Bartlett, B. L., & Higgins, L. (2018). Introduction: An Overview of Community Music in the Twenty-First Century. The Oxford Handbook of Community Music, 1-16
In general, this article talks about community music as a whole in the twenty first century. After the introduction it covers ideas about the history of community music, ways to critically think about it and other topics as well under the umbrella of community music. What caught my attention was how the article began in the introduction. The writers begin by listing different snapshots from a community music handbook, these examples are all different from each other and touch different parts of the world. What is common between them is that they are all a form of collaboration and bringing people together. One might think that this is obvious, that someone should just automatically think of similar examples when thinking about what community music really is. But if I was asked before reading this article to give an example of community music my answer would have been different. It was surprising that I had never thought of similar examples, all I would have thought of before was a community band or choir but there is so much more out there.
What is frustrating is that the term ‘community music’ is understood, used and explained in so many different ways. This makes the topic for this article very broad. The article does a great job at looking into different parts and ideas around community music but It would seem more beneficial to look into more specifics to get a full understanding. Additionally, this open ended use of the term community music allows for misunderstanding of the term in the common world outside of academia. This article provides a good place to start in exploring the complex world of community music and is useful in studies of music education.
If I could speak to the author, I would ask them if the term ‘community music’ could be defined in a sentence or two? I find myself unable to pinpoint such a definition that is straight and to the point but at the same time not missing a part of the ‘community music’ umbrella. But there is value in this, it keeps the topic grey, not black and white.
Written by Jessalyn Shein
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