice cannot be artificially separated from religious beliefs. These domains are, as the volume’s subtitle makes clear, entangled through a multiplicity of intersections. The book itself consists of eighteen essays representing a wide array of viewpoints, case studies, and contextualized problems from around the world. The diversity of topics prohibits drawing any generalizable conclusions beyond the obvious observation that interaction with religion presents entanglements that cannot be ignored under an artificial banner of secular neutrality. As the first edited collection of essays in our discipline to tackle these problems in a substantive manner, however, the book is unquestionably successful in opening a space for critical discussion. With this in mind, rather than attempting to summarize each of the included chapters within this review, I will instead attempt to engage in conversation with some of the themes that emerge from the book from my own vantage point as a scholar... (shrink)

Features of the third edition: •Additional case studies, with new interviews exclusive to the third edition •Revised chapter structure with an emphasis on student focus and understanding, featuring additional and expanded chapters •Reinstatement of selected and updated first edition topics, including mixing, mastering and microphones •Companion website featuring case study interviews, a historical listening list, bibliography and many additional projects."--Résumé du site web de l'éditeur.