Globalization and Music, 2015

I look forward to going to the Poznan Academy of Music again soon as an Erasmus visiting professor and keynote speaker for the second symposium on globalization and music. During this visit we will finalize plans to publish a book based on both of the Poznan music globalization symposia from 2014, and now 2015.

Ubiquitous technology and various forms of techno-utopianism are common features of globalization that deeply impact music and other arts. I am currently writing about such themes in the editorial conclusion for a technology special focus issue of Arts Education Policy Review, as well as a chapter on New Zealand Maori brass bands for a book on the transculturation of bands in the Pacific islands.

My article on militarism in music education was just published in Music Educators Journal, the most widely circulated publication among American music teachers. It is a rather critical article in a special issue that largely celebrates cooperation between military bands and school music programs, and I felt fortunate to have this high profile opportunity to offer an alternative perspective. I have also recently submitted definitions for both "Sociomusicology" and "Competitions in Music" and a co-authored definition for "Historical Ethnomusicology," all of which were contracted to appear in the forthcoming SAGE Encyclopedia of Ethnomusicology.

Recently I had the opportunity to review a very interesting book that could be happily endorsed: Promoting Global Competence and Social Justice in Teacher Education: 

In my view, the book offers "a rich collection of insightful contributions that demonstrate both the benefits of, and practical strategies for, internationalization of teacher education. Many American teachers graduate from education departments with surprisingly little knowledge of America’s role in the world. This book describes several pioneering programs that help to alleviate this problem through innovative approaches to transformative, experiential learning. In these times when the power of unrestrained corporations, militarism, and mass surveillance threaten democracy and human rights, there is a pressing need for such a book that inspires an empathetic, global perspective among teacher educators."

I look forward to some trips this spring and summer to both Tokyo and Beijing, where I have various long-term music projects (including plans for translation of my books into Chinese and Japanese languages), as well as some upcoming presentations for the International Symposium on the Sociology of Music Education (New Orleans) and the Tenth Asia-Pacific Symposium for Music Education Research (Hong Kong), and planning for a visiting professorship in the autumn in Brazil.