EBOOK Music in Our Lives:Rethinking Musical Ability, Development and Identity

Why do some children take up music, while others dont? Why do some excel, whilst        others give up? Why do some children favour classical music, whilst others prefer        rock?These are questions that have puzzled music educators, psychologists, and        musicologists for many years. Yet, they are incredibly difficult and complex        questions to answer.'Music in our lives' takes an innovative approach to trying to        answer these questions. It is drawn from a research project that spanned fourteen        years, and closely followed the lives of over 150 children learning music - from        their seventh to their twenty second birthdays.This detailed longitudinal approach        helped the authors probe a number of important issues. For example, how do you        define musical skill and ability? Is it true, as many assume, that continuous        engagement in performance is the sole way in which those skills can be developed?        What are the consequences of trends and behaviours observed amongst the general        public, and their listening consumption.After presenting an overview and detailed        case study explorations of musical lives, the book provides frameworks and theory        for further investigation and discussion. It tries to present an holistic        interpretation of these studies, and looks at their implications for musical        development and education. Accessibly written by three leading researchers in the        fields of music education and music psychology, this book makes a powerful        contribution to understanding the dynamic and vital context ofmusic in our        lives.