Table of Contents

Part 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Musical Experience throughout Our Lives Part 3 Infancy/Early Childhood Chapter 4 Songs of Belonging: Musical Interactions in Early Life Chapter 5 From the Teacher's View: Observations of Toddler's Musical Development Chapter 6 A Community Music Program for Parents and Children With and Without Special Needs Chapter 7 Musical Portraits, Musical Pathways: Stories of Meaning Making in the Lives of Six Families Part 8 Childhood Chapter 9 Pulling the Curtain Back on Performance in the Elementary School Chapter 10 El Cameleon: The Musical Secrets of Mirella Valdez Chapter 11 Improvisatory Musical Experiences in the Lives of Children with Severe Disabilities Chapter 12 Composing in the Classroom: The Journey of Five Children Part 13 Adolescence Chapter 14 Strings Attached: The Reality Show Chapter 15 Drawing Middle-Schoolers' Attention to Music Chapter 16 At-Risk Teens: Making Sense of Life through Music Composition Chapter 17 Boys' Voices: Inside and Outside Choral Music Chapter 18 Music in Motion: An Overture to the Student Experience in the Outdoor Music Ensemble Chapter 19 The Violin and the Fiddle: Narratives of Music and Musician in a High School Setting Part 20 Adulthood/Older Adulthood Chapter 21 Creation to Performance: The Journey of an African American Community Gospel-Jazz Ensemble Chapter 22 Both Sides of the Coin: Experienced Musicians Tell of Lives Lived and Shared Chapter 23 Dancing Inside: Dalcroze Eurhythmics in a Therapeutic Setting Chapter 24 Voices of Experience: Lessons from Older Adult Amateur Musicians

About the Author

Jody L. Kerchner is associate professor and director of Music Education at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where she is the secondary school music and choral music education specialist. Her research focuses on music listening and cognitive processing, portfolio assessment, college-public school collaboration, and music teacher identity. Carlos R. Abril is assistant professor of Music Education at Northwestern University where he teaches courses in general music, multiculturalism, and philosophy. His research focuses on the sociocultural dimensions of the music teaching and learning process, music perception, and the elementary music curriculum.

Reviews

This is a useful addition to academic and research collections supporting the curricular and scholarly study of music education.
*Library Journal*

Jody Kerchner and Carlos Abril engage us on a timely topic through the exploration of musical experiences in a variety of environments, including both formal and informal settings....The myriad of resources cited in the brief introduction reinforce the depth of the researchers' expertise....Kerchner and Abril have filled a void in the available literature with the presentation of a unique compilation that is accessible to a variety of readers.
*Music Educators Journal*

Kerchner's and Abril's Musical Experience in Our Lives takes us a giant step toward what the field of music education most needs to become: more real. In chapter after chapter by the assembled writers the actual musical lives being lived by people at every stage, from early childhood through older adulthood, are portrayed thoughtfully and delightfully, demonstrating how rich and diverse those lives can be and how minimally related they are to traditional music programs in the schools. This is an indispensable book for all music educators, eye-opening, refreshing, mind-expanding, and hopeful for its encouragement of an invigorated profession.
*Bennett Reimer, John W. Beattie Professor of Music Education Emeritus, Northwestern University*

Musical Experience in Our Lives features a veritable pantheon of outstanding researchers and thinkers in the field of music education. They bring to this work important perspectives on the transmission, learning, and joy of music making from the youngest child to people in their later years. These qualitative studies provide a detailed description of the sociological dimensions of music learning, helping us to understand that what is learned far transcends a particular classroom, teacher or setting...
*Carol Scott-Kassner, retired professor of music education, author, and consultant*

Jody Kerchner and Carlos Abril break new ground in this book by bringing together in one publication a series of narratives and case studies that illuminate the nature and meaning of musical engagement in formal and informal settings across the lifespan. Set in rich social and cultural contexts and authored by scholars with diverse interests, each study brings the reader to the heart of musical experience and meaning making at different developmental stages—infancy and early childhood, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood and older adulthood. The collection serves as a catalyst for expanding the vision and reach of music education and reassessing the impact of music on the human condition.
*Marie McCarthy, professor and chair of Music Education, University of Michigan*

I opened this book and was immediately engaged. This is a book about alignment, about broadening our perspectives on music education, about identifying the range of music learners in our society and discovering what they can teach us when we take time towatch and listen. Kerchner and Abril have created a compelling collection that should be a part of every musician's library of inspirational books, and one that provides exceptional models for continuing research into the meaning of musical experience. There is no other publication like this in our music education literature. Kerchner and Abril hope that readers of this book will consider new directions for music education in response. I say: Follow them-they are leading the way with this publication!!!
*Donna Brink Fox, associate dean of academic and student affairs, and Eisenhart Professor of Music Education, Eastman School of Music, University*

Musical Experience in Our Lives is a compelling text that masterfully conveys the inherent value of "school music" within the larger dynamic landscape of engagement, learning, socialization, and meaning-making. Invoking an overdue and welcome lifespan perspective, Kerchner and Abril have shaped the work so that chapters collectively bridge the too-frequent divide between music in school and music in life. A must-read for those who are serious about music education as a crucial element of meaningful living.
*David E. Myers, professor and director, School of Music, University of Minnesota*

What a valuable resource for music education! Musical Experience in Our Lives addresses the essence of the musical experience through eighteen engaging topics, prepared by leading experts in the field. This very readable and insightful text spotlights the importance of musical experiences occurring in a variety of settings from the more formal to the informal, and resulting in the ultimate quest for life-long music makers.
*Carolynn A. Lindeman, professor emerita, San Francisco State University; past president, MENC: The National Association for Music Education*

Musical Experience in Our Lives features a veritable pantheon of outstanding researchers and thinkers in the field of music education. They bring to this work important perspectives on the transmission, learning, and joy of music making from the youngest child to people in their later years.
These qualitative studies provide a detailed description of the sociological dimensions of music learning, helping us to understand that what is learned far transcends a particular classroom, teacher or setting.
*Carol Scott-Kassner, retired professor of music education, author, and consultant*

I opened this book and was immediately engaged. This is a book about alignment, about broadening our perspectives on music education, about identifying the range of music learners in our society and discovering what they can teach us when we take time to watch and listen.
Kerchner and Abril have created a compelling collection that should be a part of every musician's library of inspirational books, and one that provides exceptional models for continuing research into the meaning of musical experience. There is no other publication like this in our music education literature.
Kerchner and Abril hope that readers of this book will consider new directions for music education in response. I say: Follow them-they are leading the way with this publication!
*Donna Brink Fox, associate dean of academic and student affairs, and Eisenhart Professor of Music Education, Eastman School of Music, University*