Music lives where people live.
Historically, music study has centred on the conservatory, which
privileges the study of the Western European canon and Western European
practice . The Eurocentric way music has been studied has excluded
communities that are considered to be marginalized in one or more ways
despite that the majority of human experiences with music is found
outside of that realm. Community music has emerged as a
counter-narrative to the hegemonic music canon: it seeks to increase the
participation of those living on the boundaries.
Community Music at the Boundaries explores music and music-making on
those edges. "The real power of community music," writes Roger Mantie in
the foreword, "lies not in the fiction of trying to eliminate boundaries
(or pretending they don't exist), but in embracing the challenge of
'walking' them." Contributions from scholars and researchers, music
practitioners, and administrators examine the intersection of music and
communities in a variety of music-making forms: ensembles, university
and police choirs, bands, prison performing groups, youth music groups,
instrument classes, symphonies, drum circles, and musical direction and
performance. Some of the topics explored in the volume include education
and change, music and Indigenous communities, health and wellness, music
by incarcerated persons, and cultural identity. By shining a light on
boundaries, this volume provides a wealth of international perspectives
and knowledge about the ways that music enhances lives.
