Community musicians move in many diverse settings, and facilitate local music activities in a wide array of community contexts including schools, hospitals places of worship, music festivals, and prisons. Underscoring the importance of active participation and sensitivity to context, they integrate activities such as listening, improvising, inventing and performing while emphasizing equality of opportunity and fostering a diverse and welcoming environment for all who wish to partake. In Community Music: In Theory and in Practice, author Lee Higgins, a recognized leader in the study and advocacy of Community Music, investigates an interventional approach toward active music making outside of formal teaching and learning situations. Contextualizing Community Music within today's wider musical landscape, Higgins guides the reader through a historical perspective on the movement and an examination of its traits of practice before concluding with a discussion of future implications and directions for this distinctive and increasingly significant music-making discipline. The first full-length work on the subject, Community Music: In Theory and In Practice is a must-read for anyone invested in music education, music therapy, applied ethnomusicology, or community cultural development, as well as the practitioners and participants of community music activities.

About the Author
Lee Higgins (UK/USA) is associate professor of music education at the Boston University School of Music. He is the senior editor of the International Journal of Community Music and a past chair of the International Society for Music Education Commission on Community Music Activity. His professional practice embraces a gamut of music genres, most notably samba drumming, improvisation, pop/rock, and music technology. He has published articles in English, Portuguese, and Chinese and is the joint author of Free to Be Musical: Group Improvisation in Music.

Reviews
Higgins's passion and vision, as well as meticulous scholarship, make him one of the leading advocates for Community Music today. Community Music in Theory and in Practice is a very strong contribution to the field and a valuable resource. As I write this review, I have begun to tease out areas for further dialogue and debate of my own beliefs and indeed, I think that this is the authors greatest gift. * Kari Veblen, International Journal of Community Music *
A challenging effort to understand the ideas of community music, that obstinate, creative, critical movement of informal music education and social engagement ... Most interesting is the theoretical discussion, which seeks to move beyond the familiar reading of the music workshop as utopian temporary community. * George McKay, Times Higher Education *
Community Music in Theory and Practice represents a major contribution to the field of community music in both setting out the historical development and contemporary scope of the practice of community music and in establishing it as a field for international academic enquiry. ... Higgin's book will undoubtedly serve to enrich the practice of community music, to generate fresh perspectives and to inspire practitioners to 'dream the impossible' into the future. * Kathryn Jourdan, British Journal of Music Education *
A compelling and captivating read ... Higgins seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of community music practice globally while also introducing some invigorating new theories about the processes underpinning intimate moments in musical group encounters. There is much in this book to nourish the school based music educator, as well as those involved in developing music educators. * Catherine Pestano, Music Mark *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199777846
Author Lee Higgins
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 390g
Dimensions(mm) 152mm * 229mm * 15mm